How business can learn from great leaders in history

Changing the mood of an organization can be enough to stave off collapse and foster progress.
Nelson Mandela changed the mood of a divided South Africa coming out of the brink of civil war and facing a future with a high likelihood of inter-racial conflict. Once elected, he ran the new multiracial government with a light but decisive touch and set the tone – relaxed, inclusive, cheerful – that would create a new mood in the country.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson defied the medical establishment to practice medicine as a woman in a time it was considered unacceptable. She found loopholes in the law and painstakingly assembled the necessary qualifications, eventually becoming the first woman to receive a medical degree.

Take the offensive simply by not taking no for an answer; by accomplishing what we have set our hearts on in the face of entrenched opposition.

Horatio Nelson suffered multiple permanent wounds leading attacks. That’s how he gained the unquestioning loyalty of his men.

Taking a hard or unpleasant task is leading from the front.