On December 4, the Institute of East and West Studies’ Leadership Center invited Cho Hyun, former Korean Ambassador to Austria, to give a special lecture at the College of Science. During his talk, Ambassador Cho advised students to socialize and interact with as many people as possible while they are in university.  He also emphasized the tripartite concept of communication, interaction, and understanding, adding that he regrets not having taken advantage of interdisciplinary courses as a college student.

In particular, his lecture focused on the demands of global leadership in the twenty-first century and the preparations today’s students need to make in order to assume leadership positions in the future. Pointing to the continual innovations in technology, Ambassador Cho stressed that leaders must understand that an event in one region has significant ripple effects elsewhere in the world. To address such global issues as terrorism, the Ebola virus, and racial discrimination, collaboration among nations is crucial; and this, he said, is also the case for the divided Korean peninsula and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. 

Ambassador Cho defined a great leader as someone who is professionally competent, conscientious, and respected by others, as well as one who contributes in meaningful ways to the local community. To be such a leader, he enumerated three vital aspects. First, he emphasized the power of “deep thinking,” or the ability to look beneath the surface of a given situation or conflict. To be such a thinker, one must read widely and research issues in meaningful depth, while being able to synthesize information and refine one’s position through discussions with others. Second, he stressed the importance of being an active thinker, one who can think both independently and interactively. Finally, Ambassador Cho spoke of “strategic thinking,” which he defined as the ability to think several steps ahead and predict the reactions of others.

Ultimately, the ability to think multi-dimensionally is and will be the hallmark of a global leader in the twenty-first century.  In closing, Ambassador Cho challenged students to emancipate their minds by moving beyond their immediate local context and thinking in relation to the global.