Without a Weapon

Do you have a favorite history book that you have read that has really informed you as a leader and your and your leadership style?

Actually, I'd say more than a book. I think going back in history there are three individuals that I look to every time I talk about leadership and they are all from history, I will kind of illuminate. One is Mahatma Gandhi. Second is Martin Luther King. And the third is Nelson Mandela. All three did not have a title. They didn't have a position, but they were leaders. And so you have to think back, how did they bring everybody together, in spite of the fact that they didn't have any formal title or position. And you can always be a general in the army and people will follow you because you have a gun. But these three individuals without a gun, they got millions and millions of people to follow them. Thinking back from history and people and mentors, these are the three individuals that I look to every day when I get into the office.

Well, it goes beyond the title. It goes to your ability to inspire, right?

Absolutely. I mean, they were commercially minded. Let's not kid ourselves. They were very astute. They were smart individuals, but they got individuals to believe in their long term vision. And what was the right thing to do? Talking about values and culture. These three individuals had deep values, deep culture, had a vision and were able to articulate that and get these millions of people to follow them. And I think that's very important for any leader, even in a commercial organization.

So for you, what would you say are one or two top lessons that you learned from them and reading about their history and their leadership style?

I think one is being honest with yourself. I mean, you have to. It comes out very clearly if you don't believe in yourself and don't believe in your mission. I think that's the key part for any leader or organization. And all these three individuals believed in that mission, believed in their cause, and were true to themselves and true to society. And I think that's important as a CEO or as a leader of any organization that you're not just producing widgets, you're actually there to really take the community forward and to take your entire workforce forward to that ultimate goal.