Leadership

I used to say to all my people that yes- we can celebrate our successes, and we have to succeed, but the failures are what will sink the business or hold it back.

Billionaire British entrepreneur and founder of Phones 4u mobile retailer

Without truthfulness I would never have been able to grow anything of any significance, I would have been 'found out.' Having truthfulness and ethics within a business creates trust among employees at all levels and is critical.

Billionaire British entrepreneur and founder of Phones 4u mobile retailer

You cannot run a business without great people, who are incentivised to be great; and so, you must protect them, and pay them appropriately.

Billionaire British entrepreneur and founder of Phones 4u mobile retailer

People often think that the most important gauge of a protest's effectiveness is size, but I don't. The movements that have managed to keep a strong strategic focus, that have been persistent, and bold in their use of tactics, are the ones which make the greatest impact.

Different things energise different people. I get energised from building things that people like. I've met people who are totally motivated by being in the press, or motivated by money, and so many things… but for me, it's about making sure people enjoy the things we're building.

Co-Founder of Foursquare, Location-Based Social Networking Pioneer

To be an entrepreneur, you need a love for process and to be comfortable with adversity. If you love process and you're comfortable with adversity, and if you love the journey over the fruits and riches of that journey- then you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

Serial Entrepreneur, Author & Digital Marketing Strategist

To me, a great leader should be empathetic, authentic, entrepreneurial, creative, ethical and lead from the front.

Terra Firma Capital founder; acquired EMI Records in 2007

The most common mistake is to stop challenging when things are going well. I recognise failure as not having made a business better than when you were first involved.

Terra Firma Capital founder; acquired EMI Records in 2007

If you offer no vision for the future, someone else will. Our geopolitics cannot tolerate a vacuum, and if you retreat- whether physically or ideologically- someone else will come up with a plan which may not be complementary for democracy.

World Chess Champion & Political Activist Against Russian Authoritarianism

Here was Steve Jobs and Bill Gates- two young guys, under the age of 30, talking about their noble cause of empowering knowledge workers with tools for the mind, making them incredibly productive, and helping them to change the way things were done in our world; creating entirely new industries in the process.

CEO of Apple Computer Company during the 1980s and 1990s

True grit is that rare strength and resilience to dust yourself off, look at what went wrong, refine your proposition and plough on. Always be prepared to adapt: an open mind is everything – but stay focused on your end game.

Freedom without struggle is an illusion. I love problems. How we deal with problems defines who we are and what values we stand for.

Chinese Artist & Dissident; Prominent Human Rights Activist and Political Critic

What binds exceptional creators together is their relentless effort. Regardless of the challenges or roadblocks along the way, these people persist and find ways to overcome obstacles.

Co-founder of WeWork, co-working space company

Success is different for everyone, but for me success has always been about finding meaning and personal fulfillment. If I can wake up every day, feel engaged in my work and know that I tried my best to help others feel the same as me, then I feel successful.

Co-founder of WeWork, co-working space company

I personally want to throw up every time I hear some completely senseless and baseless statement like 'we need more of Europe, not less'. It means nothing, and those slogans simply drive people crazy – It goes to show the intellectual vacuousness of the people who say them.

Former President of Estonia & Cybersecurity Pioneer

I don't think about myself as a woman in these contexts, I think about myself as a human. We should take advantage of our qualities and not trying to change or hide them.

Neuroscientist; Nobel Prize for discovering brain's positioning system cells