Chapter4: FOCUSSING ON THE FUTURE SETS LEADERS APART
The chapter discusses how a good leader must be forward looking; spend more time in the future and how they should have a vision for the followers. In addition a leader must be optimistic and learn from past experiences.
Leaders who exemplify this truth include:
Dr. Martin Luther King
President Barack Obama
Steve Jobs
Dr. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR
A Baptist church preacher, Martin Luther King was at the forefront of the civil right movement in the United States of America. The objective of the movement was to put an end to segregation between the African Americans and White Americans. This was highlighted in the speech he delivered during the march in Washington DC. Dr. King mobilized African Americans to boycott boarding buses in Montgomery, Alabama. He was a forward looking leader. In his speech titled “I Have a Dream” he was optimistic. He imagined possibilities of a true freedom for the upcoming African Americans generations when he said “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” (Martin , 1963).
President Barack Obama
The capacity to imagine and articulate exciting future possibilities is one unique quality of President Barack Obama, as he demonstrated this quality in his recent speech about the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. On September 26, 2013, at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, MD, he said, despite early glitches it may present, Americans should look at the long-term benefits the health-care law would bring. Apart from being forward-looking president, President Obama’s handling of the Syria crisis in the Middle East also demonstrates that he is an optimist. While the GOP and other world leaders have called for military force against Assad and his regime, Obama has always expressed optimism about using diplomacy, without completely omitting the possibility of military action. He is a visionary who wants to leave a legacy behind.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was a remarkable innovator but it was his vision and his ability to focus on the future that set him apart as a leader. He is mostly recognized as being a pioneer of evolutionary technology and late CEO of Apple Inc. His leadership style was uncompromising as he had a plan for his company’s future and he made sure that this vision was transferred to his team. The Unique attribute Jobs possessed was “the capacity to imagine and articulate exciting future possibilities.” While the competition was “held hostage focusing on present technology”, Jobs was spending more time thinking about the future. With this forward looking leadership style, he was able the lead his team to developing evolutionary Mobile devices such as the Iphone, Ipad, Ipod and Mac Air, just to name a few. He actually left a 4 year plan for his company’s new products before he died.
Chapter 5: YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE

This chapter discusses another truth that leaders cannot do it alone, i.e. they cannot achieve success working alone. As a leader, one needs to make a human connection with one’s followers, hear what they are saying, give them a sense of belonging as well as mobilize and unite them around a shared vision.
Leaders who exemplify this truth include:
Venkart Subramanian
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah
William Wilberforce
Venkat Subramanian
Mr. Subramanian is the President & C.E.O of Angarai, who has come to appreciate the fact that a leader cannot achieve success alone. He started his business in a