Have You Heard about 7 Powerful Lessons From TED Talks About Leadership?

2015-11-08T08:49:11-05:00

Have You Heard about 7 Powerful Lessons From TED Talks About Leadership?

It's been a while since I posted a discussion about Leadership. I found this article to have some very good lessons to share with the RP Community. Not all will agree, but I find them down to earth and useful! Maybe you will to.

What makes a great leader in today's world? Answers from the likes of Sheryl Sandberg and Simon Sinek.

What does it take to be a great leader? In a fascinating series of talks, business leaders, researchers, a famed general, and an orchestra conductor tackle that question from their diverse viewpoints.

Some of their answers will surprise you. Here are seven of their best lessons.

http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/7-powerful-lessons-from-ted-talks-about-leadership.html

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.

7 Powerful Lessons From TED Talks About Leadership

What makes a great leader in today's world? Answers from the likes of Sheryl Sandberg and Simon Sinek.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Nov 8 at 2015 8:51 AM

2015-11-08T08:51:29-05:00

COL Mikel J. Burroughs thanks for posting, I will endeavor. I am getting started in the IT world and could use all the help going forward into the future!

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Nov 8 at 2015 9:07 AM

2015-11-08T09:07:06-05:00

Great site, I really enjoy listening to these clips COL Mikel J. Burroughs! One of my favorite clips has to be from General Stanley McChrystal, this a clip on leadership.
http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal

Listen, learn ... then lead

Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning -- and addressing the possibility of failure.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Nov 8 at 2015 9:15 AM

2015-11-08T09:15:40-05:00

Great post with wonderful lessons thanks for sharing

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 8 at 2015 1:44 PM

2015-11-08T13:44:36-05:00

Some good stuff, a lot of warm and fuzzy stuff.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Nov 8 at 2015 3:43 PM

2015-11-08T15:43:44-05:00

No COL Mikel J. Burroughs I have not heard about 7 powerful lessons from TED talks about leadership. When I first saw your discussion title my thoughts drifted back over 35 years ago when TED at USMA was a term used for somebody who was focused too much on USMA heritage and traditions versus becoming a good Army officer. [As usual, I have provided my editorial assessment in brackets.]
1. Engage people's beliefs. Engage people' beliefs about themselves and about the world and they will be drawn to you and follow you, he says. How do you do that? By focusing first on what you yourself believe and how the work you do grows out of those beliefs. As Sinek says, "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it." [I think that people look at what you do in comparison to what you say and will give you a measure of trust as a new leader. That trust will expand or contract based on your performance and how you take care of those assigned to your organization. Work to be trustworthy in all areas.]
2. Let people tell their own stories. Orchestra conductor Itay Talgam uses video clips in his talk to display the vastly different leadership styles of some of the world's greatest conductors. The most effective elicit the best music by getting out of the way and letting their people shine. He also shares some important lessons such as "Never look at the trombones--it only encourages them." [letting subordinates share their stories can be useful in team building exercises. There are times and situations where sharing personal experiences makes sense particularly in training where service members can educate others on what worked and what didn't.]
3. We all have lollipop moments. Years ago, leadership educator Drew Dudley gave away a lollipop and profoundly changed someone's life for the better--an incident he doesn't even remember. [Tangible rewards can be effective especially when they are associated with something worth rewarding. Positive comments in person and on efficiency reports and awards can go a long way to develop subordinates. Positive and negative critique are very useful in training and should be applied appropriately.]
4. It takes new skills to be a great leader in today's world. Instead, today’s great leaders need three capabilities, she says. First, they need to be able to watch and distill trends so that they can see the future and prepare for it. Second, they need to develop relationships with people very different from themselves–people outside their own comfort zones. And third, they must be willing to abandon practices that have been successful in the past. That's tough to do, she says. "It's a leap, not a step." But if you can do it, you'll find you have followers. [Certainly some new skills are useful when built on a solid bedrock which the military services have used for over a century - training, doctrine, organizational leadership and management.]
5. Improve your tribe. We're all part of a tribe, or maybe several different tribes, notes USC professor David Logan in his talk. But different tribes function at five different levels ranging from an urban street gang through Zappos all the way up to the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission that helped South Africa begin its recovery from apartheid. He explains why the best leaders understand all five levels--and work to raise the level of their own tribes. [the tribe is an awkward concept in the military since service members can associate their MOS, unit, military service, etc. In the military many of the concepts we can associate with as a tribe will change many times in a career such as MOS, unit and even the military service we work in and with. Personally I would reject the tribe concept]
6. Be willing to learn from anyone. Learning to lead a 21st-century fighting force created what McChrystal calls "an inversion of expertise," because many of the younger soldiers under his command understood the technology and the communication channels of the digital world much better than he did. "It forced me to become a lot more transparent, a lot more willing to listen, a lot more willing to be reverse-mentored from lower," he says. [Being willing to learn from anybody can be an important lesson when it is coupled with wisdom to sort out the wheat from the chaff. Appropriate humility is a good characteristic for leadership to embrace especially when learning from subordinates. Ensure this is based on a genuine desire to learn and not for a dog and pony show.]
7. Never stop raising your hand. Even worse than that is the fact that women judge themselves more harshly than men do and are less likely to consider ourselves qualified for that promotion or plum job. Women are slower to raise a hand and quicker to put it down again, and liable to take a seat away from the tables of power. Make sure you have a seat at the table, Sandberg advises. And keep your foot on the gas pedal. [One term we used for people who raise their hands too much was "spring butt" for those who drew attention to themselves and added heat but no light to the discussion.]