What makes a great leader? Ask innovators from the Gazette and Just for Laughs

“What will emerge from this discussion is the intangible quality that is leadership,” said Chodan. “It's not a set of actions or a prescription for how to be a leader, but an attitude. It's an agile approach; positivity and an openness. The fact that the next generation of leaders are digital natives will give them a head start. They are used to being disrupted, to things changing quickly.”

Andy Nulman is responsible for transforming the Just for Laughs comedy festival into the international juggernaut that it is today. He sees the proliferation of information as a boon for innovators.

“There is cheap and easy access to a massive amount of quality information and online courses,” says Nulman. “Better [informational] input creates better leaders.”

“I was very fortunate to be mentored by powerful Indigenous women activists, and I find my skill set and attitude has matured over the years,” she says. “I worry for the next generation in our increasingly individualized neoliberal capitalist culture. We need to make sure that our movements stay strong and that we continue to work collectively.”

For McGraw, who earned her bachelor's degree in economics from Concordia, the interdiscplinarity of the panel provides an invaluable opportunity to learn from other sectors and represents the approach and mindset of future leaders. “We need our next generation of leaders to be tri-sector athletes, collaborating across the private, public and non-profit sectors,” she says.

Chodan is inspired by her fellow presenters: “As I look at my co-panelists, I see people who have managed to innovate, create something from nothing, and grapple with a topic that affects thousands. I'm blown away by their experience,” she says.

The public is invited to attend the panel discussion, moderated by Concordia Journalism chair, Brian Gabrial, on June 1, from 7 to 9pm in the D.B. Clarke Theatre.

Read more about the panel.