A List of Inspiring Leaders and One You May Have Missed

I just read a great article in Business Week addressing the leading and inspiring of people, especially during times of challenge. The article displayed pictures of inspirational leaders: Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Ursula Burns and of course, my all time favorite, Oprah Winfrey. You can read the article in its entirety, but below are a few reasons why I agree with the names on the list. For length’s sake I have focused on four inspiring leaders, but there are several more that are wonderful, as well. Hats off to the author, Alaina Love, who saw that the message of inspirational leadership is one worth sharing.


Oprah Winfrey: She tops my list for several reasons and not just because I have been a fan of her show and her message for the nearly 25 years she has been on TV. Oprah really has the ability to inspire the entrepreneur in all of us. It is one thing when people talk the talk, but as Ms. Love pointed out, she is willing to reinvent herself and explore new outlets to deliver her message.

Ursula Burns, CEO of Xerox: Today she is recognized as a transformational leader who is taking Xerox to a higher level. While many have used the title “The first African American female to head up a major US corporation,” I see her as a woman who exemplifies the characteristics of an aspiring leader. Risk taker, thought leader, change maker.

Warren Buffett- He is calm, reasonable and confident in his actions to move investment strategies forward. His actions inspire a sense of resolve that careful thorough, strategic planning and a sense of thinking before you act builds trust.

Bill Gates, Leaders who inspire also know the importance of paying it forward. What I like about Bill Gates is that he sees problems outside of his organization that have an impact on the world and transfers his business abilities and passion to work towards solving those problems.

The thing that I have realized is that inspirational leaders exist all around us. Yes, there are some leaders that are not very effective but for every one that is not, you will probably find 5 that are. If you have the ability to take risks, put others before yourself, are a servant, humble, driven and the list can go on… then you do not have to look far. Just get up, go to the mirror and smile. You just found one.