How great leaders inspire action

Why is it that Martin Luther King led the civil rights movement? How come Apple is so innovative compared to its competitors? And how were the Wright brothers able to figure out the world’s first successful airplane?

In his great talk, Simon Sinek explains what these three have in common. He calls it the Golden Circle.

I’ve used this simple yet wonderful concept ever since and it has helped me to structure my thinking, whether in emails, letters, or talks. Now you can use it too!

The crucial benefits of failure and imagination in life

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Ten years and eight movies later, Harry finally kicks You-Know-Who’s ass for once and for all. Nobody cared the epilogue, 19 years later, showed the same Harry except now with a beard; all of us only focused on staying in the Hogwarts-world as long as possible.

Behind every success story is a story of struggle, and this was no exception. Before J.K. Rowling's success, she saw herself as the biggest failure she knew. Her marriage failed, she was jobless with a dependent child.

Yet, she described her failure as liberating: “I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter, and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

And so her mother’s death transformed into the details of Harry’s loss, and her clinical depression became the soul-sucking Dementors. How's that for a positive change? Hear it from J.K. Rowling self in her inspiring talk:

Why following your heart is more important than listening to others

The awe-inspiring speech of Apple's CEO Steve Jobs. If you didn't saw it yet, now is the time and make sure to put it on repeat. It's a classic.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish!