Reflections on Ethical Leadership and Global Citizenship
When I began the Laidlaw Scholarship, I understood leadership in fairly abstract terms – as the ability to inspire, organise, and deliver. Two years later, after research, placements, and my international project in Dharamshala, I see leadership differently: as a practice rooted in responsibility, character, and care. The programme has not only broadened my skills but has reshaped my understanding of what it means to act ethically and globally in the service of others.
Developing as an Ethical Leader
One of the most significant lessons I have learned is that leadership is not about control, but about accountability. In Dharamshala, I quickly realised that my effectiveness as a leader came less from my knowledge and more from my willingness to listen, adapt, and participate fully in the life of the monastery. Sweeping courtyards or cooking alongside the monks was not incidental – it was foundational to building trust. Ethical leadership, I learned, is grounded in humility: showing up, doing the unglamorous work, and valuing the contributions of others equally.
The programme has also pushed me to reflect on the ethical dimensions of representation. My project involved documenting the creative resilience of the Tibetan diaspora – a community that is often spoken about but rarely given the space to speak for itself. I had to navigate questions of voice, authorship, and power. Was I amplifying their stories or appropriating them? Was I creating space for others to lead, or centring myself in the process? Wrestling with these questions sharpened my understanding of ethical leadership as a constant negotiation of responsibility.
Finally, the Laidlaw framework of research, action, and reflection encouraged me to cultivate self-awareness. Ethical leadership requires not only empathy for others but also vigilance about one’s own biases, assumptions, and motivations. I leave the programme more conscious of the need to lead with transparency, to admit when I am wrong, and to see leadership as a collective rather than individual pursuit.
Being a Global Citizen
For me, being a global citizen means recognising interdependence. It is an awareness that local actions are always connected to global systems – whether environmental, economic, or cultural. In Dharamshala, I witnessed how a displaced community sustains its identity across borders, how resilience is shared between generations and continents. That experience deepened my sense that citizenship is not just legal or national, but ethical and relational.
Being a global citizen also means responsibility: to act in ways that respect cultural difference while working for equity and justice. It requires curiosity, through the willingness to learn from others on their own terms, and courage to confront structural injustices even when they are uncomfortable. It is about recognising privilege and using it not for self-advancement but for solidarity.
The Laidlaw programme has made me more confident in claiming this identity. It has shown me that leadership cannot be divorced from global awareness: the ethical leader must always be the global citizen, because decisions in one context ripple far beyond it.
Continuing the Journey
Looking forward, I know that developing as an ethical leader will be an ongoing process. I plan to use three strategies in particular:
- Practising reflective leadership. I will continue to build time into my work for critical self-reflection – asking whose voices are being centred, who is excluded, and how my own position shapes outcomes. Reflection is the safeguard against complacency.
- Embedding collaboration. I want to keep resisting the myth of the solitary leader. Whether in research, professional life, or community work, I will prioritise structures that are collaborative, inclusive, and distributive. Leadership, at its best, enables others to lead.
- Cultivating global awareness. To be a global citizen is not a static identity but a practice of staying informed, open, and engaged. I intend to keep learning across cultures – not only through international opportunities but also by recognising the global dimensions of local issues, from climate justice to migration.
Closing Reflections
The Laidlaw Scholarship has been a formative journey. It has taught me that ethical leadership is not defined by titles or achievements but by character – by the capacity to act with humility, courage, and care in service of others. It has also shown me that being a global citizen is not a passive identity but an active commitment to solidarity across borders.
I leave the programme with gratitude for the opportunities it offered, but also with a sense of responsibility: to carry these lessons forward, to keep questioning, and to lead in ways that are principled, collaborative, and globally aware.