What makes a good leader? Being able to listen, say young people

Bringing people together, showing determination and being a good listener are some of the qualities younger generations look for in leaders.

That’s according to Generation Z and millennial participants at the One Young World summit in Montreal, Canada.

“It’s essential that, when leaders are at the forefront, they are acting upon the interests of the people, and not the interest of themselves or of a small group,” according to Sue Whisky, CEO and founder of sustainability organization Environmental Network Malawi, who spoke to CNBC’s Tania Bryer at the summit in September.

She also said persistence and determination were important in leaders. “People go through so much and yet their achievements are so much greater than everything that they’ve ever been through,” she said.

While some leaders “aren’t really always driven by good intentions,” according to Whisky, even those with differing views can “sit in the same room.” “We can all make the world that we want to make. We can all work towards achieving peace,” she said.

For Northern Irish politician Cara Hunter, empathy and understanding are paramount. “The importance of listening can never be undervalued,” she said. Hunter, who became a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Londonderry at the age of 24 in 2020, said she is keen to hear what those younger than her want from education.

“A good leader is about listening and raising the voices of people who maybe can’t vote but want to be part of the political process, and ensuring they know the power that they have,” she said.

Hunter is part of the Northern Irish Education Committee, in a role that she said contributes to building a peaceful society in the region. “A key aspect of that … is looking at the importance of integrated education, so ensuring every child, regardless of background or belief, is educated together and really respects cultural difference,” Hunter said.

Bringing people from a variety of backgrounds together is important for former rugby player Tendai Mtawarira, who named South African rugby star Siya Kolisi as a “great leader.” Kolisi led his team to win the World Cup in 2019 because of his ability to “bring out the best of everybody,” Mtawarira said.

“[He creates] a really conducive environment for everybody, where everybody feels like they belong. You know, their cultures and traditions are taken into account and embraced,” he said of Kolisi.

Mtawarira runs The Beast, a foundation that helps young people gain life skills via education and sport, and has launched Lead Like a Girl, a scholarship for teenage girls. “If we were able to … upskill our young people, create a thriving workforce, then we’re going to see a much better world, a much better Africa,” he said.

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Laura Stocco urged decision-makers to do more to tackle climate change. “My generation … we have this kind of anxiety towards the way we see the world being led right now with climate change, we’re not in agreement with the leadership that is in place,” she said.

Stocco is founder of Openversum, which provides clean water technology via a “microfranchising” model that trains women to assemble and sell water filters in countries including Colombia and Uganda, who Stocco said could become “actor[s] of change” in their communities.

She said leadership is about problem-solving. “If you’re not listening, you will … try to implement fantastic changes and solutions that you think are solutions, but that the people you’re trying to lead don’t need or don’t want,” she said.

When asked what young leaders want, Stocco said, “We want to be heard, and we want to be enabled to take action so that we can really design the future that we want.”