Former Australian Prime Minister on Leadership
At September鈥檚 Clough Colloquium, Julia Gillard, the 27th prime minister of Australia鈥攁nd the first woman to hold this position鈥攁ddressed the Boston College community on the topic of leadership, focusing on gender equality and education. She began her presentation by stressing that her own education was indispensable in her development as a leader. While acknowledging that existing inequality within the educational system makes the privilege of education inaccessible to some, Gillard stated that when you deprive a person of an education, you are depriving the world of a leader.
Speaking of the inequality of women vis-脿-vis leadership and power, Gillard asked, 鈥淚f we are not accepting of half the population, how can we have a full world?鈥� She stated that even as a woman gracefully and powerfully ascends to a leadership position, there is skepticism and criticism about her capability. Gillard is optimistic, though, that gender disparity will loosen over time. 鈥淎ll of us鈥攎en and women,鈥� she said, 鈥渉ave to be soldiers in this fight for gender equality.鈥�
Gillard identified four steps to becoming the best possible leader. First, hone in on your own sense of purpose. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 driving you? What鈥檚 your vision? Reach for it on the toughest of days.鈥� Second, stay true to yourself. You must have 鈥渁n inner reserve of self-approval.鈥� You cannot be pushed off your track by criticism. Third, have the discipline to balance what needs to be done urgently with what will make a difference later on鈥攏otice the important. And fourth, leadership requires that you look toward the horizon. Here, Gillard used the example of Asia鈥檚 industrial rise, which seemed to happen at warp speed. Rather than seeing this as a threat to security for the West, Gillard pointed out that the diplomatic efforts and the creativity of our generation will foster unprecedented success. Our generation will more naturally feel the obligation of international citizenship. And since 鈥渢here is nothing preordained in our democratic world about who is a leader,鈥� said Gillard, 鈥渨e are all impelled to stand up and create change.鈥�
Elisabeth Schaeffer, MCAS 鈥�18, Winston Ambassador