Joshua Steimle quoted me today in Entrepreneur’s “11 Modern Leadership Lessons from History’s Masters: Helen Keller. Theodore Roosevelt. Ann Bradstreet. Nelson Mandela: Who inspired you?”

I’m honored to be a member of an ensemble cast of authors, gurus, and influencers including Simon Sinek, Robert Cialdini, Marshall Goldsmith, Geoff Smart, Gretchen Rubin, Ryan Holiday, Leonard Kim, and more.
I had recently finished reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography when Joshua interviewed me, so he wasn’t a hard choice. Since you should read the whole article, I don’t think I’m giving anything away by quoting the part including me:

Nelson Mandela

No one likes to be bullied, but even top-tier business professionals push one other around all the time. “Many clients come to me because of how their managers treat them,” said author and executive coach Josh Spodek.  “They think they just have to accept that bosses can make them miserable. Many people confuse authority with leadership, but influential leaders lead without authority.

“Think of Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years,” Spodek said. “The government had authority, he had none. But he ended up negotiating with the nation’s presidents from prison, eventually getting their job. Effective leaders find many means of influence, even without authority. Meanwhile, authoritarian ‘leadership’ often provokes resistance.

“Once you learn to lead through understanding people’s motivations and emotions, you can influence anyone, even your authoritarian boss.”

Read the rest at 11 Modern Leadership Lessons from History’s Masters: Helen Keller. Theodore Roosevelt. Ann Bradstreet. Nelson Mandela: Who inspired you?