ONE ON ONE: Shaukat Aziz On Europe And The Value Of Leadership

His Excellency Shaukat Aziz was the prime minister of Pakistan between 2004 and 2007. He is renowned for his strategic approach, transparency and ability to focus on doing what is best, not simply what is politically expedient.

At a meeting of European leaders about the future of Europe, Aziz gives a ONE ON ONE interview on the importance of leadership in moments of crisis.

Europe’s current difficulties represent a crisis in leadership, according to Aziz. It’s incumbent on European leaders to explain to its people “why we have to do what we’re doing and why you have to take some pain for the greater good later.”

However, Aziz remains an “optimist” on Europe. In the medium term, Europe offers excellent opportunities for its youth because of its education system, infrastructure and security. These are factors that will allow the European economy to grow and create jobs. However, leadership is vital and he urges government and policymakers to operate at a level that exploits the full potential of Europe.

The question begs, is there a leadership crisis in Europe? What are the major failures of leadership?