Reading Assignment “Are leaders born or made”

Introduction
Before the recent Russian attack, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was
unpopular. With a background in acting and little political experience, he did not
inspire confidence among many citizens. Zelensky’s leadership since the attack,
however, has drawn admiration from many, at home and internationally. He has
demonstrated courage, empathy, and patriotism, inspiring his own people to fight
and winning support from countries throughout the world. Were Zelensky’s
leadership skills already present, or did his circumstances shape him into an
effective leader? Listen to hear an expert analyze Zelensky’s leadership style and
then debate: Are leaders born or made?

PLOT OF THE POD CAST – Q&A – Questions and answers

MARYLOUISE
KELLY: So, as we just heard, today marks one week exactly since Russia invaded U
kraine, which means it also marks one week since Ukraine's President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy became a wartime president.
PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: (Non-English language spoken).
KELLY: In this video, Zelenskyy appears on screen from Kyiv. He has ditched what
was his standard presidential suit and tie for an army green T-
shirt. He is saying he is Russia's No. 1 target but that he and his family would
remain in Ukraine.
ZELENSKYY: (Non-English language spoken).
KELLY: Zelenskyy has been all over social media this last week. He has been worki
ng the phone, asking world leaders to do more to help his country. He told an em
ergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels, this may be the last time you see me al
ive. Here to discuss Zelenskyy's wartime leadership - Emily Harding. She has been
tracking the war from her perch at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies in Washington. Emily Harding, welcome.
EMILY HARDING: Thank you so much.
KELLY: I want to start with that moment I just mentioned. This was one week ago,
Zelenskyy told European leaders, this may be the last time you see me alive. It is
inspirational.
 Reading Assignment “Are leaders born or made”
We talk in the U.S. about profiles in courage. This is what it looks like.
The comment that you made about him going from his normal suit and tie to his
army green Tshirt to his army sweaters, the images of him showing up in the stre
ets next to his troops,walking around and showing people what's really going on -
these have been very powerful. And I think those direct messages to EU leaders
saying that we are all Ukrainians. We are all the same. Asking directly for their
help has been huge in really cementing opposition to this Russian invasion of
Ukraine.
KELLY: The other line that may stick in people's heads from this last week is the
reported response that President Zelenskyy made to a U.S. offer to evacuate him
where he said, I need ammunition, not a ride. I wonder, when you heard that - I
should mention that part of your background is you are a former CIA analyst. You
were a leadership analyst. You were looking at what makes leaders. When you
look at Zelenskyy right now, what do you see?

HARDING: I see someone who is really stepping into his element. The contrast be
tween him and Vladimir Putin's leadership is stark. You see Putin at a huge long
table, distanced from all of his advisers, looking paranoid, looking separated, very
much emotional in a lot of his speeches. And then you see Zelenskyy, who's
standing next to his soldiers, who is down in the streets, who is talking about his
family and his country and how he's going to stand up to Putin's rule. His rise
from, you know, somebody who maybe wasn't taken incredibly seriously as a for
mer comedian and now president - he has really risen to this moment. And when
he made that comment about, I need ammunition, not a ride, I mean, I couldn't
help but smile. I think that the whole world probably looked at that as an iconic
moment of this conflict.
KELLY: Well - and to the point of how big a transformation this is, how very not
seriously he was being taken really recently, I want to play a little bit of tape. I
was in Ukraine just a few weeks ago reporting. At the end of January, Volodymyr
Zelenskyy's poll numbers were abysmal. We struggled to find anyone who liked
him. This is one remark from a woman we met on Maidan Independence Square
In central Kyiv. She was 32 years old. Her name is Yana Yarosch.
Are you confident in the government here?
YANA
YAROSCH: (Laughter) Are you kidding me? No. That's a good joke, actually, to be
confident in the government. No, no. Personally, I do not trust what they say.
 Reading Assignment “Are leaders born or made”
KELLY: So, you hear her laughing there. A good joke, the thought - the mere
thought of being confident in the government. How do you explain a
transformation like that?
HARDING: Well, I mean, in any conflict or moment of crisis, there's always a rally
around the flag effect. So, I think any leader would expect to have a bump in
their approval rating just because people do rally behind what they see as a hope
in his leadership. But Zelenskyy has more than outstripped expectations there.
I mean, his leadership has been inspirational. He's really been speaking for the
voice
of the Ukrainian people. His attempts to speak directly to the Russian people
have been really impressive - when he speaks in Russian, and he says, I'm talking
KELLY: Yeah, he's fluent in both, like a lot of Ukrainians, so he can speak directly
to both peoples. Yeah.

HARDING: Exactly. His comments about how, you know, this denazification claim
that Putin is pursuing - you know, hey; I'm a Jewish Russian-
speaking Ukrainian. I don't know what this guy's talking about. He's really done
very well at being very relatable but then also being a very strong leader, and he
has risen to the occasion during this crisis.
KELLY: Is there a risk of building him up too much, a risk to lionizing him in this
moment?
HARDING: Of course. I think there always is that risk. I mean, the outpouring of
support to the Ukrainian people has been dramatic, and that's, in part, because
we've seen all these heroic stories come out of Ukraine. I really worry that, in the
next week or so, we're going to see the tide turn a little bit, and the Russians are
going to double down on some of their terrible tactics. And then we may see
things start to turn a little bit. And I don't want the world to lose faith in the
Ukrainian people and their will to fight 'cause I think they're going to keep
fighting.
KELLY: Wow. I mean, that's - you're injecting a note of realism here, which is that
you have this president who is inspiring people in his country and around the
world, but the fundamental dynamics of this fight have not changed much. This is
still Ukraine fighting on its own and against a way bigger, way better resourced
Russian military.

HARDING: That's right. The Russian advances have bogged down in several places
along the way, but that is not a permanent condition. Lots of people are making
 Reading Assignment “Are leaders born or made”
comparisons between this and the RussoFinnish war. There are ways that Russia
can redouble its efforts, can get those convoys moving again, can, frankly, use
artillery and their air force to a much greater effect if they want to. I suspect that
Zelenskyy's going to stay on camera and keep talking about how well the
Ukrainians are doing for as long as he possibly can.

Listening Comprehension
Question 1 - What did Zelensky announce to European leaders, and what effect did
his words have?

Question 2 - How does Zelensky’s leadership style compare to that of Russian

president Putin, according to the expert?

Question 3 - How did the woman interviewed before the Russian invasion view
Zelensky and his government?

Question 4 - In what ways is Zelensky relatable to average people?

Discussion Themes
Question 5 - Debate: Are leaders born or made?

Question 6 - What qualities do you think are most important for leaders during
wartime? Why?