What makes a great leader? Is it dedication? Intelligence? Empathy? Some magic combination of these skills? Generations of leaders have searched for an answer to this question, each bringing their own beliefs to their direction.
Last fall, we featured three great TED Talks on hiring and leadership. But our quest to learn the secrets of great leadership is an unending one. To quote Mahatma Gandhi, “A small body of spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”
With that, here are five more inspiring talks on leadership.
Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
Author, public speaker, and consultant Simon Sinek specializes in leadership and management, but he’s an ethnographer by training. In Sinek’s experience, the key to great leadership is in one’s ability to inspire. In this presentation, Sinek explains his “golden circle,” and how to inspire great actions and even greater results.
Fields Wicker-Miurin: Learning from leadership’s missing manual
There is no book on leadership, but Fields Wicker-Miurin has the next best thing – stories that lead by example. In her talk, Wicker-Miurin shares the stories of three passionate leaders from across the world that had no experience or education in management, but ignited real change.
Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn…then lead
Against all odds, with little time for communication or organization, this four-star general had to figure out the key to leadership faster than he thought possible. In his talk, Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. and International forces in Afghanistan, muses on the challenges of unifying people from different ages, skill sets, and experiences – and how personal connections reign king.
Roselinde Torres: What it takes to be a great leader
Are we preparing people to lead in the 21st century? To Roselinde Torres, the answer is no. Reflecting on her 25 years of experience observing great leaders, she asserts that traditional leadership assessments often lead us down the wrong path, and explains the three crucial questions we need to ask to find the real leaders-in-the-making.
Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors
After years of conducting orchestras in Europe, Itay Talgam turned to conducting people. In his talk, Talgam discusses how the key to successful conducting is to learn to trust your musicians and develop a partnership for success – and how you can use the same principals to create perfect harmony in your team.
See also:
3 TED Talks all bosses and recruiters need to watch
10 HR gurus you should be following on Twitter
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