A great leader passed last week. Shimon Peres served as president of Israel, prime minister, two times as minister of defense and three times as foreign minister. A Nobel Peace Prize winner for his role in the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. He was both warrior and dreamer. I was privileged to meet him in Jerusalem in 2010 when Saatchi & Saatchi Israel created the ‘Impossible Brief.’ He offered me 12 leadership lessons, which I included in my book 64 Shots: Leadership in a Crazy World. Pin them to your wall.
- Leaders must not be afraid of being alone.
- They must have the courage to be afraid.
- A leader must decide. He says “yes” or “no.”
- A leader must pioneer, not rule.
- A leader is not on the top of his people but ahead of them, in front.
- Leadership is extremely hard work.
- When you have chosen a destiny…never give up.
- Leadership is based on a moral call.
- What is right today is different tomorrow.
- It’s not enough to be up to date; you have to be up to tomorrow.
- To lead is to listen, to pay attention to every detail, to decide.
- Everything that once was controversial ultimately becomes popular.
Image Credit: Yossi Zamir
