I just got back from my second trip to Ukraine this year. I have found that though the circumstances are different between Ukraine and the U.S., the principles of stewardship remain the same. Leaders still have to figure out how to strategically use their organizations’ limited resources in order to work toward goals.
For five days, I got to talk to what likely will be the next generation of Ukrainian business and political leaders. The group I traveled with, Global Leadership, had been invited by a mid-level Ukrainian government official to help those in his area to think differently. He wanted people to operate more out of what was possible rather than out of fear.
In a country caught between the capitalist countries of the European Union on the west and communist Russia on the east, Ukrainian leaders are seeking to develop the businesses in their country. The people often exhibit a mix of fatalism, which comes from their long history of occupation and government corruption, and optimism, which is especially strong among the under-30 crowd.
In Kiev, I shared principles of effective people and resource stewardship. These leaders face a lack of infrastructure, money, food, and opportunity. They face an excess of poverty, death, conflict, and corruption. They want success for themselves, but they also desire physical, emotional, and spiritual health for their families, friends, and country. They see a healthier capitalist economy as an important component to achieve this.
I am thankful I got the opportunity to talk with these Ukrainian leaders about setting up a framework to steward their resources. In a country where access to resources is especially limited, it is all the more important that these leaders learn the skills to steward their resources well.