Leading Global Social Change with Abby Maxman

As President & CEO of Oxfam America, Abby Maxman is responsible for leading global social change to alleviate the injustice of poverty across 90 countries. 

This fight is not a new one for Maxman, who has made a career of giving a voice to the voiceless, fighting hunger, poverty, disease, and injustice across the globe at leading INGO’s and within the U.S. Government. 

Abby and I sat down to discuss her leadership experience and what we can all learn from her time working to right the most devastating wrongs the world over. 

We tackled some big issues in our discussion, including:

• The importance of boldly charging toward your goals, even when they might feel overwhelming and unachievable.
• How the values of integrity and commitment provide the courage and resilience necessary to allow a leader to book the first flight into post-genocidal Rwanda, to tackle apartheid South Africa, and to take on the global HIV/AIDS crisis.
• The importance of showing up authentically and consistently as our whole selves to build and nurture a healthy culture. Ad the value of creating a safe place for people to try new things, to fail, and to learn from those failures without risk of retribution or career damage. 
• The role of leaders in addressing racial, gender, economic, and climate justice, and the challenging of maintaining focus on this important work in the midst of every other priority.
• Developing the 21st century skills of leading with care and compassion to help your people feel safe, engaged, and cared for by their leaders.