Latest news with #interdependence
Forbes
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Independence Vs. Interdependence: What Great Leaders Understand
Our independence emerges from our interdependence On July 4th, the United States celebrates the spirit of independence, an ideal that has shaped not only nations but also our assumptions about leadership. Independence signals strength, self-sufficiency, and conviction. Yet in the biology of behavior, no organism thrives in isolation for long. Just as ecosystems depend on the dynamic interplay among species, effective leadership depends on a balance between independence and interdependence. When leaders over-index on autonomy and under-invest in connection, even their independence becomes fragile. The Evolutionary Appeal of Independence Humans are wired to protect autonomy. From an evolutionary perspective, self-reliance was adaptive because it allowed individuals to secure resources, defend territory, and reduce vulnerability. In modern workplaces, this drive often shows up as leaders proving their competence by trying to do everything themselves. Research in evolutionary biology suggests that signaling independence can elevate perceived status and credibility. The same studies reveal that overemphasis on autonomy can also erode trust and weaken the collective strength that groups need to adapt in complex environments. Interdependence Is in Our Nature We are built for connection. Our brains are built for connection. Social bonding is not a nice-to-have; it is a biological imperative. Oxytocin, sometimes called the 'trust hormone,' facilitates cooperation and buffers stress. In primate groups, reciprocal grooming does more than maintain hygiene. It reinforces alliances that determine survival. Neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman describes the human brain as a social organ, always attuned to belonging and shared purpose. Interdependence is not a compromise of independence. It is the context that sustains it. Evidence from Harvard Business Review has shown that teams grounded in mutual reliance outperform those built on rigid individualism, especially in unpredictable conditions. The Hidden Costs of Overvaluing Independence Leaders who idolize independence often create cultures of hidden struggle and quiet disengagement. When people feel they must prove self-sufficiency, they hesitate to ask for help or share early ideas. Over time, this erodes psychological safety and constrains innovation. Neuroscience demonstrates that social isolation elevates cortisol, the primary stress hormone. Elevated cortisol impairs decision-making and emotional regulation, especially under pressure. Teams that lack interdependence are more reactive, less resilient, and prone to burnout. Leaders who ignore this dynamic often find themselves working harder while their impact diminishes. Balancing Independence and Interdependence Through Behavioral Signals This is where the biology of behavior meets the art of leadership. In my work on Leadership Biodynamics, I help leaders become intentional about the signals they send. Warmth, competence, and gravitas are not fixed traits. They are perceivable behaviors that can be adjusted to match the moment. When leaders demonstrate warmth by listening with intention, validating others, and creating shared purpose, they signal safety. Competence emerges through clear priorities and steady execution. Gravitas, which I define as the ability to bring people together to create shared value, stabilizes uncertainty without suppressing others' autonomy. These signals create cultures where independence and interdependence support each other. They also allow leaders to develop a repertoire of behaviors, refined over time, as I explored in an article on why repetition improves performance. Cultivating Cultures of Adaptive Interdependence Leaders who want to build adaptive interdependence can start with a few practical shifts. First, model help-seeking. When leaders openly ask for input, they show that collaboration is a strength, not a weakness. Second, reward reciprocity. Recognize and celebrate those who support others and share credit generously. Third, design rituals that reinforce shared identity. Simple practices, such as reflecting together after a project or discussing lessons learned, strengthen the sense that progress is a collective effort. Research on organizational behavior and collaboration shows that these micro-practices compound over time. They build cultures of trust, adaptability, and sustainable impact. Why Interdependence Makes Independence Sustainable Independence deserves celebration. It fuels conviction, courage, and creative risk-taking. Yet without interdependence, it withers under the weight of complexity. The most resilient leaders understand that our biology evolved for mutual reliance. They do not trade independence for interdependence. They integrate them, shaping environments where people feel safe enough to stand alone and strong enough to stand together. In leadership, as in nature, connection is not a concession. It is the foundation of durable impact.
Forbes
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Celebrating Interdependence With Global Citizenship Education
National flags of world countries around Earth globe isolated on white getty As we celebrate Independence Day in the US, many Americans are contemplating their citizenship and celebrating their nation. While many aspects of our nation indeed are worth celebrating, our role as citizens of the world — as global citizens — needs to be considered as well. Our personal and national obligations to be responsive to the needs of all of humanity is one that has become increasingly important as global trade, geopolitical issues and climate change make it impossible to isolate any nation as being truly independent. As we celebrate Independence Day, it would be helpful to also celebrate our interdependence on other nations and peoples that provides the foundations for our freedom. In this regard, we can celebrate our roles both as citizens of our nation and as global citizens. Global citizenship is a notion that combines intercultural awareness, geopolitical realities, and global challenges. As these issues underlie many of our most urgent challenges facing our country and the world, an increased emphasis on global citizenship education would help students prepare to help solve many of these global challenges. However, global citizenship education does not fall neatly into any one discipline, and so universities and colleges need to build interdisciplinary programs to explore global citizenship. The theoretical ideas arise from philosophy and religious study, while implementing global citizenship generally arises from the social sciences of international studies, psychology, sociology and political science, and often include components of community-based learning. Global Citizenship in Ancient Greece and Rome Western notions of global citizenship often trace back to Diogenes the Cynic who described himself as a " kosmopolitês ," or literally "a citizen of the world." Philosopher Martha Nussbaum has written that this sensibility "urges us to recognize the equal, and unconditional, worth of all human beings' that demands that 'politics ought to treat human beings both as equal and as having a worth beyond price. The Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius later expressed the cosmopolitan ideal directly in terms of citizenship, writing, 'My city and my country, as I am Antoninus, is Rome; as I am a human being, it is the world' For Aurelius, the binding tie between humanity was reason, stating that 'If reason is common, so too is law; and if this is common, then we are fellow citizens. If this is so, we share in a kind of organized polity. And if that is so, the world is as it were a city-state.' From this perspective, global citizenship is a natural extension of one's loyalty to country to a larger body of one's fellow humanity. Ubuntu and African Concepts of Global Citizenship Cosmopolitanism ideas transcend any one nation or culture. The philosopher Anthony Appiah emphasizes that "cosmopolitanism shouldn't be seen as some exalted attainment: it begins with the simple idea that in the human community, as in national communities, we need to develop habits of coexistence: conversation in its older meaning, of living together, association." The African philosophy of ubuntu provides one powerful lens for considering the meaning of global citizenship. Desmond Tutu described ubuntu as 'the very essence of being human' and an ethos that is 'generous, hospitable, friendly, caring and compassionate.' Tutu explains the meaning of ubuntu as "I am, because you are' – which ultimately rests on our interdependence. Nelson Mandela recognized the power of these ideas and said that "humankind cannot become truly free and happy as long as others are oppressed and suffering." Barack Obama, eulogizing Mandela, described Mandela's greatest gift as 'his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us." Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai exemplified global citizenship through her grassroots environmental activism of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, which as described by her daughter Wanjira, revealed how 'the environment, democracy, and peace were inextricably linked." Global Citizenship from Asian Perspectives Many insights on global citizenship come from Buddhism and other Asian traditions. Mahatma Gandhi in his work All Men Are Brotherssaid that 'we are all tarred with the same brush, and are children of one and the same Creator, and as such the divine powers within us are infinite. To slight a single human being is to slight those divine powers, and thus to harm not only that being but with him the whole world.' Japanese educator and philosopher Daisaku Ikeda, founder of Soka University of America, provides a Buddhist perspective on global citizenship rooted in three main ideas that include the 'interconnectedness of all life,' the 'courage not to fear or deny difference,' and the 'compassion to maintain an imaginative empathy that extends to those suffering in distant places." Global Citizenship Education in US Colleges and Universities Forward-thinking institutions aren't waiting for consensus—they're acting. A growing number of universities have launched global citizenship programs that prepare students for an interconnected world: Webster University's Global Citizenship program, University of Houston's Global Citizens Credential, Florida State's Global Citizenship Certificate program, and Lehigh University's Global Citizenship program. These programs provide certificates in many cases and span a variety of courses across the curriculum. Other colleges and universities have interwoven global citizenship education through their curricula, such as Soka University of America, which anchors its interdisciplinary curriculum in Ikeda's three essential elements while requiring four semesters of language learning and mandatory study abroad. SUA's mission to "foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life," translates into concrete educational practice, extending this framework to K-12 educators through its Global Citizenship Education project housed within the Soka Institute for Global Solutions (SIGS). Among other liberal arts colleges, Haverford College and Macalester College stand out for having centers for global citizenship. Haverford's Center for Peace and Global Citizenship works to build partnerships and community engaged learning in Philadelphia and beyond, while Macalester's Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship, named for one of its alumni who became secretary-general of the United Nations, works to develop leadership skills and multicultural awareness among its students. Leading research universities have also recognized the importance of a deeper investigation of the meaning of global citizenship, and many have developed innovative courses on the topic. Examples include Stanford's Citizenship in the 21st Century course, a centerpiece of its new COLLEGE core curriculum, which studies community membership across geographic, religious, racial and ethnic communities, and Harvard's Educating Global Citizens course, designed to develop strategies for K-12 educators. Several universities have also created complete degree programs and curricula for global citizenship, such as Georgetown's IAJU Global Citizenship Fellows program, which brings together students from 10 Jesuit universities across 9 countries, Duke University's Freedom, Justice and Citizenship FOCUS program, which explores the philosophical, historical and political dimensions of global citizenship, including how cosmopolitanism impacts local and global identities, and what rights and obligations come with global citizenship. As we celebrate our Independence Day, let us also remember our interdependence and the power that comes from celebrating our cultural differences. In the words of Anthony Appiah, "Cosmopolitanism is an adventure and an ideal,' which just like our nation's independence, is well worth celebrating.
CNA
06-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
China and Myanmar mark 75 years of diplomatic relations
China and Myanmar mark 75 years of diplomatic ties at a time when both countries face challenges of their own - Beijing is dealing with heightened tensions with Washington and Naypyidaw continues to struggle with the coup. But the two countries that share a 2,200-kilometre-long border are not just bound by geography. They share a sense of interdependence, made more salient by the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. Leong Wai Kit reports.
CNA
28-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Non-geopolitical factors have led to 'less than ideal' security responses in Asia Pacific: IISS
From domestic politics to the interdependence of economies -- a new report has warned that these non-geopolitical factors have often led to "less than ideal" responses on the security front in the Asia Pacific. The regional security assessment released by London-based think-tank International Institute of Strategic Studies comes ahead of the Shangri-la Dialogue, a key annual defence gathering in Singapore this weekend. Olivia Siong shares what some of these factors are and their impact on the region.
Fox News
28-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Kamala Harris tells audience to 'remember history,' warns current era parallels 'the 1930s'
Leaked video shows former Vice President Kamala Harris warning that the state of the world is eerily similar to the 1930s. In a rare appearance since leaving the White House, videos have surfaced of Harris at a Q&A during the 2025 Australian Real Estate Conference (AREC 2025). Toward the end of the Q&A, the host noted his admiration for former President Barack Obama, asking Harris what has made him so successful. "I think one of the very special aspects of who he is, is he really is a student of history and that gets back to my earlier point about, for each of us, understanding the context in which we exist," she said in the footage leaked online. It's critically important, because coupled with the enthusiasm that comes with ambition and optimism, we must be the clear-eyed focus of understanding where we've been." The former vice president then argued, as a "student of history" herself, that the world's current state echoes one of the darkest parts of the 20th century. "I do worry, frankly, about what's happening right now in our world," she said. "I do worry that it is important that we remember history. It's important we remember the 1930s. It's important that we remember that history has taught us that isolation does not equal insulation." Harris went on to argue, "It is important that we understand and remember history which taught us the interdependence and interconnection between nations. History that has taught us the importance of relationships of trust, the importance of friendships, integrity, honesty." She added, "There is so much about foreign affairs that is just like the importance of having good friendships, consistency, honesty, being there for each other when you need them, holding up standards, international rules and norms."
