• Meet 10 women & men who are great leadership
examples
• Study them to learn important traits of a good leader …
• … and to see different examples of leadership styles
• Model things you can use from each of them to become a
leader yourself
Examples of Leadership Are Found Everywhere!
Not all great leaders are born; most of us who want to be better
leaders need to learn how to go about it (see also
What Makes a Good Leader – The Traits of a Good Leader).
One of the best ways to learn is by studying examples of
leadership and trying to discern what makes those leaders
successful.
Although they may be, great leaders are not necessarily leaders
of countries or in charge of big corporations / organizations.
A leader can also be a Sunday school teacher, a scout leader, a
community leader, a charity organizer, a person in middle
management, or a shift worker. The leadership position can be an
official one, or one that develops naturally due to the
situation, or one that’s due to innate abilities.
And, if you’ve ever seen a loving, but efficient single mother
(or: father) with a couple of kids, you know that great leaders
exist on every level.
Let’s look at some famous leaders and briefly examine examples
of leadership styles.
Leadership Examples … no. 1:
Mahatma
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) – who was and still is
referred to by the honorific Mahatma (meaning ‘Great Spirit’) is
often held up as one of the great leadership examples.
He was an Indian lawyer who, using total nonviolence (Indian:
‘ahimsa’), honesty and civil disobedience led his country to
freedom from one biggest superpowers of that time, the British
Empire.
From him we can learn important qualities like determination,
humility, and, of course, honesty and non-violence. He didn’t
have to brow beat people into supporting him. He didn’t have to
resort to outlandish promises or dishonesty. Gandhi simply held
to his beliefs and because of his authentic nature, people were
drawn to him and decided to support him.
Leadership Examples … no. 2:
Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi (full name: Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi, born 1955) is
another of the great leadership examples. She is the CEO of
PepsiCo, presides over 185,000 employees and has reinvented this
giant company in a time when many others are struggling.
She is often mentioned as one of the 10 most powerful women in
business.
Although she has a powerful job, she cares about all people and
the planet. She is determined to make PepsiCo a “green company”
and make the switch from a junk food company to one that offers
healthy options.
Because of her passion and commitment to her ideals, she is an
inspiration and great leader that earns a lot of respect.
Love and Passion!
From these two examples of leadership, we can learn one
important common trait. These leaders are passionate about their
causes and beliefs.
To be a really good leader, you need to be passionate, and
passion is actually a form of love.
Thus, there is no getting around it – love is the most important
and powerful of all the traits of a good leader. The really
great spiritual leaders (founders of religions) over time have
displayed this trait, too.
You may not be in a position to change a huge company, or the
world, but you can start where you are and pour your love and
passion into your beliefs. When you do that, you are being
authentic and it will draw like minded supporters to you.
Leadership Examples … no. 3:
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos (full name: Jeffrey Preston Bezos, born 1964) is the
founder of Amazon, the largest retailer on the Internet.
He is considered a true internet pioneer and leader in the
industry.
In an interview with U.S. News, he attributes his success to
keeping an eye on his long term goal and ignoring the critics
who tried to distract him along the way. Because of his vision
and willingness to fail during the learning process, he drew the
right kind of people into his organization that helped him
create the giant company that Amazon has become today.
From leadership examples like this we learn how important it is
to keep your eye on the end goal – and to allow yourself and
others to fail. A leader with optimistic determination inspires
confidence and loyalty among his followers.
A great leader knows how to set the proper goals and is
determined to achieve them. He may not know the certain path to
take, and is quite willing to fail trying to figure it out,
knowing success will come eventually.
Leadership Examples … no. 4:
Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) is remembered as a great
leader today. He was passionate about the African-American civil
rights cause, plus about ending poverty. Like Mahatma Gandhi he
advocated non-violence. In 1986 the third Monday of January each
year was established as a U.S. national holiday called Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day.
Like many other leadership examples, he was passionate about his
beliefs and stood up for them in a nonviolent way. However, the
thing that made King such a great leader was his ability to
inspire people to take action and join his cause. His “I Have a
Dream” speech in 1963 is world famous.
This drives home the importance of learning how to inspire and
influence people in order to lead. You can be passionate and
have great visions for the future, but if you do not know how to
inspire people, you may never gain the followers you need –
whether it is political backers or shift workers.
This is a more practical aspect of being a great leader since
many of us are not born with the ability to be a great
communicator. Luckily, this is a skill that can be learned
whether you intend to give speeches or just want to communicate
better with your group.
Leadership Examples … no. 5:
Margaret
Thatcher
British prime minister for an unprecedented three terms from
1979 to 1990 Margaret Thatcher (full name: Margaret Hilda
Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, née Roberts; born 1925) was a
forceful leader with an ideology that more or less matched
American president Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) – who was also one
of her close friends.
Her deeply conservative style of leadership was so forceful she
earned the ‘title’ of ‘Iron Lady’ and had a specific term named
after her – ‘Thatcherism’, which referred to both her
uncompromising focus on achieving political goals and her
personal prim, hard nosed style and unflinching ethics. No
matter what kind of opposition she encountered she always ‘stuck
to her guns’.
From the ‘Iron Lady’ of Great Britain we might learn a lesson
about not being one of those which-ever-way-the-wind-blows kinds
of leaders, and not compromising too much, but rather sticking
to our ideals – even in the face of opposition.
Leadership Examples … no. 6:
John F. Kennedy
When asked to think of a great leader in American history, many
people automatically think of President John F. Kennedy (full
name: John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy, 1917-1963).
Because of his charismatic personality and commitment to his
vision, he attracted many followers to him and Americans still
consider him one of their most popular presidents, ever.
Not everyone can be a leader like Kennedy because natural
leadership and charisma is not something that can be learned
faked. You have it or you don’t.
However, examples of leadership like John F. Kennedy – born
leaders – are important for groups and corporations to learn
from, anyway. The shining examples of natural born leaders can
teach us about the power of charisma – and having a leader with
great personal magnetism to act as a bridge between the varied
people and groups who have a vested interest in the goings on of
an organization is priceless.
That being said, most of
What Makes a Good Leader? – The Traits of a Good Leader can
actually be taught and learned.
Leadership Examples … no. 7:
Bill Gates
Other leadership examples aren’t so dependent upon charisma.
Take Bill Gates (full name: William Henry “Bill” Gates III, born
1955) for instance. He founded Microsoft (with Paul Allen) and
in 1987, at the tender age of 31, he was named the world’s
youngest self-made billionaire. He has been one of the world’s
richest men ever since.
Although his business methods have been criticised as being
monopolistic (and his company has received the concurring
judgement of the courts on the matter as well) he is not only a
great philanthropist, but also one of the greatest business
leaders of our time. However … he is certainly not known for
having a magnetic personality.
Instead, he exudes an air of authority, confidence, expertise
and credibility. He has kept his eye on the future of his
industry and has led his company to the top.
From him we can learn how to command respect and lead others
when we come from a position of expertise and authority.
Find Your Own Path!
The leadership examples of Kennedy and Gates are about as
opposite as can be, yet they are both considered to be among the
greatest leaders in modern times.
This can inspire us and help us realize we can find our own
path.
You do need the love, passion and integrity, but you don’t have
to be born with great looks or a winning personality in order to
become a successful leader.
Leadership Examples … no. 8:
Martha Stewart
When considering examples of leadership, you might not
immediately consider Martha Stewart (full name: Martha Helen
Stewart, née Kostyra; born 1941) because she is often seen as a
controversial figure with a stern personality. Also, she has
been in prison (in 2004) for lying to investigators about a
stock sale. But she is one of those driven people who just won’t
stay down.
She is an American television host, author, magazine publisher
and all round business magnate, so there is no denying she is an
excellent business leader and she has been able to weather many
storms in her career and still come out on top.
Much of her success can probably be attributed to her attitude
of ‘never give up’ plus her leadership style that is strict and
demanding. She knows what she wants and expects full effort from
her staff and associates. And, as mentioned, she won’t stay
down.
Leadership Examples … no. 9:
Walt Disney
Walt Disney (full name: Walter Elias “Walt” Disney, 1901-1966),
American entrepreneur, entertainer, producer, film director,
screenwriter, voice actor, animator, philanthropist and creator
of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and much more, is another of the
non-typical leadership examples.
He followed his passion and grew a simple comic strip to a
global corporation that earns more than $35 billion per year
today.
His driving force was a desire to share art and fun with people
around the world. He indulged in his passion and fuelled it with
his imagination to believe that anything is possible.
From him we can learn the importance of following our dreams and
letting our enthusiasm and belief lead others into achieving
great things. And yes, almost anything IS indeed possible!
Leadership Examples … no. 10:
John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller (full name: John Davison Rockefeller,
1839-1937) was a true leader in every sense of the word.
Not only did he revolutionize the petroleum industry and become
an oil magnate and one of the richest people in the world, he
also was one of the world’s greatest philanthropists.
Some have calculated Rockefeller to be the richest person in
history when adjustments are made for inflation. However, he
didn’t use his vast wealth for personal gain only. He used it to
shape the world and lead others to a better life.
Rockefeller founded universities, supported religious causes,
and backed medical research to eradicate diseases of his day. He
touched many lives because of his desire to make the world a
better place.
His leadership example teaches us being a great leader is about
more than just taking a company to the top of the charts, it’s
about making life better for those who believe in us.
Final Words: Use Modeling
There are many great leadership examples you can learn other
useful tidbits from.
Just choose a person you admire … be that a successful
politician, a CEO, a school soccer team coach or a single mom,
and study the qualities that make her or him great.
Modeling is one of the roads to success. If someone else has
success following a certain path, if you follow that path, you
are more likely to have success as well.
Therefore, do spend some time reading about examples of
leadership, reflect upon them and apply their traits to your own
life. Whether you go on to lead a big company, a department, a
group of kids in a sports club or you simply end up leading just
yourself, you can still become a great leader, and both you and
the world will be the better for it!
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