
'Humans are made of stories'
A Creative Leadership Story
01/06/2021

Hani Abou Fadel from Lebanon is studying Global Studies at Lund University in Sweden. He was one of the participants of last year's Creative Leadership conference on the theme Together for Change.
This amazing six-day Creative Leadership conference felt more like a one-month conference.
I was able attend both morning and afternoon sessions, which meant that I could take part in two different dialogue sessions. I knew some of my fellow participants from before. Others I had just met and this was when the magic erupted. We bonded fast, as if we’ve known each other for a long time.
We bonded fast, as if we’ve known each other for a long time.
We had the chance to listen to one another from our own culture, occupation and personal experience, and to analyze how leadership works. Then we had webinars from top experts in their respective fields that clarified everything and inspired me to improve my leadership skills.

The conference also showed us that one of the basics of being a leader is having the courage to share your story, because, as a fellow participant put it, ‘humans are made from stories’. It also showed me that there is an artistic aspect in leadership: I wrote a poem about my perspective of creative leadership. I used never to show my poems in public, but now I believe that there is a world where you can show your authentic self without feeling under pressure.
During the dialogue sessions, I learned a new term: collective leadership. This builds trust in a community and is a further step from any single change an individual wants to see. We have diverse ideas and nationalities, but can work together with mutual agreement and respect.
This extraordinary conference, with IofC values floating all over the world, has changed me to be more ambitious, intellectually honest and more consistent.
Now I believe that there is a world where you can show your authentic self without feeling under pressure.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
You would like to know more about Creative Leadership 2021 and participate at this year's free edition From Uncertainty to Possibility?
Find out more and register now!
related stories

Filling the gap in global efforts for peace and democracy
The Caux Forum 2023 Opening Ceremony set the tone for the conference with the theme, ‘Strengthening Democracy: The Journey from Trauma to Trust.’. Discover the report and relive the highlights of this...

Finding purpose and harmony through music and the Caux Palace
In a world filled with diverse cultures and languages, the journey of musician Tsvetana Petrushina is an inspiring tale of how she discovered her purpose. Her remarkable story led her to the Caux Pala...

Something to sing about
How can singing make a difference in people's lives? Pioneering Egyptian musician Dalia Younis was a guest speaker at the Creative Leadership conference in 2022 where she talked about how she uses sin...

Kawser Amine: Opening the field for girls
Afghan soccer player and women’s rights advocate Kawser Amine doesn’t believe in giving up. On International Women's Day 2023 she talks about her remarkable journey and her fight for every woman to be...

Living Your Possibilities - From Healing to Action
Creative Leadership 2022 guided participants on a six-day journey from healing to action. The conference took place online from 23 to 29 July – with a break day in between – and brought together aroun...

Caux Forum 2023: Save the Date
We are excited to announce the Caux Forum will be back in Caux next summer! Find out more and save the date! ...

Arpan Yagnik: Mountains to climb
Arpan Yagnik, a participant of last year's Creative Leadership conference and team member of the IofC Hub 2021, talks to Mary Lean about creativity, fear and vocation. ...

Young Ambassadors Programme 2021: Learning to listen
When Indonesian law student Agustina Zahrotul Jannah discovered the Young Ambassadors Programme (YAP) on Google she felt both excited and hopeless: excited because she hoped it might give her the skil...

Anas Badawi: The Triple Change
How can we face times of uncertainty as individuals and as an organization? Anas Badawi from Y-Peer was one of four young leaders who presented their perspective on overcoming fear and responding to s...

Sofia Syodorenko: A zero waste lifestyle is a mindful lifestyle
How did Sofia Syodorenko become involved in the zero waste movement, and what does it mean to her? Now Chair of Foundations for Freedom, she is also a representative of the Zero Waste Alliance Ukraine...

‘Where Grieving Begins – Building Bridges after the Brighton Bomb’: a live interview with Patrick Magee
The second in Tools for Changemakers’ series of Stories for Changemakers took place on 25 August 2021, with an interview with Patrick Magee, who planted a bomb at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, in 1984, w...

Forging a network of problem-solvers to build a secure and sustainable future
The Summer Academy on Climate, Land and Security 2021 brought together 29 participants from 20 countries. From Egypt and Senegal to the United States and Thailand, zoom windows opened for six hours ev...

Remaking a world in peril
The Caux Dialogue on Environment and Security (CDES) 2021 ran online from 20 July until 30 July, for the second consecutive year, comprising three open plenaries and seven workshops. This year’s discu...

A Journey from Uncertainty to Possibility
2021’s Creative Leadership conference took participants on a six-day journey ‘From Uncertainty to Possibility’. Between 25 to 31 July around 150 online participants living in over 50 countries engaged...

A pathway to peace and prosperity in West and Central Africa
In the context of their partnership, Initiatives of Change Switzerland (IofC) and the Peace and Human Rights division of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs organised a webinar on the them...