Lately, we have been posting a lot of content regarding leadership. From podcast recommendations to articles on our Twitter feed, we are soaking in all of the tips on how to best lead people in the workplace. To expand on this, we decided to dig up some TED Talks on leadership and boy, are there some good ones. From tips on how to connect with those you are trying to lead to an inside look at women in leadership roles, this list has you covered!
Looking for a talk packed with insights on what makes a great leader? Look no further. Roselinde has spent over 25 years studying thousands of companies and the leadership programs that they use within their business. Throughout her years of researching, she started to notice a trend: leadership gaps. This TED Talk explores those gaps as well as the characteristics that Roselinde found in leaders who are thriving & doing things differently.
Fields Wicker-Miurin delivers a compelling talk on leadership by explaining that there is no one-size-fits-all manual on the best way to lead. She starts her talk with stories from two leaders in remote parts of the world. We learn that both leaders, two different people from two different places, developed a strong sense of leadership which allowed them both to lead their people more advantageously. But how? Surprisingly enough – not by reading a “how to” manual. Instead they looked outside of their norm and started to view the world in a different way than they ever did before. They took the leap and tried to lead in a way they didn’t know and weren’t sure about. Guess what? It worked! Here’s a talk that shows you how much your outlook on business and the world can impact your leadership skills.
Simon Sinek has been a favorite of ours for some time and this talk proves exactly why. As a management theorist, Simon knows a thing or two about what it takes to lead people. His talk centers on the idea of trust. Employees want to feel safe and they want to know that the people leading them have their backs. In this talk, Simon looks at why trust is so important and exactly how leaders can be people that employees want to follow, not ones that they have to follow.
Sheryl Sandberg has spent most of her career fighting against the stigma that women can’t be leaders. From her own bustling career that has led her to be COO at Facebook to her empowering book, Lean In, Sheryl has created a platform that pushes for women to find their spot on the leadership board. This talk dives into why exactly there are not more women in leadership roles (hint: the fault isn’t on just one group) and how we can move past this limiting norm.
Stanley McChrystal is the former commander of U.S. and International forces in Afghanistan. To say that he knows a thing or two about leading groups of people is quite the understatement. General McChrystal uses this TED Talk to share some of his own personal experiences where listening proved to be the ultimate form of leadership. By listening to others and learning from them, you can gain a better understanding of how to lead them. In fact, this method shows that leadership can be used as a tool to create deeper and more meaningful relationships.
We want to know! What TED Talks are you watching? Tell us in the comment section below!