Keeping up with January, I’ve chosen 3 lessons from February which in one way or another really sit well together.

A. One book I keep going back to

For some time I have been snacking on a book called Multipliers by Liz Wiseman and Greg Mckeown. Have probably read almost the full book in non-sequential snacks of time. Each piece of it has a good reminder of how leadership styles can multiply or diminish individuals and teams, even when the intention of the leader is genuinely good. Reading this book at one go would probably mean you would be missing out on digesting it in a deeper way. It is a great read for leaders who really wish to succeed through managing a team which is bigger than the sum of its parts.

B. Random article I stumbled upon

One random article which I stumbled upon further re-enforced the notions presented in Multipliers. Rising above partisan politics, this article is written by Malta’s past Prime Minister, discussing the leadership style of his predecessor. The article opens by making reference to Henry Kissinger, who once said that the task of a leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been. Whether you agree with the author’s assessment of one of Malta’s most significant leaders is secondary. What resounded with me is the focus on principled leadership. So many times, leaders in political space and even the corporate world sway between naive positivism or harsh criticism. In between is the principled alternative, one which is rooted in the values that the leader genuinely embraces in his private life, within his family and professionally. And because it is genuine, its impact is much more significant than the other two extremes.

C. One movie worth watching

Finally one movie which I watched in February has been Race. The movie is a biographical sports drama on the life of Jesse Owens. The African-American athlete won 4 Gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, disrupting the intentions of the organisers to use the games to further fuel the idea that one race is superior to another. What impresses me the most in the story of Owens is that even after his wins, he still struggled in his own country.

I am not a Lady Gaga fan, and have not watched her latest movie. The artist made it to my newsfeed when she became the first woman in history to win an Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA and Golden Globe all in the same year. One story which the media reported featured a Facebook group which had been set up in her university days discouraging her from pursuing her musical passion. Whether or not you follow the artist, just the fact that I am almost sure you know who she is, makes everyone conclude she proved them wrong. As Jesse Owens did back in 1936.

So this is one lesson from February – Prove them wrong! “Them who?” you might ask. For a start, “them” are my moments of doubt and insecurity, those moments that diminish ideas about the present and hopes for the future.