Join us for a conversation with Dr. Christina Malamateniou from City University (London, UK), and Lisa Di Prospero from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Toronto, Canada). Lisa and Christina are co-guest editors for the December 2022 JMIRS Leadership Special Issue. They talk to EIC Dr. Amanda Bolderston about their personal and professional experiences of leadership, curating the special issue and what they learned along the way. This is followed by three quotes from Sharona Bookbinder, Sandra Kwon and Shaunteque Harris, discussing the qualities of a great leader and their own leadership statements. 

Along with this podcast, a leadership-themed Spotify playlist was created by soliciting ideas from our readership. We asked contributors to describe why they chose the song, and a few of their responses are below:

• Unstoppable: Sia. In the face of adversity, I remember can put my armour on, and show how strong I am.
• Man in the Mirror: Michael Jackson. Real leadership, for me, is when you inspire those around you to become better versions of themselves. We can do this by helping those in need. It all starts from within (introspection).
• I Won't Back Down: Tom Petty. Sometimes as a leader there are things you need to stand up for. You may have to go about it in different ways - but you don't back down.
• Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell. To facilitate effective solutions, leaders must look at all sides of an issue and be flexible with their own positions as new information emerges.
• Lovely Day: Bill Withers. Every day is a new day with a potential new opportunity.
• Only the Young: Taylor Swift. I love the concept that our future lies in the hands of the young and that we need to nurture/guide them so that they can in turn, lead us.
• You Gotta Be: Des’ree. An uplifting and positively inspiring jam about the power of self-confidence and positive affirmations. It is about having the strength to figure out who you want to be (not simply what you want to do).
• Rise up: Andra Day. This song represents support, teamwork and care as inherent characteristics of good leaders. The melody also gives insight to the emotions and feelings one may experience during highs and lows in the workplace.
• Stand: Rascal Flatts. The song is about perseverance & strength & not giving up, even when things get hard. The best leaders have been tried & tested. They’ve walked through fire.
• If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley. This song was written after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy it reminds you to keep striving for the betterment of everything around you.
• Million to One: Camila Cabello. I played the song before I had a big interview and it inspired me to shine and take the lead in showing others
• Symphony no.10, movement 2: Dimitri Shostakovich. The dynamics and the musical conflicts within this composition reflect both the inspirational and compassionate role of a leader.
• The Passenger by Iggy Pop. It reminds me that we are all just "passengers along for the ride of life", that we are all just taking in what happens to us and reminds me to be conscious of other people's experiences and personal situations. We can't know everything about a person's journey through life, so I try to treat everyone without judgment or assumption.