The leader of this month is Alexandra Botos, 2025 European Development Council (EDC) Chair, from JCI Romania, but also a member of JCI Luxembourg. Before diving into this inspirational interview, let’s get to know Alexandra better:

I’m Alexandra Botoș, I began my JCI journey in 2015 and was recognized as “Most Outstanding New Member in Europe” after my first year of membership. By 2022, I served as JCI Romania’s National President and was elected Vice President assigned to Europe, and now Chairperson of the JCI European Development Council (EDC) for 2025. I am a Chartered Accountant with 13+ years in finance, project management, and leadership. Based in Luxembourg, I currently work for the European Parliament and serve also as an EU Career ambassador and a Vice President for the SFP Europa staff union.

Q: To start, what does “leadership” mean to you personally?

To me, leadership is about enabling others to grow to their full potential while heading towards a common purpose together. Leadership often means braving for the highest highs and the lowest lows and enjoying the entire ride, because of people next to you. It’s speaking up, taking action and making sure that you have the best interest of all the people that are next to you.  

Q: How has your understanding of leadership evolved?

Early in my career, leadership and management were quite the same concept for me. Over time, especially through my JCI experience, I learned that leadership is much more than just getting results.

Q: Importance of self-awareness, and how you practice it?

Self-awareness is foundational for introspection and growth. We have programs that were not installed by us, and we might want to upgrade or uninstall them. I practice it by observing myself, asking and really diving into feedback, self-reflecting post-events, and reviewing my decisions. I facilitated several sessions on unconscious bias, reinforcing how critical clarity leads to fair and impactful leadership, making sure you notice your blind spots.

Now, let’s talk more about the JCI Journey. 

Q: Why did you joined JCI and what was the first-year lesson?

I joined JCI in 2015 because of a charity project that my local organization JCI Targu-Mures was doing, called Smiles as a gift. I joined because I saw a lot of potential in what JCI was doing in our city but also, I saw the opportunities I could have for my self-development that could help me in my career.

Q: What JCI training/program had a direct career impact?

JCI Effective communication opened my eyes for sure. But I think the biggest impact JCI had on me was when I became a JCI trainer and found that I could replace my dream of becoming a teacher with the one of training hundreds of people around the world. So now I am a certified trainer and coach outside JCI, and a Mentor Trainer in JCI. 

Q: What was your path to leadership in JCI?

In my 10 years’ experience of JCI I never had a year without a role, I always had a team to work with. I started day one as project manager for the project I mentioned above, joined the local board, then national, then Local President, EDC Councillor next and then National President and so on. Every role in JCI gives you a different experience, something different to learn.

Q: What is your approach to building and motivating high-performing teams?

I have a training that I facilitate called Motivation 2.0 which is mostly based on “why motivating people doesn’t work”. Shared ownership is very important for creating accountability, regular check-ins and recognition keeps the team engaged. The most important part I think is the duty to care and understand the people you work with, to make sure they create a bond and like being together, that makes working together fun. I think 70% of work should be fun. 

Q: From your perspective, tell us one frequent leader’s mistake—and remedy?

Many leaders shy away from conflict. I know I did when I first had one in my team, I didn’t have much experience back then and didn’t know how to handle it, so I lost half my team at some point because of that. I advise to address tension quickly, with openness, with direct and assertive conversations.

Q: How do you stay connected to daily realities?

I get my daily news about Luxembourg on the radio on my way to work, about Europe from colleagues at work as soon as I get there, and about the world from my morning podcasts. It’s not easy to stay on top of things, especially with the speed of information now, but it is essential as a leader to respond or prevent some situations.

Q: How do you continue developing as a leader?

I attend advanced trainings, coach peers, listen to podcasts, I do a lot of self-coaching, read as much as possible, not only self-development books but literature as well. I am also quite proud to say that I have a tribe of mentors, and if I ever have a challenge that I need help with, I have the right person to talk to.

Q: One piece of advice for aspiring JCI leaders?

“If you think you are leading and turn around to see no one following. Then you are just taking a walk.” – Always get yourself a team, even if it’s just two people. 

Q: Leadership legacy I hope to leave

I hope that my legacy will go on through the younger people I mentor. I think my most rewarding moments in life were when my mentees came back to me to talk about their success stories and made me a companion to their journey. It’s not about people remembering you, or getting credit, it’s about knowing that as small as you could, somehow you made a difference in someone’s life.

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