Deputy Mayor of Bologna Boni: Cooperation makes you a better person

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Deputy Mayor of Bologna Anna Lisa Boni boasts nearly three decades of professional experience in European and international affairs, with a focus on bridging local and regional authorities with Europe. Her career began at the Municipality of Bologna, where she managed international projects. She also worked in the secretariat of the culture committee at the European Parliament and led the Brussels representative office of the French region Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur.

From 2014 to 2021, Madam Boni served as the Secretary-General of Eurocities. In this role, she headed a team of European professionals dedicated to assisting over 200 major European municipalities. Her team’s goal was to influence European policies and funding to benefit urban and metropolitan areas.

In recognition of her contributions, Anna Lisa Boni received the Leadership Award at the Smart City Expo in October 2023. Mayors of Europe had the privilege of talking to her about her projects, experiences and goals, the role of leadership and cooperation for cities and local governments.

Congratulations on receiving the Leadership Award at the Smart City Expo in Barcelona last year. What does this recognition mean to you?

It means a lot to me, it is a big reward. Because when you work in the public sector, the rewarding system is not straightforward and you have to learn to be self-motivated and to believe in the purpose of what you do for the public good as your job. So, when there are rewards from the outside of your organization, it feels like your work is appreciated and recognized also at a prestigious and international level which the Smart Cities Expo represents. It has given a stronger value to all the efforts I have done in my whole life and career, because this award is a leadership award that appreciates the career but also the overall commitment, not a specific project in one organisation. So, I feel very happy about it and I want to thank the Smart City Expo organisers for it!

Yes, I understand your point, especially in the current climate where politicians at all levels are frequently subjected to criticism, and often even bullying.

When you are, as a politician, doing good no one says anything, but when you are making a decision that some people are not happy with, as you can’t get everyone happy all the time, you are being hit. I have been in the role of a politician for the last two years but even before, during serving in roles of a high official working with local levels, its difficult to be rewarded.

This is a very important point, and I would like to bring to the attention a recently published comprehensive study by the Apolitical Foundation on the mental wellbeing of political leaders worldwide that Mayors of Europe supported as a partner.

Considering your recent award for Leadership, the importance of female role models in leadership is clear. We need them to inspire and empower future generations to engage in local decision-making roles. What advice would you give to young women interested in local politics who may feel discouraged from participating?

I would say they should go into local politics, but not see it as a career, rather going to politics because they believe they can change things for the better, whatever their view is, because that is a way that will pay them back. If you see it as just a career move, the drive for change could be more easily missing and the citizens may see that.

A good way to understand the job of a local politician is to get involved in community initiatives or to volunteer for a certain cause, and I would recommend that before getting into politics formally.

Becoming a leader and not only a politician means bringing the change where it is needed. I always had a clear idea where I wanted to see the change, be it in one organization or a situation, but it’s all the things you do that makes a place better.

Which brings us to the question that young generations should ask themselves, which is: what kind of leader do they want to become? If your purpose coincides with who you are and what makes you happy, although it can be difficult, then the mind and the heart are connected, and you can be the best leader.

Although women constitute over 50% of the global population, they hold only 5% of city mayoral positions. Why do you think there is still such a significant underrepresentation of women in leadership roles in cities?

Because we still live in a patriarchal society, it’s still difficult for women to do whatever men do, therefore to access leadership positions, as well. It is very difficult to become a leader  where men are already in the position of power. So, I think becoming a leader outside of that circle of formal power, first and then join as already a recognized leader would be one of the possible ways.

Society has changed, things are changing hopefully, but it requires a deep change in education and culture so it’s a long way and we can’t wait. What women can do is to just do their best to become leaders in whatever way, by believing in certain values and fighting to achieve this leadership. It is always more difficult where the formal power is, be it in a company or in politics. Still, this doesn’t prevent women to become leaders, in their own communities, for example. And this is one of the ways we can change society, by showing when women are in a leadership position they can improve things for all. Authenticity, flexibility, team work and drive for a true impact, those are all values I always believed are making female leaders successful.

That’s precisely why recognizing female leadership role models, like yourself, is crucial. It provides necessary positive examples for younger generations of women. Research has shown a positive correlation between these two factors. Have you considered initiating a mentorship program that would allow you to share your mayoral leadership skills with those interested in following a similar path?

Unfortunately, such initiatives are very rare in the public sector, because there are no resources nor culture, at least in Italy for that matter. Maybe in the private sector it is easier as there is often attention to soft skills like leadership or management. But I always find time to talk to young people when I am being asked about job prospects or about my contacts, and that has been my way to support them.

If there was a mentorship program I would be very happy to be part of it. I also believe Italy needs that kind of programs in the public sector and local politics. The way you enter politics is so rigid and in terms of skills, quite old style, mostly administrative and technical skills but very seldom are you being asked about any soft skills, such as leadership or management. This kind of exchanges with young people are fundamental and I am very open to participate in those kind of programmes.

Looking forward, could you share with us some of the flagship projects and future plans for Bologna?

The project that I am really devoted to is climate neutrality by 2030, so I am using all my leadership skills to federate the whole city around this objective, get people together to achieve this ambitious objective. It means getting the biggest stakeholders’ commitment, both from the public and private sector, but also including organizations whose role is to impact on people’s behavior towards sustainability. I am very proud that in March 2024 we will have hundreds of actions and around 70 organizations as part of this Climate city contract with concrete devotion, it’s a pretty good result for one year and I am proud of it.

Another project we are pushing for is enforcing a new speed limit of 30km/h, on which some people in the city are vocally against, but my two colleagues, very strong female leaders, are working very hard to bring awareness on its benefits in terms of minor loss of human lives and also of CO2 emission reduction in the city. It is a very ambitious project, (delete sentence on elections) but we believe that is in our best public interest. The impact we are aiming for is less cars, more public transport use but also death prevention.

At the Alliance of European Mayors, we foster an ecosystem where local decision-makers can share experiences and learn from one another. Our aim is to create role models to encourage progress in a collaborative leadership style. What message on collaboration would you like to convey to all European Mayors?

Thank you for this question, I think I am the right person to share my experience about it. Collaboration is in my DNA. I started my career In the city of Bologna where I also represented the city in the networks like Eurocities, I worked in regional networks, in French networks of the region and then Secretary General in Eurocities, and I can only say, cooperation among local and regional authorities and especially cities, is a fact and a strong asset for Europe, countries and cities themselves. Because we’ve seen that, even in this period of war, cities can collaborate, cities can work, while governments have a harder time. Learning and inspiration, sharing between cities is so powerful, advancing and evolving. Policy-wise, it’s improving policy, legislation and funding. So, the more we cooperate at the local level, the more policy making at national and European level will be effective, efficient, democratic and inclusive. Impactful in a positive way.

A city cannot be successful if it’s not connected, so being connected is essential in terms of human connection, not only technologically, but with other peers as innovation also comes from being open.

Being aware of what’s going on in the world or in Europe as the closest arena makes you stronger, empowered with knowledge, it helps you govern the city with a savvier leadership approach. And it’s thanks to collaborative leadership that I have received this award. Cooperation makes you a better person.