Leadership Lessons from Warren Buffet
After a long and successful business career, Warren Buffet retired as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and is transitioning to the role of chairperson. Among his many accomplishments is his passion for helping others and donating his considerable fortune. It is reported that he has given away 99% of his financial assets to causes and has encouraged other wealthy individuals to join him in making a difference in the world.
Beyond sharing his fortune, he has shared his wisdom in powerful ways. He says he measures success not in monetary terms but how the people who matter to you feel valued and loved by you and “whether you you’ve made enough of a positive impact for them to love you back.”
What can we learn from Warren Buffet about leadership and love?
Work with people you like. He suggests working with people who share your values.
Manage using your values. His advice is to embed your values into every part of your business life. This means how and who you hire, and how you promote, develop, recognize, and discipline people so that you are all on the same page. Using your values as a guide builds trust and encourages collaboration and community.
Lead by the platinum rule which encourages treating others according to the way they want to be treated not the way you want to be treated.
Treat others with empathy and compassion. Be curious and honest with everyone.
Love your work and encourage others to do the same.
Be energized by your work and encourage your employees to do work that energizes them. Helping them see the value of doing work that matters to them gives them the energy to make valuable contributions to your organization.
Support their best work. Put people in situations where they can do their best work and provide them with every available development opportunity. Make resources accessible, including podcasts, webinars, books, articles, seminars, and conferences.
Read as much as possible. Buffet says that reading is a great way to constantly improve your skills and abilities.
Give as much of yourself as possible. Be a mentor, coach, and advisor to staff members to encourage them to learn and grow.
Given the opportunity to work for someone you admire, take it. You will learn a great deal from that person which will help you improve your abilities. And, if you are fortunate enough, that person will become a life-long mentor.
As you work to become the best version of yourself, remember to treat people with respect. Be sure they feel valued and that you encourage them to grow and develop their skills and abilities. At the end of the day, we hope you want the people to say you had a positive impact on them.
Remember the famous words of poet and author Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”