A new leader and a resurgent nation emerge from a crisis

A crisis as is often stated, is a great opportunity. Out of the rubble and the pounding of war, a revitalised nation has emerged. Ukraine is winning the hearts of people across the world by its defining images of defiance, resistance and resilience. As Yuval Noah Harari, one of the world’s most popular historian mentioned, " A nation is made up of stories. Each passing day adds more stories that Ukrainians will tell not only in the dark days ahead, but in the decades and generations to come. The president who refused to flee the capital, telling the US that he needs ammunition, not a ride; the soldiers from Snake Island who told a Russian warship to “go *** yourself”; the civilians who tried to stop Russian tanks by sitting in their path. This is the stuff nations are built from. In the long run, these stories count for more than tanks.”

These stories are inspiring the world. If an old Ukrainian lady can dare to admonish a Russian soldier or a young man can stop a tank, then bigger nations can certainly do much more. These everyday tales of courage and bravery have turned the whole world to condemn Russia and move to support Ukraine. The unity that the world, particularly that the West is displaying is rare, but has been ultimately inspired by the everyday small acts of its citizens.

Napoleon is said to have estimated that the success of any campaign was one-quarter attributable to numbers and materials and three-quarters to morale.

As Leo Tolstoy mentioned in his magnum opus - War and Peace, ?"winning a war does not depend on position, equipment or even on numbers but on that feeling that is inside each soldier." This feeling is not only spurring the Ukrainian army to soldier on, but also the hundreds and thousands of Ukrainians across the world to come home to join the battle for their country. These swelling numbers could easily become the largest band of volunteers to fight in Europe since the Spanish civil war. According to a report in FT, many of these people don’t have military experience, and the embassies advise them not to go, but they still insist on going. They wish to contribute in their nation’s fight against the international bully whether it is in driving or in providing medical help. Ordinary citizens have picked up arms and are defending their cities will all their might. It is this feeling, this mood and the software it is generating which is engaged in fighting the heavy hardware of Russian armoury and its massive army.

As a story in Financial Times recently mentioned, “States are built on hardware, but nations run on software.

The hardware of state power consists of armies, bureaucracies, security police, imposing buildings. National software is something less tangible but no less powerful: the obstinacy of allegiance under extreme stress; the kinship of calamity; the surge of patriotic emotion; the fortitude of families; the swell of civic pride even as neighbourhoods are besieged or destroyed, not the least the transfiguring experience of creating, amid torment an unforgettable national epic.”

And then is the story of Volodymyr Zelensky, the unlikely President of Ukraine. ?His transformation from an actor to a real-life hero and global icon is being told and retold across the world. Unlike many other leaders who deserted their countries in crisis, he has refused to move from Ukraine despite near certain death in case of being captured. His words to the President of US, “I don’t need a lift, but ammunition” will ring in our ears decades after this war has ended. I teach leadership, and for me Zelensky ticks all the boxes in my leadership model. He has inspired his country to fight back and has led from the front. As a war leader he fully embodies his people’s courage and defiance. His passionate speeches to the UN, EU and the world leaders have changed the minds of organisations to fully commit and support Ukraine, when only a fortnight ago they were dithering in their response. His charisma and acting background have suited him perfectly in a war immersed in social media.

We don’t yet know how this story is going to end. But for a long, long time the determination of these brave people would be recounted whenever there is talk of leadership and a resilient citizenry. As the reputed international magazine, The Economist mentions in its lead article this week, “Let us marvel at the heroism and resilience of Ukraine. The armoured might of Russia has shrivelled before the courage of the nation that has been unjustifiably attacked. The people of Ukraine and its heroic leader have discovered that they are ready to die for the idea that they should choose their own destiny. This might be incomprehensible for a cynical dictator but for the rest of humanity it is nothing but sheer inspiration.”