In learning to be a successful leader, it is important to achieve leadership skills not just by studying leaders who lead within the limits of the four walls of an office. In fact, great leaders are usually seen going above and beyond their stipulated roles to achieve their goals.
Successful leaders are a source of great inspiration for their employees as well as for the world watching. In this article, we find out more about 3 successful leaders you can model after.
Tim Cook
Tim Cook is the current Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc. and leads the company that comprises over 130,000 employees. Before he assumed the role of CEO, he faced criticism from the public as many thought that he was not suited for the position. People did not believe in him as they felt he did not possess the necessary leadership skills required for the role.
However, he managed to prove everyone wrong very quickly. He possesses excellent leadership skills that pushes and keeps Apple at its peak performance. He possesses the quality of transparency and applies it, not just with his colleagues, but with the general public as well.
When the world held speculations about Apple’s employees and their products, Tim made the decision to publicly share their operational process. This helped to shut down a lot of the noise and shone light on his proficiency as a successful leader.
Angelina Jolie
An infamous celebrity, an amazing mother and an inspiring humanitarian. Angelina Jolie is known and loved by millions all over the planet. Having started out as an actress, she now spends her time participating in humanitarian work where she helps numerous individuals.
Angelina Jolie continues to extend her assistance to deal with unresolved social issues. Some of these include child immigration and education, human rights as well as women’s rights. She was given the title of Special Envoy after being appointed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
She carries the qualities of an exemplary leader and this can be supported by the fact that she went on over 40 field missions to countries including Iraq, Syria and Pakistan so as to lend some assistance. One can learn much from a successful leader like her who leads by her actions. She walks the talk.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is an exemplary leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner for everyone to model after. She set her record of successful leadership at a very young age and her inspiring story moved numerous hearts across the globe as she gained worldwide recognition for her bravery.
Malala defied the Taliban in Pakistan when she demanded that girls be allowed access to education. An assassination attempt was made against her by the Taliban and she was shot in the head by a gunman in retaliation to her activism, which she survived after being transferred to a UK hospital.
She later continued to advocate and fight for the rights to education on behalf of girls from all over the world. Her sheer determination and resilience are the true marks of a successful leader who continues to fight for educational rights today.
Tim Cook, Angelina Jolie and Malala Yousafzai all hail from different backgrounds. They may have different goals and journeys in their lives, but they have one common ground to share and that is successful leadership skills that others can model after.
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Reshma is StrengthsAsia’s content writer and research contributor. She enjoys spending her time writing anything from poems to screenplays, and everything in between. She also finds joy in reading novels, baking and catching movies with her family. Participating in creative activities helps her find inspiration and new ideas for her work.