When it comes to leadership, learning from the best is an amazing strategy. After all, who knows how to build a thriving business from nothing better than Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and other world-class business leaders? They have hacked the system and found effective leadership strategies. So here is a list of the most successful and inspirational business people to learn from.
1. Reed Hastings
The co-founder and CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, needs no introduction. If there is one thing Netflix is known for in terms of leadership, it is how out of the box it is. Netflix employees have a lot of autonomy in decision-making. Hastings hires the people he can trust to do what is right for the company. Seeing how stressful a leader’s role is, his ability to delegate is a great personality trait.
A good illustration of Hastings’ trusting approach is writing essays in college. Some students need to research, write and edit every assignment by themselves. Others are perfectly fine with finding the best place to buy essay online and using professional help. Chances are, the latter have higher grades and are less stressed. They are leaders in the making.
2. Richard Branson
Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, a company that started as a small mail-order record business but is now a multinational conglomerate present across industries. However, what makes Branson so inspirational is how he treats his employees. He is all about putting them first and prioritizing their needs.
Branson realizes that the people who work for him are his biggest asset. He has created an environment where their ideas are always welcomed. Branson is known for appreciating bold ideas. No matter how unrealistic something an employee suggests may seem at first, he is willing to give it a try.
As a result, people who work at Virgin Group feel seen and appreciated. Their creativity thrives, and the company capitalizes on it.
3. Elon Musk
Elon Musk is a somewhat controversial figure in the business world. But the success of Tesla and other Musk’s ventures speaks for itself. The best motto for Musk as a leader is, “Embrace big ideas.” He has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve and is not afraid to take risks. Such confidence is infectious, so Musk’s employees quickly learn to dream big.
Also, what is so special about Musk is that he loves bold moves and knows that the most important thing about a leader is their ability to inspire. The rumor has it that the number one reason why Musk sent Tesla Roadster (the “space car”) to space was to show his team that even the sky is not the limit. Quite literally.
4. Logan Green
But a business person does not need Elon Musk’s charisma and personality to succeed. Logan Green, the CEO of Lyft, is proof of that. Green is a quiet and introverted person, yet Lyft employees find him inspirational nonetheless. If someone were to create a list of things to appreciate about Green as a person, it would look like this:
- For example, Green keeps carpooling whenever he goes to work. His reasons are that he loves transportation and wants to understand Lyft customers.
- Green is not the typical “big boss.”
- Green actually cares about the people he created the company for. The idea behind Lyft was to make commutes in big cities both comfortable and affordable.
What is not to admire about this?
5. Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi is the first businesswoman on this list, which shows how hard it is for a woman to break the glass ceiling and succeed in the male-dominated business world. But Nooyi is living proof that it is possible. She is included in the list of the world’s most powerful women basically every year. Nooyi used to be the CEO of the multinational food company PepsiCo, and PepsiCo thrived under her leadership.
In 2019, Nooyi joined Amazon’s board of directors. Now, as an executive at Amazon, Nooyi is committed to fighting the gender gap in the business world and promoting female leadership. As an Indian person, Nooyi also inspires women of color, who are even more marginalized in big business. Her book, My Life in Full, is truly inspirational.
6. Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos might not be the most well-liked leader, but he is arguably the most successful one, at least when it comes to net worth. Bezos, the former CEO of Amazon, tops the list of the richest people in the world. He has been on it for a while, but his wealth skyrocketed in 2020-2021.
But it is not money that is so inspirational about Bezos; it is his philosophy. Bezos is a very patient leader. He is fine with waiting for positive results as long as he believes that long-term growth will come. Such an attitude requires quite a lot of uncertainty tolerance. All current and future entrepreneurs should learn to be the same. Success rarely happens overnight.
7. Whitney Wolfe
Whitney Wolfe may not be as famous as Bezos, but she should be. Most younger people have used the app that Wolfe founded at least once. She is the CEO of the dating app Bumble. In the past, Wolfe worked at Tinder, so she knew what she was doing when founding Bumble. Now, Bumble is the most popular dating app in the United States.
Wolfe does exactly what you would expect from a woman who created a dating app where women have to make the first move. Just like Indra Nooyi, she is a passionate advocate for female entrepreneurship and leadership. Besides, Wolfe’s approval rating as a CEO is over 90 out of 100. Impressive, right?
An Afterword
The big business world is full of self-made people who are as successful as they are inspirational. What is interesting, though, is how different all of them are. An entrepreneur can be bold and charismatic like Elon Musk or quiet and relatable like Logan Green. What matters is to come up with a perfect business idea and fight for it.
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