Leaders ‘must have vision and courage’

STICKING by a vision and having the courage to face change are the secrets to being a successful leader, former Irish EU Commissioner Peter Sutherland told students in Dublin yesterday.

Mr Sutherland said future leaders needed to be clear on the direction they wished to take and should be persistent in pursuing their goals.

Speaking at the latest in a series of lectures on leadership at the National College of Ireland in Dublin’s IFSC, Mr Sutherland told students he considered Jacques Delors, former president of the European Commission, and Helmut Kohl, the chancellor who oversaw German reunification, as people who had “tremendous” leadership qualities.