YPS Session Descriptions

 

Defining Your Leadership Values

What makes a great leader? Some argue that one is born a leader; others believe that leadership skills and abilities can be developed with time and experience. What can be agreed upon is that great leaders have a certain set of qualities that aim to inspire and challenge people. While these qualities can be interpreted in many different ways, by identifying key leadership traits and developing a personal leadership philosophy, strong leaders can understand and leverage the values that drive their decision-making.

Maintaining Value-Driven Leadership in Times of Uncertainty

Foreign policy used to be the near exclusive domain of elite decision-makers. Today, international relations have become mainstream and are part of our daily politics but have in result caused confusion and disconnect between the citizens and the elites in explaining and understanding their decisions in a world of international complexity. This disconnect comes at a time of great uncertainty which requires strong global, value-driven leadership from both sides of the Atlantic, especially as we enter a new era of declining liberal order and continual rise of populism.

Guiding Questions:

  • How should leaders react to global challenges and times of uncertainty?
  • How to engage in public debates about international relations?
  • How will the transatlantic relationship continue without a champion on either side?
  • How can leaders continue to (re)build transatlantic trust?

Interpreting News and Facts in Today’s Media-Driven World

In his last network interview, President Barack Obama admitted he missed something: “I underestimated the degree... it is possible for misinformation, for cyber hacking and so forth to have an impact on our open societies, our open systems, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways that I think are accelerating.” If fake news can influence the most powerful structures and processes of U.S. government, some ask how might it take down and conversely build up other large organizations — for profit, nonprofit, government linked, or otherwise. In this session, Richard Lui explores not only the various permutations of fake news as it has affected journalism, elections, and their outcomes, but also the environmental factors allowing it to exist. Lui blends decades of experience in content, journalism, and technology to provide solutions for those who are worried, countermeasures for those who are targeted, and actionable steps for those who are looking to leverage the changing content landscape for good political, monetary, and social outcomes.

Shifting Political Landscapes: The Implications on the Transatlantic Security and Defense Policy                       

Anti-EU feelings are dramatically increasing in most European countries, even among mainstream political parties. At the same time, the result of the last U.S. presidential election reflected the rise of anti-establishment feelings and the rejection of previous policies. The conditions for transatlantic defense cooperation have changed with these trends, as exemplified by the Brexit vote and most strikingly the election of Donald Trump. The “America First” motto of the new U.S. president might have implications for U.S. foreign policy, and push pragmatism to a new extreme, with a particularly narrow definition of U.S. interests. Both France and Germany seem willing to use this opportunity to strengthen European defense, but the upcoming elections in both countries could put this trend in jeopardy, and trigger a new approach to the cost of security among transatlantic partners. The future developments of the strategic relationships with big external players such as Russia and China will be the first test.

Guiding Questions:

  • How will the political changes in the United States and Europe affect defense and security priorities and the future of the transatlantic defense cooperation?
  • Does the election of Donald Trump reveal a change in perception or approach to security by the American people or elite?
  • Are defense and security policies a private domain or a public policy like any other, subject to political uncertainties?
  • Can we expect divergent security approaches in the United States and Europe in the months to come?
  • How can the Trump administration influence domestic politics in Europe?

The New Normal: 21st Century Leadership for Evolving Societies

Changing demographics, globalism, populism, digital connectivity, and other factors are creating a “new normal” for 21st century leaders spanning international, regional, and local governing sectors. Young elected leaders, including those from TILN, will discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the “new normal” for evolving populations, and what every 21st century leader should know for governing.

The Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network (TILN) supports young, diverse elected leaders from the United States and Europe. TILN’s mission is to inspire, inform, and connect diverse young leaders for them to excel in elected office and other leadership roles, advance inclusive policies, and engage with senior transatlantic policymakers.

Guiding Questions:

  • What is your “new normal”?     
  • How does advancing inclusive policies fit within your agenda? How did this affect your decision to take office?
  • How do we engage new and existing leaders to consider inclusivity to take advantage of some of the changes we are seeing in our societies? 

Night Owl: Building a Smart Green Future: Will Europe have to Advance Alone?  

The Paris COP 21 agreement outlined a path for meeting ambitious climate change objectives and inspired innovative energy initiatives. The agreement stemmed from a strong transatlantic partnership and benefited from the support of like-minded states around the world. But the future of the Paris agreement and the nature of the transatlantic energy partnership are now in question. Members of the new U.S. administration oppose past U.S. policy on climate change, and already the White House has expunged all things climate from its official website. Leaders in Brussels are concerned that when it comes to fulfilling the promises of Paris, they might be left leading the way to a cleaner, greener energy future on their own.

Guiding Questions:

  • As the EU seeks new partners for its climate and green energy initiatives, will countries such as China and India play an unprecedented role in shaping energy and industrial initiatives?
  • Will the United States find a way to contribute to the new energy economy, and help build a cutting-edge sustainable economy, even if the official line in Washington opposes climate change policies?
  • Will United States cities, regions, or major companies take over where the Obama administration left off?

Night Owl: The Future of Democracy in the Digital Age

The digital revolution has left societies and governments struggling to adapt to a new ecosystem of social and political interaction. The internet has been a vital source for economic growth and innovation, revolutionizing the way we communicate and access our information around the world. Increased transparency and novel methods of democratic participation and organization, have offered countless opportunities for the future of democracy. Yet the Internet has also offered significant obstacles to democratic societies.

Where the Internet expands, it also consolidates and distorts. Human tendencies, paired with structural aspects of our online worlds, tend to box us in with information and viewpoints that we want to see. The creation of bubbles has broken down social cohesion. Fake news is increasingly difficult for the casual reader to discredit. Pin-pointed marketing in the political arena has outpaced regulation and revolutionized the ability of concentrated power to influence many.

Guiding Questions:

  • How can society deal with the lag between technological innovation and regulatory response?
  • Is the Internet truly a neutral tool, or does it structure interactions more than we fully realize?
  • Given the centrality of the Internet in our lives, how do we balance the benefits of a Wild West online environment that has allowed innovation to flourish against the need to mitigate against the worst aspects of human behavior online?

Discussion on “The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Age of Immigration and Inequality”

A wave of populism has spread across the Atlantic, driven by the middle of British and American societies, today’s white working class people have drifted to the margins and are transforming their countries’ politics. How did this happen? And what could possibly lead a group with such enduring numerical power to, in many instances, consider themselves a “minority” in the countries they once defined? In The New Minority, Justin Gest reports findings from original surveys and full-immersion fieldwork among the white working class people of once thriving industrial cities to draw impactful conclusions about their political behavior. Gest makes the case that tension between the vestiges of white working class power and its perceived loss have produced the unique phenomenon of their radicalization.

Workshop: Amping Up Your Empathy for Decision-Making

Effective stakeholder engagement is critical for identifying new insights that can lead to better decisions; by knowing the needs, behaviors, and motivations of your constituents or clients, practitioners can unlock insights necessary for innovation. Whether you are looking to develop a new policy, break ground with a new product or tweak an existing one, enhancing your engagement approach can pay dividends. This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to methods for stakeholder engagement drawing on techniques from various disciplines; during the workshop participants will learn and test approaches while identifying opportunities to put these ideas into practice in their own work.

Workshop: Power Simulation: Navigating Global Power Dynamics

Every crisis is unique. It has its own dynamic, its own architecture, its own way of influencing interactions, and eventually, its own power structure. Whether individuals, countries, interest groups, companies, or institutions, those involved abide by predetermined constructs and capabilities that shape and constrain their behavior. Their actions also depend on their capacity to weigh-in on the flow of negotiations, to influence decisions and to concretely affect change.

This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to take part in a Power Simulation designed to immerse them in an international crisis. It seeks, through the creation of a specific framework, to examine the interaction between structure, perception, and projection of power at the global level. Participants will have the chance to represent one of the parties involved in the crisis, and will be tasked with navigating power dynamics in order to reach an optimal outcome.

Workshop: Leveraging your Leadership Styles: Strategies for Maximizing your Impact

Effective global leadership in today's world requires an understanding of one's own leadership style and strengths, and the know-how to navigate and innovate in the face of unexpected challenges and a diverse set of perspectives. Being inclusive while maintaining professional and personal objectives has become essential for leaders from board rooms to situation rooms. The ability to work across sectors, countries, nationalities, and ideologies in the service of finding practical solutions is key to maximizing your leadership impact, career growth, and networking abilities in an increasingly complex social and political environment. This simulation will help you explore your own leadership style and study differences in leadership styles across cultures, exploring and employing different strategies to build consensus for solutions while navigating biases. Drawing on the young professionals' diverse set of experiences and backgrounds, this session will facilitate learning and professional development through group exercises.

The Future of Work: Changing the Way We Do Business 

As globalization brings into play new technologies and ways of communicating and interacting, the way we conduct business continues to evolve. This evolution of the way we work has often failed to bridge the intergenerational gap that emerges from new technologies, especially when education fails to adapt and incentives to retrain the working class continue to fail on both sides of the Atlantic.

Guiding Questions:

  • Bridging this intergenerational gap is also key within the political domain, especially when the next generation wants to be at the table, how do we best engage? What are the perspectives from the other side?
  • How are companies trying to bridge this gap?
  • How does investing in diversity play into this equation?