Luminița Odobescu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated on June 23, 2023, as a special guest of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute, in the course titled “Leadership in Diplomacy and Governance.”

Luminița Odobescu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated today, June 23, 2023, as a special guest of the Romanian Diplomatic Institute, in the course titled “Leadership in Diplomacy and Governance.” She delivered a lecture on the topic “What does it mean to be a leader?” She presented challenges of leadership based on her own experience, such as the difficulty for some leaders to accept opposing opinions and establish medium-term objectives, the tendency to engage in micromanagement activities, the pressure from the media to provide immediate official positions, while inter-institutional consultation is imperative. The Minister emphasized the importance of teamwork, coordination and task distribution based on competencies, planning, and monitoring progress in fulfilling responsibilities.

Throughout the lecture, Luminița Odobescu referred to her experiences as Romania’s Permanent Representative to the EU and Presidential Advisor in the Department for European Affairs. From her diplomatic experience in Brussels, the Minister noted that Romanian diplomacy has a distinct style, characterized by a preference for interpersonal communication. Romanians are naturally friendly, and this quality is highly valued in diplomatic activities.

Working in a team requires professionalism and fostering interactions based on understanding the human needs of its members. The Minister’s speech also touched upon her experiences of balancing motherhood and demanding professional circumstances while working at the Ministry of Trade at the beginning of her career. Later, as a State Secretary within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she, together with the late Romanian diplomat George Ciamba, worked to improve Romania’s legislation regarding the rights of pregnant women and mothers.

She also mentioned the significant progress made by Romanian diplomacy in terms of women’s representation in leadership positions, including Romania’s ambassadorial representation.

The Minister spoke about the importance of irony and self-irony in diplomatic leadership, describing some amusing incidents that took place in Brussels during her years leading Romania’s Representation to the European Union.

In conclusion, the Minister personally congratulated the IDR staff for their initiative to organize training courses that meet the needs of cultivating leadership skills in governance and diplomacy.