Our Faces of Leadership

How do you, as a current or future leader, help to shape a better world?

“For me personally and something that's been reaffirmed at my time here at Salzburg, has really been to collaborate, to find all the different voices, and understand that I have a unique perspective, but so does everyone else. Finding ways to intertwine our beliefs and what we stand for in ways of creating new and equitable futures for everybody. It's a collaborative process. As a leader, I should not be telling people what to do. I should help facilitate a safe space in which everyone feels heard and wants to contribute to the overall product.”

What or who inspires you in your work?

“I think what inspires me is seeing people every day working so hard to achieve their goals and overcoming their own journeys while focusing on the bigger picture.”

What does being a “current or future leader” mean to you?

“The construction and deconstruction of oneself and sharing the changes with the people surrounding us and each day, just trying to be better.”

What/who inspires you in your work?

“Anyone who is unapologetically not doubtful of their work is what inspires me because I'd like to take that confidence into work... I think there are a few people I've met at the Academy who are also aware and also not ignorant, but at the same time are confident of what they're going to say. That inspires me to be a better person in my work and also how to approach my work.”

How do you, as a current or future leader, help to shape a better world?

“Through the power of storytelling. I'm a journalist, but I want to become a lawyer. Now I'm writing about these stories. As a lawyer, I'm going to fight for those stories. I think that's a way to shape the world. Also, this program in Salzburg has allowed me to envision how to do that through the power of conversation, understanding that there are different perspectives, and finding coexistence within them, as well as peace, is the key to making a better world.”

What does being a “current or future leader” mean to you?

"Leadership is a privileged position for me, so acknowledging that is very important and asking yourself, ‘what am I going to do with this position I have, how is my work going to impact the life of others?’…I acknowledge that sometimes it's not easy or possible to do it, but when you can use your position [or] your platform to change something, that for me is very important… As a journalist, as a storyteller, I'm very interested in the human relations between people. Stories do really have the power to humanize how we look at each other and how we deal with each other... Thinking about the future, I'm very interested in developing my ability to connect with others through conversation, through reading about them, through understanding them through stories, and the ability to embrace vulnerability in whatever I have set myself up to do.”

What does being a “current or future leader” mean to you?

“I think a lot about how interactions between people can make such a difference and can have such an impact. I think that that's really what a leader needs to strive for, is taking themselves out of the equation. The worst leaders are the leaders who want to be known as leaders. A really good leader is someone who always prioritizes the work that the group wants to be done, and the way that the group is feeling, to try and push in a way that is actually conducive to some results. That's something that I, as a current or future leader, really hope to employ going back home after [staying at] the Schloss, is taking time to talk to people about issues that I think are important and that they think are important, and not trying to direct us to any outcome that I have planned already, just keeping the space open for us to set our own directives and our own way to travel in conversation. That is what leads to the most progress.”

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome in your professional/academic life? 

“I am from Japan and the biggest challenge for me in my life is getting a scholarship from the Japanese government. My family didn't have any money to let me go to the university, basically because I'm a woman. I'm fighting with that, and I just got a scholarship [from the Nippon Foundation]. That was my challenge and that's made my life totally different, I think, from before.”

What/who inspires you in your work?

“I would say it really depends on the job nature. For example, if I'm working alone, I'll be the motivator of myself. I am a really target-oriented person. I really want to achieve my goals and try my very best to strive [for] everything. So I'll be pushing myself hard. At the same time, my Fellows and my peers. If we're working in a group, they are definitely one of my backups. At the same time, [as for] professors in [the] Salzburg Academy [on Media & Global Change], I would say Len [Apcar] is a very inspirational character here. We talked a lot during leisure times, and he's also given me motivational quotes and inspiring quotes. It's very nice to work with all of you here.”

What does being a “current or future leader” mean to you?

“To me, to be a future leader means to have an empathetic perspective and skills to understand what your team members are struggling [with] and help them to achieve the goal and unleash their potentials while not talking from a top-down perspective, but rather work with them and work for your people.”

What does being a “current or future leader” mean to you?

“Being a current or future leader is being an ever-growing and ever-changing leader, making an impact that lasts for years to come.”

What/who inspires you in your work?

“What inspires me in my work is my community. I really like to see young people advocating for what they believe in. Embracing and believing that they can make a difference helps me understand that I also can make a difference. I think that that community and that sense of trust within certain communities is pretty inspiring for me.”