As the corona virus swept through the world, media highlighted women heads of government whose leadership saved thousands of lives. I read these articles searching for themes in the behaviors they were lauding. When I found … [Read More...] about S.M.A.R.T Women Leaders Facing Coronavirus
Leadership Matters
In times of crisis and in everyday life, leading with intention and integrity makes a difference.
Recent Articles
Understanding Group Behavior After Disasters
I arrived at my first ambassadorship in Nairobi, Kenya in 1996 with a leadership agenda that included inter agency teamwork and raising community morale. Like all U.S. embassies, our teams changed membership at least once a … [Read More...] about Understanding Group Behavior After Disasters
Understanding Group Behavior in Good Times
Each group is different but all groups go through similar stages as they develop. Understanding group behavior has improved my effectiveness as both a manager and a leader. American psychologist, Bruce Tuckman, noted … [Read More...] about Understanding Group Behavior in Good Times
About Pru
Prudence Bushnell, a retired career Foreign Service Officer, served in leadership positions as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to the Republics of Kenya and Guatemala. She also trained others in leadership as Dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute.
After founding the Levitt Leadership Institute at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY in 2012, she expanded her interactions to include universities as well as public servants to advocate ethical leadership and innovative thinking.
She is an acclaimed speaker in topics ranging from diplomacy and national security; crisis management and resilience; leading as a woman; and transformational leadership.
Sharing Leadership Insights Learned Through Personal Experience
Drawing from experiences as a policy maker during the Rwanda genocide in 1994 and chief of mission during and after the al Qaeda attack on the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya in 1998, she shares lessons and observations about managing and leading, doing things right and doing the right thing.
Speech topics include:
- S.M.A.R.T. Leadership: Strategic. Moral. Achievable. Reliable. Transformative.
- Crisis Management and Resilience
- Diplomacy and National Security
- Women and Leadership
NEWSLETTER
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Terrorism, Betrayal, & Resilience
My Story of the 1998 US Embassy Bombings
On August 7, 1998, three years before President George W. Bush declared a War on Terror, the radical Islamist group al-Qaeda bombed the American embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, where Prudence Bushnell was serving as U.S. ambassador, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Terrorism, Betrayal, and Resilience is her account of what happened, how it happened, and its impact twenty years later.
What People Say
You are a role model for women and men, Prudence. As we hear your story, not one of us can fail to consider how we would have responded. And, not one of us can fail to consider if we would have the strength to do the right thing when contemporary challenges present themselves. I believe, by remembering your story, Federal women will be far more likely to answer and act with a resounding “Yes”.
Kathleen Cole
Adjunct Faculty for the Office of Personnel Management, Federal Executive Institute
“Ambassador Bushnell has never failed to elicit standing ovations from military leaders, seasoned journalists and skeptical graduate students — whether her topic is 21st century security challenges, successful leadership or crisis management. Her ability to touch the hearts as well as the minds of her audience is both moving and highly effective, leaving indelible impressions on those who are fortunate enough to share the wisdom she has developed over the course of a truly extraordinary career.”
Dr. Janne Nolan
Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University, Chair of The Nuclear Security Working Group and author of nine books including Tyranny of Consensus published by the Brookings Institution Press in 2015.
“Ambassador Prudence Bushnell is a mesmerizing speaker who consistently earns rave reviews from the Colonels and civilian equivalents who attend my Senior Manager Course in National Security Leadership at the George Washington University. Her insights concerning the costs and rewards of ‘doing the right thing’ as an interagency leader, based on her experiences in high-stakes crises such as the Rwandan genocide and the Nairobi Embassy bombing, make an indelible impact on her audiences.”
Dr. Matthew Levinger
Director, National Security Studies Program, Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University