In this episode of the SSK Podcast, Shahid Khan speaks with Professor Andrew Sisson, Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. With over 30 years of experience in international development and crisis leadership, Andrew has worked at the intersection of policy, diplomacy, and people-centered decision-making.

Drawing on experiences from Central America, Africa, and post-war Kosovo, Andy reflects on what leadership looks like when the stakes are high and solutions are rarely simple. A central theme of the conversation is his guiding principle: “Take care of your people, and they will take care of you.” He challenges top-down approaches to development, reminding us that people usually have good reasons for doing things the way they do, even when t ...