Top Iconic Leaders and What You Can Learn from Them
At every step in life, we all have role models we look up to. As children, our parents are our mentors, as rebellious teens we look up to music and sports stars, and in adulthood we are inspired by mentors who succeeded in our line of business.
At a certain point, most of us become role models for others, but we still look up to successful leaders who have created an aura of inspiration and mentoring around us. These people have not only started successful companies, they redefined doing business and created new standards of quality, vision and customer service. And top managers and CEOs still have something to learn from them.
Here are some of the most inspiring life and business lessons from iconic leaders which we can all learn from, at any moment of our lives:
1. Steve Jobs — Don’t Live Somebody Else’s Dream
The founder of one of the most iconic companies of the late 20th and the 21st century, Steve Jobs was known as a ruthless businessman. He would fire on spot any person who did not share his vision. Revered and feared in equal parts, Steve Jobs managed to innovate, develop many products and change our lives, from the way we listen to music to the way we interact with each other through smartphones.
His top lesson to everyone, expressed in 2005 during a speech at Stanford University, was to go for your own dreams and stop wasting your time living someone else’s vision and ideas. Steve Jobs certainly knew what he was talking about. After all, he founded Apple, lost it and then got it back with a vengeance.
2. Elon Musk — Allow Yourself to Fail
Born in South Africa, Elon Musk wanted to become a US citizen. And he did. He wanted to innovate online payments. And he founded X.com, which merged with Confinity and took the name PayPal. He wanted to create ecological cars. So he founded Tesla Motors. Finally, he wanted to reach for the stars and he founded the SpaceX program.
Through all his endeavors, Elon Musk had his share of failures, but he did not let them deter him. Instead, he found motivation to keep working, planning and innovating. The corporate culture in his companies allows errors and failures — just as long as you do not give up trying to find a solution.
3. Jeff Bezos — Be Motivated by Something Meaningful
Jeff Bezos started an online bookstore from his garage. Now, Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world. The focus on excellent customer service makes his company not just a leader, but a trendsetter. Now Amazon is using drones for deliveries — and soon everyone else will probably do it, too.
What made Jeff Bezos so successful? His steadfast belief and motivation that if you strive to treat your customers well, and you believe in your products, you will do a better job than anyone else.
4. Sir Richard Branson — Don’t Be Afraid to Dream Big
The iconic and charismatic British billionaire is a high school dropout. But his tenacity and his dreams, coupled with hard work and dedication, allowed him to become currently the owner of countless companies, as Virgin Group consists of more than 400 operations.
His advice for anyone going into business? Do not be afraid to set yourself impossible challenges and have big dreams. Dare to fight against all odds and succeed. Whenever people say you cannot do it, prove to them that you can.
5. Bill Gates — Celebrate Success, but Learn Lessons from Failures
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, told a university professor that he would be a millionaire by the age of 30. At 31, he was a billionaire. Both a visionary and a practical leader, Gates never allowed success to cloud his clear and cautious thinking. He became successful both as an entrepreneur and a patron of many charities, together with his wife Melinda.
Now retired from Microsoft, Bill Gates is focused on his charity work with the same acumen and following the same principles as in business.
This article was originally published on pldx.org.
