5 lessons in leadership from people at the top

Leadershipisn’t just found in the Global 100.

5 Leadersshare their passions…...and how they communicate them.

LESSON 1:Keep the concept simple.

Or:Why the leading accommodation provider doesn’t own any hotels.

Audience attention spans are limited and exposed to constant distractions. Building a big name means one simple idea.

Brian Chesky’s airbnb made him a billionaire, by connecting people with spare bedrooms and people who wanted to rent them.

But before that… it was just about friends renting an airbed on the floor.

Image source: http://www.usine-digitale.fr/editorial/brian-chesky-cofondateur-de-airbnb-en-campagne-de-seduction-a-paris.N316199

But the relationship between host and guest retains that sofa-surfing vibe. Chesky keeps that at-home feeling central.

Airbnb is now a $10bn company.

LESSON 2:Always keep pushing forward.

Or:Why great leaders test their limits.

Real leaders never give up.

Christine Lagarde joined the Chicago based law firm Baker & McKenzie in 1981 and after only 6 years was named head of the firm in Western Europe, by 1999

she was the company’s first ever female Chairperson. From there she became France’s Minister for Trade and in 2007 became the first ever woman in charge of Economic affairs in France. Then in 2011 became Managing Director of the IMF.

Image source: http://techmoran.com/11-startup-lessons-from-imf-chief-christine-lagarde-on-her-visit-to-kenya/

The lesson there?

Leaders never give up and say ‘enough’ they always push on through.

LESSON 3:Dream no small dreams.

Or:Why great leadership needs a great big idea.

Elon Musk is a real-life Tony Stark Iron Man. Paypal tore down banking barriers. Tesla made electric cars cool. Now SpaceX is taking his ideas into orbit.

But Musk’s goal isn’t “make a billion”. Or “build cool machines.” It’s “To make humanity a multi-planetary species.”

Image source: http://learnbonds.com/123618/tesla-motors-inc-tsla-elon-musk-not-sure-if-it-was-worth-it/

That’s a big dream.And Elon is changing whole economies with it.

LESSON 4:Choose your words with care.

Or:Leaders know little things mean a lot.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney doesn’t lead a bank. He decides a policy:

how much money “costs”.

Image source: http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/25-most-important-people-in-ottawa/

One policy, in one country. But it affects trillions of pounds in trade. And in policy pronouncements, a single slip can move markets.

So he practices each speech, dozens of times, checking every pause and comma for ambiguity. Giving each communication total clarity.

LESSON 5:Be authentic, don’t compromise your principles.

Malala Yousafzai was born in July 1997 in Pakistan. When she was aged just 11 years old she wrote a blog detailing her life under the Taliban and became a

prominent activist being nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize. In 2012 she was shot when boarding her school bus. After an intensive period of rehabilitation Yousafzai has continued to be an activist for peace and was named in Time Magazine’s ‘100 most influential people in the world’ list in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Image source: http://parade.com/170557/parade/malala-yousafzai-the-bravest-girl-in-the-world/

Malala Yousafzai is a leading example of staying true to your principles.

Takeaways

Leadership means connecting with your people one-to-one.

The simpler your Big Idea, the simpler leadership becomes.

Leadership means being authentic… all the time.

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