For those of you who missed Leadercast Delmarva last year, you won’t want to make that mistake again this time. The theme for this year is “The Brave Ones” and all of the speakers have demonstrated bravery in one form or another. You may recognize some of the speakers but some you may not, so here is a little introduction.
“If your leadership isn’t all about you, it will live beyond you.”
Andy Stanley is back again this year! He was first on stage last year and set the bar high for the remainder of the day.
The Leadercast website describes him very well as a Leadership Author and Communicator. He has written numerous books but perhaps his most famous are Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication and Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future. Leadership is obviously his passion and calling in life. In his spare time between writing books and speaking at large conferences across the nation, he is also the founder of North Point Ministries. He is the Senior Pastor of five large churches in Georgia that are attended by more than 33,000 people each week.
(Source: Andy Stanley)
“Education is neither eastern nor western. Education is education and it’s the right of every human being.”
If your life was actually being threatened if you decided to continue your education, would you do it? Malala did. She decided she was going to continue getting her education and this decision alone landed her a death threat from one of the worlds most feared terror groups, the Taliban.
In the fall of 2012, the Taliban finally caught up to her. The 14 year old girl boarded a bus home after school. A member of the Taliban boarded the bus behind her and shot her in the face. She survived the attack and has become an advocate for girls’ education. She is still considered a target by the Taliban.
CNN called Malala the “Bravest Girl in the World” and I can’t think of a better way to describe her. Her accomplishments are nothing less than remarkable. She celebrated her 16th birthday by giving a speech at the United Nations. She is a two-time Nobel Peace prize nominee, an International Children’s Peace Prize nominee, and winner of Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize. She wrote the biography I am Malala: the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. (Source: Malala’s Biography)
Ed Catmull is most famously known for being the President of Disney Animation Studios and co-founder of Pixar. His accomplishments include five Academy Awards in the categories of Technical Achievement (1), Scientific & Engineering (2), Merit (1), and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry. If he isn’t busy winning awards you could probably find him in one of several leading technology centers of computer graphics he has founded, the computer graphics laboratory at the New York Institute of Technology or the computer division of Lucsfilm, LTD.(Source: www.computerhistory.org )
“Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark of a successful person.”
Seth Godin has been described as an innovative thinker and he is able to sell books in record timing. He has 12 best-selling books including Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip, Purple Cow and most recently “The Icarus Deception”. In his past life, he was the Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo! (Source: Seth Godin)
Rudy Giuliani is most famously known for his calm in the face of terror and death during those crucial hours following the attacks on 9/11. Tragically, many men and women would not come home that day, but because of the rescue efforts he coordinated, tens of thousands of people would do just that. Aside from leading New York through 9/11, his accomplishments are many. He has held many prestigious titles in his lifetime from Associate Attorney General under President Reagan (the 3rd highest position in Dept. of Justice), to Mayor of one of the largest cities in the world, to candidate for President of the United States, to CEO of Giuliani Partners– founded in 2002.
During his term as Mayor, he was able to establish one of the largest and most successful welfare-to-work initiatives in the country, moving hundreds of thousands to self-sufficiency. He fronted efforts to keep organized crime off the streets by prosecuting the Italian mafia.
(Source: www.nyc.gov and Rudy’s Biography)
This young community developer won the mayoral election in the City of Compton in 2013. Aja Brown made history as the youngest Mayor in the history of the city. With an education and experience in Urban Planning and Economic Development, she has big dreams for Compton. Before being elected, she made big strides in reviving this distressed community. She was responsible for initiating legislation and revitalization efforts for the downtown community. She also led the marketing and rebranding efforts of the community redevelopment agency. She initiated Compton’s Apprentice Program intended to create jobs for local residents on city funded or assisted capital improvement projects.
(Source: City of Compton)
Bill McDermott is also back from last year! He started out as a young entrepreneur, owning his own delicatessen on Long Island, New York and has since become one of the world’s top-ranked CEOs. Bill is the CEO of SAP, the leading provider of business software. He has over 66,000 people working for him, with a 99% internal approval rating and serves customers in over 188 different countries. Under his leadership, the company has reached record growth in all major areas including customers, revenue and market value. In his spare time he serves on the board of Directors for Under Armour and ANSYS, Inc.
(Source: SAP)
For most of its history, US Navy SEAL’s missions and training have been kept confidential. Everyone recognizes how courageous these men are but society was never privileged enough for much more detail. In more recent years this has changed as more and more have taken the opportunity to accurately tell their stories through books and major motion pictures.
Rorke Denver is most famously known for the movie Act of Valor and his best-selling book Damn Few. The theme for this year’s Leadercast is “The Brave Ones” and this man is the embodiment of that. He exhibits bravery and strength to the highest degree.