This piece originally appeared at On Leadership at The Washington Post. For the original piece, click here.
This week in New York City, the World Business Forum hosted several thousand execs, as well as the insights of nearly two-dozen speakers. From Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to generational guru Tammy Erickson to President Bill Clinton and former GE CEO Jack Welch, the two-day event was a two-day MBA. Of everything that was discussed—economics, leadership, business, management and more—here are the six moments that really dropped jaws:
1. “For most people success is measured in wealth and fame and power. For me, success is measured by how many shining eyes are around me.” – Ben Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
Experiencing Ben Zander is transformational. His optimism and energy are infectious, inspiring us to consider how we can have a positive impact on our world.
2. “Risk taking is at the core of effective leadership.” – Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell talked about the difference between operational and social risks. The greatest leaders limit operational risk while taking enormous social risks—oftentimes losing colleagues and friends when dedicated to a cause. Those leaders, he said, “identify what they believe to be the right course of action, and they follow it regardless of the social consequence.”
3. “We are all so trapped in our normal patterns of thinking that we’re not even aware of it.” – Luke Williams, Frog Design
Williams drew a small audience into his compelling ideas about innovation, offering the additional resolve, “It’s not about being able to spot and react to disruptive change. It’s about how to be the disruptive change.”
4. “Great leaders are able to see that seed that, if watered and shed light on, will flourish.” – Tal Ben-Shahar, teacher at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, in Israel
Ben-Shahar’s passion for positive psychology is palpable and pointedly expressed with questions. How can we be more optimistic? What happens when we focus on what’s right rather than what’s wrong? How can we better lead by accentuating the positive?
5. “Your job is a platform to do art, it’s a platform to lead, it’s a platform to make mistakes, it’s a platform to do something that matters.” – Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow and Linchpin
Like Gladwell, Godin is an entertaining concept guy—and most compelling is his focus on conformity. He cautions against the herd mentality, and argues that our education system has taught us to follow and fade away. For Godin, we’re better than that and should fervently believe in the substance of our value.
6. “It is a fact that societies with fewer advantages will compensate in some way.” – Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and Outliers
Gladwell opens minds. In watching him talk to a small audience off the main stage, he dug into his upcoming book by highlighting the concept of ‘compensation learning’—that is, how we learn from compensating for our weaknesses (take dyslexia or asthma, for example). He looked at everything from parents’ paradoxical tendencies to shelter their children from the very forms of adversity that helped them grow, to how disadvantage can force profound development.
Check out @MenoConulting to see Dan Liedl’s entire live Twitter feed from the conference. And if you have an idea for what the Leadership Playlist should write about next, email Dan and Joe or find them onFacebook.
I have seen Ben Zander’s TED talk online, and he really is very inspiring. He mentioned the same thing that is quoted in number one about success and measuring how many shining eyes are around you. It would be great to hear him give a talk or advice about how to become a more inspiring leader. Zander is one of those speakers that you really want to keep listening to, anxious to hear what else he has to say. Another concept that I found interesting from this post was Malcolm Gladwell’s idea of compensation learning. I think it’s important for leaders to recognize their weaknesses and figure out how to work with them or around them in order to become more effective. It’s definitely something I would like to learn more about.
ReplyDeleteZander is inspiring, and I hope to see him live someday as well. Does anyone have an example of compensation learning from their own life? How did a "perceived" weakness help you develop in another area?
ReplyDeleteReading through the six quotes from very influential and famous CEOs, leaders and entrepreneurs it gives you such a wide range of leadership advice and experience. To me, when you get such a wide range of leaders together like this, you’re bound to get conflicting and various leadership styles and advice, it really makes you think. One comment that stuck out was Luke Williams comment, “We are all so trapped in our normal patterns of thinking that we’re not even aware of it.” After reading this comment, it makes perfect sense. You become so use to this mundane life you live, and an everyday cycle of repeating and thinking the same things, you don’t even notice or become aware to it, because of this you are less likely to think outside the box and be different. Another quote that stood out was Ben Zander’s “…For me, success is measured by how many shining eyes are around me.” This statement stands out because a good leader is focused on his followers rather than himself and for Zander to measure success in the eyes of his followers is inspirational. A common thread with these amazing leaders share is their positive attitudes. They are experts and skilled at their professions and know what leadership is to them and are confident in their skills and style.
ReplyDeleteAll of these quotes are inspirational and all should be taken into account for day to day living but number six stuck out to me “It is a fact that societies with fewer advantages will compensate in some way.” The concept of compensation learning is very intriguing because we do compensate for our weaknesses. We have to or we wouldn’t learn from our mistakes and we wouldn’t be aware of the correct ways of performing tasks, etc. What really stuck out was that he talked about how parents shelter their children from the forms of adversity that helped them grow. I truly believe that disadvantage helps us so much. When you are at a disadvantage, you are literally forced to be resourceful and to think on your own and make daring decisions, think outside of the box, trust yourself, and take risks. While doing all of that you learn so much about yourself and about the world. It can really create a great sense of character if you embrace it…creates a very well rounded human being who has had to suffer some to get to the top.
ReplyDeleteI have two things to say regarding this entry. The first of which is that I find it very interesting that I had never heard of any of these people who apparently said the most profound things during the conference/seminar. This just supports my philosophy statement as I believe that the most effect leaders know when to follow as well. If these individuals constantly jumped forward to take credit for things, it is likely that I would have come across their names by now. The second thing that jumped about this article was Williams' quote. I wrote a great deal about the importance of not settling for mediocrity and the fact that I believe the American Government is failing because it is doing exactly that, and I found it interesting that his quote, mentioned as one of six "jaw-dropping" moments, points this out so clearly.
ReplyDeleteThis post really stood out of me because all of these quotes connect to the theme of my philosophy statement regarding the importance of being positive and optimistic. It's a proven fact that people have a higher success rate when they are happy, and being led by those who can generate that happiness is the way to start. I really admire the quote by Seth Godin; he does a great job of laying out what leadership is about. He states that leading is important, and it's equally important to realize that no one is perfect and people make mistakes. As a leader, it is something that will inevitably happen, and it's your job to do so, because people learn the most from the mistakes they make. I thought Godin did a great job of summing up all the important qualities of leadership in just one sentence.
ReplyDeleteThese six quotes all stand out in their own way and show a different side to each person that is presenting them. I have always thought of higher powered people as being more cut throat and arrogant to get things done. These six higher powered people show to me that there is a caring side to everyone. Each of these people has not been given the position that they currently hold, they worked hard and it seems that they have followed along with the quotes they presented.
ReplyDeleteOutside of leadership none of these quotes relate to each other. They all strike a different aspect of leadership which should be addressed or embraced. “We are all so trapped in our normal patterns of thinking that we’re not even aware of it.” – by Luke Williams. Definitely is the most striking to me. The more you think about your normal pattern the more you realize you lead rather than being led.(and vice versa for some people)
ReplyDeleteAll of these quotes were very well put and hold a real resonance when it comes to leadership. But the quote I was most attracted to was the Zander quote, I could really relate to him here with the feeling of accomplishment in making people happy. Seeing them amazed and in love with what is happening in the moment for his case as he is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. I was able to relate with him due to the fact that I did professional musical theater for over 10 years and there is no greater feeling then a audience mesmerized by live talent. And actually a “perceived” weakness that I encountered did help me develop in another area, so much so that it over compensated for the stated “perceived” weakness.
ReplyDeleteThese quotes are very well said and can be adapted to almost any leadership style or situation. Each one speaks different volumes about their leadership style. Some I don't necessarily agree with, others make more sense to me. Risk-taking is a big one for me. What is the acceptable amount of risk your willing to put forth to get the job done. Lest you forget that the risk posed is to your subordinates.
ReplyDeleteAll of these quotes spoke to me about leadership, particularly the quote regarding risk taking by Malcolm Gladwell. If you think of great leaders through the past, Martin Luther King Jr or Nelson Mandela or Steve Jobs, all took risks and were willing to push the envelope. Essential to leadership is the ability to promote progress, and in order to do that, they have to try things that have never been done before and lead into uncharted territory.
ReplyDeleteTal Ben-Shahar's quote “Great leaders are able to see that seed that, if watered and shed light on, will flourish.” spoke to me the most.
ReplyDeleteIn the company I am going to this upcoming fall, there is an established pattern that one employee described as "we find'em, wipe their ass's, and they leave to never come home" What he was speaking about was how our company has a long history of hiring individuals, and raising them through their costly employment infancy stage and then lose them to other companies because we are unwilling to invest in their continuing knowledge.
I think that if my employers would be willing to invest more time and effort into discovering the potentials of some of our employees our company would be more profitable and efficient.
“Risk taking is at the core of effective leadership.”
ReplyDelete...This quote really resonates with me, because I feel that risk-taking is one of the elements of leadership that is often forgotten about. It is true that as a leader, you must take your followers opinions, thoughts, and wants into consideration; however, that does not mean that there should be no risks taken. Go outside of your comfort zone and encourage your followers to step outside of their comfort zones as well. Challenge everything ahead of you; don't allow obstacles to intimidate you. Show your confidence by being innovative; instead of fighting the obstacle the same way that you have watched others fight it and not be as successful as you hope to be, find a new and different way. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "be the change you wish to see in the world." No great change was ever made without some risks being taken.
KateLynn - Thanks for the great insights - passionate and poignant! The challenge is how do we move beyond the mantras, and advance from saying to doing? I think that Gladwell makes powerful points when discussing risk taking - perhaps there are ways to take risks that improve our chances for success . . .
ReplyDeleteI love the energy in the post - Thanks!
I think that the best way to move beyond these mantras, is to do exactly as you said....advance from saying to doing. It is simple to SAY you're going to do something. DOING it is the obstacle. People often allow their fears and thoughts to get in between themselves and their goals. I think the biggest task to overcome as a leader is to stop over-thinking everything. I often find myself thinking 10 steps ahead, and don't get me wrong, this has helped me in so many situations, however, over-thinking is going to lead me into a circular motion of thinking and not acting....saying and not doing. So, as a first step, act on the gut-feeling more often and stop over analyzing. :)
DeleteNice, KateLynn. I agree - we ignore our gut feelings too often. But to me, it's not just because we think 10 steps ahead. I think part of that results from a lack of clarity about what's important to us and what we value.
DeleteI agree, I also feel that often people confuse values and morals with religious beliefs. I am a religious person to a point, but I personally don't think that a person needs to have a religious outlook or a religious up-bringing in order to make moral decisions. The reason I feel the need to say this is because just recently I was told that if you weren't religious, you were a "bad person." ...I just wanted to clarify that I believe that is a narrow way of looking at people as a whole.
DeleteI found Seth Godin's quote to be inspirational. I liked how he struck to the core of what we should all strive to behave as, as proper employees and as humans in general in the way we bahave.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean, he "Struck to the core of what we should all strive to behave as"? As humans? As employees? Help me understand...
DeleteI agree with Malcom Gladwell in the statement "Risk taking is at the core of effective leadership." When a leader takes a stand against social injustice, he is taking an uncharted path to bring about social reform. Often those suffering are in a minority. Success in fighting for a worthy cause, that has little support from main stream society, will be risk but rewarding.
ReplyDeleteWhile there's prominent examples of this (MLK, Ghandi, etc), I'd love to hear some lesser-known, current examples.
ReplyDeleteEach and every quote was encouraging to me as a leader. They each show different aspects within leadership, and anyone can relate to these. From my previous work experience I would of never thought CEO’s had this much inspiration on the world, but these six individuals really inspires the society. The quote that stuck out to me the most was Ben Zanders. This quote relates most to me, because personally I would rather have a business that ran efficiently with amazing workers than being famous with a ton of money. Like my mom has always told me “money doesn’t buy happiness.”
ReplyDeleteIn the quote by Tal Ben-Shahar, “Great leaders are able to see that seed that, if watered and shed light on, will flourish.” I think that he is saying to keep our minds open, and think of that which is positive and the positive will happen. I know it has been said for many years that it is all in your state of mind and I believe that to be true. I think that a leader needs to be open to all ideas and always maintain a positive go getter attitude.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these quotes I have learned more about what kind of learn I want to be. The quote by Seth Godin was my favorite and most meaningful to me. By him saying that leaders can make mistakes but do something that makes a difference. I feel that having a leader that tries there hardest to reach a goal, but is not scared to make a mistake and that they will work from whatever problem they are faced with has good leadership qualities. And when Luke William talks about not worry about change, but be the change. His quote is an inspiration for me because I want change in my life and I feel that I look for it took much. I need to take a step back and work hard but not focus on change and it will come to me.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Zander's quote. I truly believe in the end a man is not measured by who has the most riches and fame, but how many people he was able to impact in his life. This is an outstanding quote that you could really write an entire paper on.
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