One of the things I treasured most during my Leadership in Action project was the diverse range of people I had the chance to interact and work with in Geneva. It was lovely to be working with such a close-knit and understanding team who all offered to help me during my time at the CyberPeace Institute (CPI). Moreover, I loved how I was given the flexibility to voice my opinion and choose what work I would like to do from day one, which allowed for further ownership of my deliverables as well as the opportunity to work on my weaker skill sets. In addition, the opportunity to meet people in and out of the office was one of the key moments that I felt developed my interpersonal and communication skills. On my very first day, I had lunch with a fellow intern Boris from EPFL, who I discovered was also a fellow Laidlaw scholar and Kay, the finance manager, who gave me key advice from when he went through his career change and about transferrable skills in the workplace that are useful to have.

On the other hand, one thing I struggled with at the start was dealing with scheduling online meetings. I was given the responsibility of making sure that my manager was up to date with the work I had been doing and I had to organise my own meeting to ask any questions. This meant that I had to responsibly manage the time during the short meetings to make sure that effective feedback was given. However, the multinational approach of the NGO made online meetings both diverse and enjoyable. For example, meetings varied from team icebreakers with colleagues from the Netherlands to a meet and greet with the CEO to full house meetings where I understood what each division in the CPI were working on and how all the separate projects connected to the aim of the institute.

Fostering Leadership Skills

During my LiA, there were three main things I wanted to work on: my communication skills, data analysis and presentation skills. The first project I had to work on was to research and prepare funding pitches for potential donors. Throughout the course of executing this project, the main thing I leant was the importance of tailoring my communication style while understanding what the NGO needs. During my bi-weekly meetings with my supervisors, I was offered varying feedback which at first, I found confusing, but I started to learn how to tailor my work to incorporate inputs from various sources which made my deliverables more comprehensive. In addition, I had to formulate my own research strategy when looking at potential founders while keeping the CPI’s mission and values at the core of my strategy. This led to me creating a criteria to find the best-fit foundations that would partner with the institute, which I then used to fuel my extensive research into various European and International funds.

My second project was to analyse the current website of the Institute and break down ways in which we can improve the clarity of information. What I liked most about this was the opportunity I was given to put my own personal opinion into what I believed was needed to improve online engagement, especially since I had no previous background in cybersecurity and would understand how someone without background knowledge would view the Institute’s work. I believe this approach allowed me to take more ownership of my work and showcase the uniqueness of my deliverables at the end.

Both projects required me to clearly comprehend the cybersecurity space, which was an industry I had no background in, but allowed me to develop new research skills of how to comprehend new industries, processes and contexts that I can incorporate into my work. The background knowledge I had gained over the course of 6 weeks proved useful when I had to act as a notetaker at a CyberPeace Experts Conference on my last day where I was able to succinctly understand what the leaders of the Cybersecurity field thought and portray this in a cohesive manner.

Learning how to live in Geneva, Switzerland

This was my first time living in a brand new environment where I didn’t know the language or culture, which proved to be tough but exciting over the course of my LiA. Whether it be figuring out how the tram system worked, picking up bits and pieces of French or cooking for myself, I believe I took the challenges of living in a new country in my stride and it proved to be a very enjoyable experience. My memories of Geneva are filled with blissful walks along the Lake, peering at the Jet De L’eau, after work each day where I could absorb all the new skills and lessons I had learnt.

Creating a lasting impact

When reflecting on the work I had done at the Cyber Peace Institute, I am proud of the lasting impact I had on various projects. Firstly, my work on creating a website strategy will help improve the Institute’s online engagement to increase potential donors, and volunteers and to overall improve the public perception of Cybersecurity. More importantly, my tailored funding pitches for 10 foundations will directly contribute to funding the CyberPeace Builder scheme which aims to protect various NGO’s against cybersecurity attacks that prove detrimental to their daily functions.

My journey at the CPI also changed my viewpoint on leadership. From my managers and peers, I learned that a leader is not always someone who has strong opinions and is headstrong but a true leader is someone who listens and understands their team. Communication is vital in bringing forth positive and impactful solutions to our community and I hope to use the interdisciplinary approach valued at the CPI into my work with the Laidlaw Foundation next year.

I would like to sign off by thanking all my mentors at the CPI – Gaia, Meane, Perrine and Francesca – for this incredible opportunity to nurture my leadership skills. It was truly an enriching and rewarding experience and I can’t wait to apply the skills and knowledge I have gained in the future!