Leadership Lessons from Science

Have you ever considered inspiring leaders from the past and how they can change the way you lead today? Albert Einstein had a profound impact on our understanding of the universe and his work is being used to move us into new frontiers today. Consider key points from Einstein’s leadership lesson in building a new model of leadership success and leadership lessons for you going forward starting today!

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

Albert Einstein

Rewriting the Laws of Nature for Humanity

Inspiring Leadership Now outlines Einstein as being one of the “10 Of The Most Inspiring Leaders of All Time.” Some leaders became great because of how they persevered with a dream in spite of their circumstances, only to go on and achieve such extraordinary things that they continue to be revered long after their deaths. While others stuck by their values and protested for the rights of others, even when it jeopardized their own freedom… not mention their lives. Some leaders are truly inspirational and well-respected because of their natural flair to innovate, empower and influence others to act in meaningful ways and ultimately change the world.

12 Words for Better Leadership

Julian Hayes 11 shows in Inc. “Einstein Explains in 12 words What It Means to Be a High-Performing Leader.” Creator, scientist, inventor, and unmistakable are a few terms used to describe Albert Einstein. While many people relegate Einstein’s powerful mathematician’s mind to strictly the scientific space, Einstein lived a life that has lessons applicable to a broad spectrum of areas. At the core of Einstein’s unmistakability were curiosity and a commitment to see the possibilities of tomorrow as opposed to the limitations of today. That same trait is needed among today’s entrepreneurs and leaders. Being a high-performing leader comes down to effective communication, and Einstein perfectly sums up how to do this in 12 words:

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

Being a genius and a leader doesn’t lie in using fancy jargon, big words, or explaining things in complex terms. Being a high-performing leader requires a ruthless commitment to simplicity. A big part of committing to simplistic communication and becoming a high-performing leader is the removal of the ego.

Travelling through Time

Janet Britcher a Forbes Councils Member outlines “What Leaders Can Learn from Einstein’s Special Theory Of Relativity.” At the age of 16, Albert Einstein famously envisioned running alongside a beam of light, which resulted in his Special Theory of Relativity: time slows down. “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle,” he said, “requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.”

In envisioning running along a beam of light, Einstein employed a technique that leaders can use to enhance their effectiveness. This idea of traveling — or zooming — through time can help leaders immensely. What if you were to reframe your perspective and imagine your leadership dilemma as being resolved, and you are two years down the road looking back on the steps that resulted in that successful outcome? That ability to bend time can open up new creative opportunities. You can imagine what is great about the outcome, how it meets your criteria, and then speculate on the steps that got you there. And then begin implementing those steps real time.

Leadership is both an art and a science. Like with science, experimentation — and failure — is needed for progress to take place. Thomas Edison’s apocryphal story of 10,000 failures before he successfully created the light bulb is enduring and endearing because Edison stuck with it. He learned from each result. Today, we are accustomed to fleeting news, fleeting celebrity marriages and apps designed to dissolve your messages and photos. Let’s revive tenacity, use the ability to reframe and envision a situation on a much longer timeline, imagine a desired future result and then work toward it. That approach is a treasure!

Courageous Leaders needed for new Frontiers

Being a leader that is able to motivate and encourage others is not something that happens accidentally. There are key traits which most inspiring leaders share and by cultivating these traits you will improve your leadership skills so that you can bring out the best in yourself and others:

• Look Towards the Future
• Work On Self Improvement
• Polish Your People Skills
• Take Risks
• Make Health and Wellbeing A Priority

And, we need to look ahead to ensure we have future leaders and generations who will lead with courage. Like any leadership skill, courage is something that is learned and refined over time and it should form part of a leader’s inventory. Having Courage Intelligence will meet that need! The Courage Intelligence Program will provide future focussed leaders with an opportunity to build your courage as a skill.

Stay Kind. Stay Courageous.

Sonia x