Our expert community shares the lessons they’ve learned from unexpected sources, in business or in life, that shaped their leadership style.
Leadership lessons can often come from the most unexpected places – a forgotten podcast, a former mentor, or a chance encounter with a visionary.
How do these surprising moments shape the way we lead?
From learning the importance of humility to leading with values and purpose, in this article our expert community generously shares the lessons that have transformed their leadership styles.
What unexpected influences have reshaped your approach to leadership?
Jamie Hughes-Gage
Manager: Cutaway Adventures
“Remember what it was like to be the learner…”
As leaders, we should be aiming to provide a safe and fun learning environment for each of our learners, colleagues, etc. We should be striving to shape and change individuals’ lives for the better with a positive response to achieving their tasks or goals.
We sometimes forget what challenges and feelings we faced during our learning phase, which could have been a couple to several years ago. Reflection can be done prior, during a break or at a block in the process, but by taking the time or a moment to reflect on our past experiences as a learner, we can relate on a more personal level.
Upon reflecting on your experience, remember just like there are different leadership styles, there are different learners. So being able to adjust our leadership styles fluidly at each step in the process is important for not only the learner but for ourselves in leadership, in making the process smoother, quicker and fun for all involved.
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Caroline McAuliffe
Senior Partner: Watermark Search International
Values-based culture: A leader I worked with previously emphasised core values like integrity, collaboration, and innovation. By embedding these values into daily operations, the organisation built a foundation of trust and respect.
Understanding purpose: He helped us see the deeper purpose behind our work, focusing not just on financial targets but on making a meaningful impact on customers and the community. This motivated everyone to excel in their roles.
Vision alignment: The leader’s clear vision for the future provided direction and inspiration, creating unity and shared goals.
Fiscal impact: Embracing these values, purpose, and vision led to significant fiscal benefits. Employee engagement and productivity increased, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and better financial performance. This alignment created a motivated workforce, driving organisational success.
Relevance in today’s business environment: In today’s business world, where meaningful work is highly sought after, getting these elements right is crucial. A values-based culture fosters belonging and trust, essential for attracting and retaining top talent.
This experience shaped my leadership style, highlighting the importance of a values-driven culture, a sense of purpose, and a clear vision. When these elements align, they lead to remarkable outcomes for yourself, the team, the organisation and your community.
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Scott Lynch
Founder and Managing Director: Community Therapy
A leader can find themselves spending a lot of time putting out fires. In essence they can feel very reactive, always waiting for the next problem or fire. During the COVID-19 pandemic I found myself listening to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks to level up my leadership skills to lead calmly and to better support our team and even myself.
Unfortunately, I can’t remember what podcast or book that it was from, however the saying “slow is smooth and smooth is fast” has stuck with me. I believe the SEAL teams say it too. During the pandemic, as we work in healthcare, I would issue updates daily to our team and found myself constantly writing a slight variation to this being “slow is smooth and smooth is safe.”
Over the years, this has become part of our culture and led to a focus on doing things once and doing things right. What did I learn from this? I learnt the power of a company’s values and mission statements. When values or mission statements actually mean something, they lead to incredible efficiencies. But, you can’t fake them.
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Stephen P Fernando
Director of Corporate Services: Murray River Council
I met Dr A T Ariyaratne, the founder of the Sarvodaya Movement (Sri Lanka) in 1988. Dr Ariyaratne and his movement epitomised two concepts that were not yet named at that time: “servant leadership” and “social enterprise”. He was a social innovator well before his time.
Starting as a small volunteer movement, Sarvodaya has grown over six decades to be a national entity touching the lives of millions, empowering them in the process to take responsibility for their own destinies. Despite his success Dr Ariyaratne, with his family, continued to live frugally in his original house. Decorated nationally and internationally for his contributions, he passed away in 2024.
What influenced me greatly was the doctor’s approach to leading his organisation, an approach centred on service and humility, two concepts that I have tried to adopt in my engagement with others, whether in my personal life or in business/professional situations.
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