From corporate boardrooms to the Vatican City, the world is awash with leaders. We all have some experience with leadership; it is an inevitable part of just about any job or career. The leaders of the most high-profile companies in the world are celebrities in their own right. While only a few leaders will ever rise to the level of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, many hope to replicate their success by studying their styles and approach to leadership.
Here are five of the most exceptional leaders from across a multitude of vocations. These are the individuals who provide the templates for the success that leaders in all areas, from businesses to governments, strive for.
Elon Musk
With the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket earlier this month, a very exciting development in terms of the future of space exploration, and the scheduled launch of the company’s ambitious satellite-based broadband service on Wednesday, Elon Musk is very much in the spotlight at the moment.
For many, Musk’s approach to business illuminates a new path for businesses, one that envisages them as using their corporate power for good. Musk’s other business ventures, which include the equally innovative electric car manufacturer Tesla, are funding the research and development of technologies crucial to our future. Tesla recently built a giant lithium-ion battery, which is both supporting the Australian national grid and trading on the open market.
If you want to learn more about how entrepreneurs like Elon Musk are able to lead so effectively, then you might want to consider studying for a leadership degree, such as that offered by Norwich University. The Norwich University masters in leadership will prepare students to lead in a variety of different settings.
Theo Epstein
The owner of the Chicago Cubs, Theo Epstein, has been something all too rare in America, a uniting force. The Cubs were able to end a championship drought, which had been persisting for over a century! 108 years, in fact. As they progressed towards what seemed to be an unimaginable goal until the very last moment, The Cubs epic struggle sent television ratings for the World Series up a whopping 50%.
Suddenly, even the most casual Baseball fan was glued to their screens, and it even sucked in people who had never seen the sport before! Theo Epstein is now held up and revered in the sporting world and is the perfect embodiment of the wonder coach who turns a team’s fortunes around. There are many people who would like to replicate this with leaders of businesses.
Angel Merkel
Angela Merkel is now entering her 13th year as Germany’s Chancellor. Despite a number of significant challenges facing Germany as a country and Europe more broadly, including a refugee crisis and rising right-wing nationalism, Merkel remains popular. With the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, many have speculated the Angela Merkel could now pick up the mantle of leader of the free world.
Leadership is a combination of learned skills and natural dominance. However, even if you consider yourself to be a generally timid person, there are things you can do that will help you to develop your confidence. Studying for a leadership science degree is a great first step.