We began our leadership journey with the National Security & Counterterrorism Fellowship in early 2025 amid geopolitical shocks and rapid changes in technology. Although these challenges persist, we are now better equipped to understand and address them because of the practical insights and professional networks we developed during the Fellowship. From the first day of our introductory module in Washington, D.C., we learned a principle that continues to guide us: “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” As we later discovered through this Fellowship, “what you have” included the close friendships we formed within our cohort and the relationships we built with our Five Eyes (FVEY) partners. Along the way, we also had thoughtful conversations about how to effectively lead and work together to overcome shared challenges. In this article, we share the key lessons from those discussions in the hope that they will benefit future cohorts and the broader FVEY community.
During the Fellowship, we had the privilege of speaking with dozens of current and former government officials from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These leaders generously shared their perspectives on leadership and kindly answered the many questions that our cohort had on this topic. Drawing on those in-depth conversations, here are the five leadership lessons that resonated the most with us:
- Offer a Vision. Leaders who can clearly articulate what they seek to accomplish – and why – are better positioned to inspire others and provide strategic direction to their organizations. To offer such a vision, leaders must first understand the broader context in which their organizations operate, or “the bigger picture” both within and beyond their organizations. They must also take the initiative to propose a path forward rather than wait to be invited to do so.
- Be Adaptable. Without compromising their values, leaders should strive to meet the demands of the moment. Depending on the situation, they may need to adapt how they communicate, what they delegate, and whom they involve in the decision-making process. The leaders who are most successful in making these adjustments show intuition, are comfortable with revising their strategies, and plan ahead for potential crises.
- Help Your Team Actualize Their Potential. Leaders who bring out the best in their people and prepare them for greater responsibility will shape the future for years to come. These leaders set high standards that challenge others to grow while encouraging them to believe in their own abilities. At the same time, they do not shy away from difficult conversations or hesitate to provide honest feedback.
- Stay Curious. Leaders who remain life-long learners are better able to navigate change because they have an insatiable appetite for new perspectives and for understanding consequential shifts in their operating environments. Admiral (ret.) William McRaven recently spoke about the fine balance of swagger and humility in leadership, i.e., imbuing confidence without asserting yourself as the smartest person in the room. A posture of curiosity means actively seeking to identify your own blind spots and acknowledging when you do not know something.
- Know Yourself and How You Lead. There is no single formula for effective leadership. Still, leaders should reflect carefully on their own style – e.g., how they set a vision, motivate others, communicate, and weigh trade-offs – and understand the strengths they bring to their organization. Effective leaders surround themselves with the right people: colleagues who elevate their strengths and shore up their weaknesses. One leader we met in New Zealand shared that former President Barack Obama once told him, “You’re only as good as the advisors around you.”
A consistent theme across our conversations with leaders – whether in Canberra, Wellington, London, or Washington – was that no nation can confront today’s security challenges alone. From strategic competition and terrorism to rapid technological change, global threats are not contained to our borders. What makes the Five Eyes partnership uniquely durable is not just shared intelligence, but shared values: a common commitment to democratic governance, the rule of law, and the security of our citizens. The leaders who spoke with our cohort repeatedly emphasized that trust built over decades – and reinvigorated through relationships like those formed in this Fellowship – is the FVEY’s true foundation.
We are deeply grateful for the experiences this Fellowship gave us – the candid conversations with leaders, the friendships across our cohort, and the connections spanning the FVEY community. That gratitude comes with an obligation, one which mirrors the legacy and example set by Senator John McCain: to pay it forward by empowering others, sharing what we learned, and strengthening the partnerships this program helped us build. We remember that one leader in London shared with us that their aim was to be a “good ancestor” to their organization. We feel a similar responsibility toward the Fellowship and those who will follow us.