What would Malala do? Looking to your heroes for leadership inspiration

Improving your leadership can start simply by purposefully identifying the leader you want to be. One way to get started is to think of leaders you admire, then work out what it is you respect about them. They might be public figures you’ve admired from a distance, or people in your own life who have empowered you in your leadership journey. Be it a former teacher, mentor, family member, or even a historical figure – choose a leader you’ve long respected. Then start unpacking the qualities that made them so impactful.

For me, one of those leaders that I always come back to is Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Prize winner and a Pakistani activist for gender equality in education. Not only is she a huge source of inspiration for me, but she also embodies courage in the face of adversity.

So, think about some leaders you admire and consider what you admire about them. Once you have this list, you’ll know what kind of leadership traits are most important to you – and a list of qualities to start working towards. Here’s how it works.

1. Make a list of leaders you admire.

As you think about all the people you look up to, don’t just consider the broad traits that make them such a great leader. Go a step further and think about how they demonstrate those traits. When it comes to Malala, for example, I really admire her courage – and she shows that by standing up for people less powerful, despite the risks to her own safety.

2. Define your top 4-6 leadership traits.

Use step one as an exercise to brainstorm the type of characteristics that you think are most important to leadership. Your heroes might expose a few of these traits. If you’re struggling to think up a few more, you can refer to my e-book The 8 Cornerstones of Great Leadership for other ideas.

3. Set out measurable goals and actions to develop those qualities.

Once you have those leadership traits you want to work towards, think about how you could begin embodying them. I like to take a SMART approach – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely. For example, if one of your leadership qualities is “honesty”, then you might want to work on finding more ways to be transparent in your workplace or with your team.

4. Apply your intentions to your real-life situations.

Think of some recent situations in your professional world that you found particularly difficult. Ask yourself, “What would X have done here?” Think about how they handled adversity, how they managed people, how they made decisions and communicated with the people around them. Now, you might have a clearer path for your own next steps. If that leader you admire would take a certain approach, you can use that for guidance on what you can do.

5. Start acting a bit more like the person you want to be.

I remember a time not too long ago when I found myself in an intimidating situation with another person who had more positional power than me. I asked myself “what Malala would do?”. And I found my answer instantly. I know that she would turn to her purpose and find strength in her core beliefs. So that’s what I did. I stayed calm but firm.

Start with the inspiration you see in the world, then figure out how to apply it to your leadership.