Leadership lessons I’ve learnt from Halla Tómasdóttir

There is a leader inside each of us.

These words from Halla Tómasdóttir have always stuck with me. Beyond being a wonderful friend, Halla is also a huge role model of mine. As an entrepreneur, investor, corporate leader, and relentless advocate for gender equality at work and principled leadership all around the world, we couldn’t have asked for a better person to lead The B Team (incubated and supported by Virgin Unite). A true inspiration to all and I'm so excited today to see Halla take office as the President of Iceland. The B Team's loss is Iceland's enormous gain. I couldn’t be more thrilled for both Halla and the entire nation. To celebrate her great wisdom I thought I would share a few leadership lessons she has taught me over the years.

Tomas Jenkins

Tips for companies

1. It is time to be 10 times bolder. Halla stressed that this must be the decade of action and accountability. To do this, companies must change ‘who is in the room’ and act with transparency.

2. Companies need to create, foster and embrace learning cultures. This is not the time for leaders to show up thinking we have all the answers. It is the time to show up, create bold spaces, and invite everyone to find answers together.

3. Companies should view equality as a never-ending opportunity for growth. It’s like developing muscles; it takes attention and practice. We’ll never get there unless the drive towards equality stays at the forefront of business objectives.

Tips for individuals

1. Halla always says: “There’s a leader in every one of us. It’s time to be bold. How will you choose to lead?” We’ve never needed principled leaders as much as we do now. Asking ourselves this question is a brilliant jumping off point. 

2. Befriend your ‘impostor’! Halla believes that one of the missing elements in leadership today is a lack of humility. Don’t say: “Who am I to do something about this?”. Instead ask, “what can I do about this with my skills, connections, and resources?”

3. Create your own moral compass. Outline your purpose and principles, so that when things go wrong or you're pushed to do things that you are unsure of, you can still stay on track. 

4. To quote Archbishop Desmond Tutu, be a "prisoner of hope” and not a prisoner of fear. It’s difficult to do, with everything we’re reading on the news lately, but it doesn’t serve us well. There is so much good in the world if you look for it. Don’t let negative media stories, social feeds, people, or company cultures drain you of energy. Look for the positives, and ask yourself what you can do about the negatives.

5. Be curious and ask lots of questions. Stay present in conversations, instead of anticipating your answers. Halla always challenges people to ask themselves: “who will you choose to be?” and, “what will you choose to do at a time like this?" Will you choose to change the who in order to change the how? We are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. Stepping outside of our comfort zones to help others is how we build the world we want to live in.

Image from Sirius XM

Thank you for sharing these lessons with us, Halla, and thank you for showing the world what courageous and principled leadership looks like. Wishing you all the best on this incredible new adventure.