Leaders can’t begin to consume every insight about leadership, that would be like drinking from a fire hydrant. Instead, grab what you can, put it into practice, and repeat. ~Dr. Kathryn Scanland
Listening to fourteen dynamic leaders speaking over two days really is a lot like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. At least that’s what I’m assuming since I’ve never actually tried to drink from a fire hydrant. I attended the Global Leadership Summit last week and since I was struggling to choose any one speaker to focus on, following are three themes I heard throughout the two days: curiosity, compassion, and courage.
Leaders model CURIOSITY.
Angela Ahrendts (Senior VP of Retail, Apple) said that leaders need to trust their instincts: “Leaders need to pursue the possibilities, not just protect the probabilities.” Strive Masiyiwa (Founder & Chairman of Econet Group) said, “Curiosity: that’s where innovation comes from.” Leaders who are curious never stop growing. I appreciated John Maxwell’s (Author, Leadership Expert) challenging statement about intentionally growing every day. He said, “If you’re still excited about what you did five years ago, you’re not growing.” My takeaway: Ask curious questions, be open to possibilities, keep growing.
Leaders demonstrate COMPASSION.
While the word compassion wasn’t used frequently, what was referenced repeatedly was emotional intelligence (i.e., how are you treating me). Danny Meyer (Restaurateur and Author of Setting the Table) shared that the number one trait he looks for when hiring is kindheartedness. Angela Ahrendts said that “The higher up you go, the more you need to connect.” She described it as someone who “walks slowly through the crowd.” Craig Groeschel (Co-founder, Pastor, Life.Church) said the four most important words for an effective leader are: “I notice” and “You matter.” My takeaway: Emotional intelligence will be the ultimate determiner of your leadership effectiveness.
Leaders are COURAGEOUS.
“People would rather follow a leader who is always real than one who is always right.” This is how Craig Groeschel closed his presentation, talking about the courage it takes to be real, transparent, and vulnerable, even when you don’t know. A number of the speakers talked about courage in the context of making mistakes. Carla Harris (Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley) challenged leaders to be courageously decisive: “The price of inaction is greater than the cost of making mistakes.” Danny Meyer said, “The road to success is paved with mistakes well-handled.” The founder and CEO of Quali Health in South Africa, Dr. Nthabiseng Legoete, reminded us that “Challenges don’t mean it’s not working. Don’t be surprised when you face defeat. We need to forgive ourselves for mistakes.” If we are courageous, we keep going. Erwin McManus (Author, Founder of Mosaic), said, “We thought we failed, but actually we quit.” My takeaway: Leaders will make mistakes, fail, admit it, learn, and keeping moving forward.
Join me at the fire hydrant, grab what you can, put it into practice, and repeat.