On the 19th April, 1987, Princess Diana, one of the most famous people in the world, opened the first unit in the UK dedicated to treating people with HIV and AIDS. During her visit, she shook the hands of a patient without wearing gloves, and changed people’s perceptions of the disease forever.
Leadership Thought: There are certain symbolic moments – whether captured or lost – that define a moment, a time, a conversation and a cause.
Malala Yousafzai grew up in northwest Pakistan, where the Taliban had often banned girls from attending school. She became a vocal supporter of female education when a Taliban gunman shot her three times in the head in an assassination attempt.
She survived, and the attack provoked worldwide outrage, and in Pakistan, it led to ratification of the Right to Education Bill. Since her recovery, Malala became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, addressed the UN, met world leaders, and founded the non-profit Malala Fund.
Leadership Thought: Courageous leadership transcends. No campaign of messaging, media, or P.R. can replace one courageous act.
In 2010, a collapse at the San Jose copper-gold mine in northern Chili trapped 33 men 700 metres underground. Foreman Luis Urzúa immediately recognised the seriousness of the accident and took charge, organising the men for a long-term survival situation and helping them cope mentally with the situation. He made detailed maps of the area to help with the rescue effort and co-ordinated closely with engineers on the surface. He was the last man to be rescued and remained cool and calm under the pressure, merely remarking ‘It’s been a bit of a long shift’…
Leadership Thought: Executive calm is underrated. The ability to bring others into focus in chaos requires both deeply strategic and empathetic qualities.
In 1999, Marvel was teetering on the brink, deep in debt and overshadowed in pop culture. When Peter Cuneo stepped in as CEO, he didn’t just reorganize, he artfully reenergized the brand. Through strategic licensing and bold storytelling, he transformed Marvel into a cultural powerhouse. Share prices soared from under $1 to over $50, and in 2009 Marvel was acquired by Disney for $4 billion – a monumental turnaround.
Leadership Thought: Reignite identity and storytelling to resurrect growth.
When Steve Luczo returned as Seagate’s CEO in 2009, the disk-drive maker was bleeding $2 billion in debt and losing relevance. He rebooted the leadership team, organized functions for agility, refinanced debt, and reignited M&A with Samsung. By 2012, Seagate had record profits, returned dividends, and reclaimed dominance.
Leadership Thought: Sometimes, the hard reset and right team restores resilience and growth.
“If you ask me what I worry about every morning when I wake up, it’s that I don’t understand future mainstream Internet users’ habits.”
— Pony Ma (Tencent, China)
“Few people have come to the recognition that Asia is no longer the factory of the world, it is the marketplace of the world.”
— Piyush Gupta (former CEO, DBS, Singapore)
“I think the idea of being a deep learner at the top is really critical, and that is not usual in a lot of companies.”
— Julie Sweet (CEO Accenture)
“Listening was the most important thing I accomplished each day because it would build the foundation of leadership for years to come.”
— Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft)
“Leadership is getting people to believe in the possibility that people are capable of something they didn’t think possible.”
— Stewart Butterfield (Co-founder & CEO, Slack)
“We have seven unicorns and a lot of soonicorns…”
— Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (Indonesian President)
“My take: AI can fake intelligence. It can’t fake courage or an original point of view.”
— Anupam Mittal ( Founder of Shaadi.com & Judge on Shark Tank India)
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