BACK IN 2010, a major cave-in at the San José copper-gold mine in Chile’s Atacama Desert left 33 men trapped 700 metres underground.
Foreman Luiz Urzua immediately took charge of the situation, recognising right away that he and the other miners could be in serious danger.
Thinking on his feet and remaining calm, he soon scouted out a safe zone for the miners to gather in and organised the few resources they had to keep them fed for as long as possible.
He also made detailed maps of the area and was one of the key points of contact for rescue workers above ground. When the miners were finally freed 69 days later, Urzua was widely praised for keeping his colleagues healthy and mentally sound throughout the ordeal.
Urzua’s ability to adapt to huge changes, to think ahead and to influence others with his own actions are just some of the qualities he shares with other great leaders around the world.
Although each leadership situation is different, there are some qualities that those at the helm – be they mine foremen, rugby captains, CEOs or company owners – very often display.
The Irish Management Institute’s range of Short Programmes helps leaders to discover and level up those qualities in themselves, and to bring out the best in those around them.
So what kinds of qualities are we talking about? Read on for some of the key attributes of the world’s best leaders…
1. Great leaders are always ready to learn new things
With 102 caps for Ireland, Johnny Sexton is one of Irish rugby’s biggest success stories. The fly-half is one of the highest point-scorers in rugby union history, and seems to regularly kick even the most unlikely of penalties with ease.
But his incredible skills didn’t come without long hours and hard work. Performance coach Dave Alred has worked with Sexton since early in his career, helping him refine his movements – like learning to stand tall when he kicked, overcoming his natural tendency to stoop over.
Even now, with his place in the rugby hall of fame well and truly cemented, Sexton is “as hungry as ever”, says Alred. “He’s constantly figuring out how to improve.”
This desire for lifelong learning is a leadership quality that champion boxer Katie Taylor shares too. “You have to put absolutely everything into your craft. There are days when you’re not going to be in the mood for training, but they are the days which are most important,” she told Sky Sports in 2019.
2. They try to understand how others are feeling
The events of the last two years have made empathy an even more vital part of the leadership toolkit. Employees want to know they’re being heard and that what they feel matters to someone, especially during times of change and uncertainty.
Apple’s Tim Cook has long driven his employees to show empathy in how they interact with their colleagues at all levels. In a 2016 company-wide memo, written following the election of Donald Trump, Cook asked employees to show compassion and acceptance for those around them:
Regardless of which candidate each of us supported as individuals, the only way to move forward is to move forward together… I encourage you to reach out to your co-workers if they are feeling anxious.
Former Irish president and climate action campaigner Mary Robinson says that the ability to imagine how others might be feeling can be a powerful force of change. In her book, Climate Justice, she highlights how important it is to sit up and listen when we hear stories of drought and other extreme weather events around the world:
We need to have empathy now with those who are suffering… because that’s where we’ll all be very shortly if we don’t change course.
3. They’re skilled multi-taskers – but they can delegate too
With almost 40 directing credits, two Oscar wins and billions of dollars in ticket sales to his name, Steven Spielberg’s career is the benchmark by which all film careers are judged.
Spielberg has immense amounts of ambition and energy – but he’s also known to be a bit of a “control freak,” according to his biographer Joseph McBride. Growing up making his own films, being responsible for everything from the writing to the casting to making sets, Spielberg found it hard to relinquish that control when he began working on higher-budget projects.
One of Spielberg’s colleagues on the 1972 film Sugarland, Joseph Alves Jr, recalls him seeming annoyed at the amount of minor tasks his crew were taking off his hands, and telling them, “Gosh, you guys are doing a lot of work for me.”
He soon learned though, that he simply couldn’t do everything himself, and that allowing other skilled people to take some of those smaller tasks could free him up to work on the most important elements of each project. Sugarland was a “turning point,” says Alves Jr:
He realised that if people do these things, it could relieve the pressure he was under… To rely on others gives you choices. That was something he discovered on Sugarland.
4. And they see opportunities in everything
Every failure and every setback can bring the change to adapt, learn and move forward. On an international stage, no-one embodies this attitude more than Malala Yousafzai.
Having spoken out about the right of Pakistani girls’ to go to school after the Taliban occupation of her country, Yousafzai became a target for Taliban supporters. In 2012, a masked gunman boarded her schoolbus and shot her three times in the head.
She survived, and instead of stepping away from the limelight, used the event as a platform to spread her message even wider. Her campaigning led to the introduction of Pakistan’s Right to Education Bill, and Yousafzai is now a global spokesperson for young women’s right to education.
Speaking about her experience, Yousafzai said:
I don’t want to be thought of as the ‘girl who was shot by the Taliban’ but the ‘girl who fought for education’. This is the cause to which I want to devote my life.
Stay sharp and get the edge this spring. Whether you’re new to the world of management or have years of experience, unlock new potential with the Irish Management Institute’s range of Short Programmes. You’ll learn to bring out the best in yourself, and those around you. Find out more here.
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