Lead ThySelf

A wealthy merchant from the east passed away. In his will, the man stated that his 17 treasured camels were to be equally distributed to his three sons in rather challenging way. According to the will the eldest son was to be given 1/2 of the camels, the middle son was to be given 1/3 of the camels, and the youngest son was to be given 1/9 of the camels. As it was not possible to divide 17 camels into half, one third or even into one ninth. The three sons started fighting with each other for their fair share. Since the sons were not able to distribute the camels among them, they went to a wise man for advice. The wise man patiently listened to the sons’ dilemma. After carefully understanding the situation the wise man brought one of his camels and added it to the 17 camels of the merchant. That increased the total to eighteen (18) camels. Now, he started reading the deceased father’s will and divided the camels accordingly. Half of 18 is 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 camels. ...

Warren Buffett is one of the world’s richest men, with assets totalling up to US$86.6 billion as of 2019. His main source of wealth is his company Berkshire Hathaway, a conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. His philosophy of value investing and prudence has influenced many investors worldwide. If you think investing and leadership do not have anything in common, then think again. Warren Buffet, known worldwide as the ‘most successful investor of the 20th century,’ knows a thing or two about how to become a great leader in the business world. He is also one of the richest people in the world, and pledged to donate 99% of his wealth to charity. From selling newspapers at the age of 11 to where he is now at 86-years-old, he’s living proof that sometimes old-school techniques work. Warren Buffet’s Leadership Style: 6 Leadership Traits of the Deca-Billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffet is probably the most successful investor in the history of...

The other night, I had the opportunity to see Tom Hanks again in the movie Apollo 13. It is a gripping story, the chronicles of Apollo 13. For those not old enough to have lived through it, a story of shooting for a landing on the moon, suffering an explosion on the spacecraft on the way to the moon, not landing on the moon, and then limping home to Earth with a mere 1% re-entry angle to save the three lives on the spacecraft. In other words, a “successful failure.” But, it wasn’t a failure. It was a successful demonstration of leadership in a crisis, with teamwork between “headquarters” in Houston and the “field” in the spacecraft. From understanding the plight of the spacecraft, to knowing what needed to be done, to creating a CO2 converter out of materials only on the spacecraft, the flight is a clear lesson in how to do crisis management. Here are the lessons: A strong leader defines the parameters.  In spite of all the negative talk, the leader defines the miss...

Stay Determined The world's most successful women really want it--and remain determined even in the face of obstacles. They have the skills, and they put the time in. But more importantly, they have the desire to do something great. Beth Brooke, global vice chair of  Ernst & Young  , was diagnosed with a degenerative hip disease at age 13 and was told by doctors she may never walk again. Before going into surgery she promised herself she would walk—no, she would run—and aspired to become one of the best young athletes the world had seen. Not only did she walk, she went on to play several varsity sports at her high school, earned multiple MVP awards , and later  played Division I basketball in college. She made up her mind, and she didn’t quit. She brought that same determination to her career and today ranks among the 100 most powerful women in the world. Be Courageous Women at the top aren’t fearless. They move toward their fear to continually ...

With competition becoming fiercer, businesses collapsing ethics being compromised and social media changing the rules of communication, what should a leader do? What would it take for leaders to succeed on the new normal? Given that most leaders are finding themselves in hot water,maybe we can learn a few lessons from something that thrives in hot water:  The Humble Teabag.  As you sip your next cup of tea, here are some leadership lessons to take away from the tea bag. Lessons to help make your life the perfect brew! 1.   What counts is what’s inside the Teabag. All Teabags have different packaging, some with fancy one some with simple one. But the quality of the beverage is determined by the tea inside the bag – not by the label or the string.  What’s true for teabags is true for all of us too. The fancy title or the qualification or the Alma mater, the clothes we wear and the label and the string. They only make you look nice. What really matters is...