Leadership 301
This is a curated collection of TED talks and readings that are part of the University of Louisville Medical School self-directed curriculum for the Distinction in Business and Leadership Track. See more about the program on our introduction page.
Leadership 301 covers some key concepts of Inspiration, Life-work balance, Change management, Innovation, Success, Miscellaneous.
Leadership Curriculum
This is a curated collection of TED talks and readings that are used in the Distinction in Business and Leadership Track at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. The Distinction tracks are extracurricular pathways in the undergraduate medical school that provide students with mentorship and education in specific disciplines: research, medical education, global health and business/leadership. The Faculty for the Business and Leadership Track are Dr. In Kim and Dr. Brad Sutton.
Curriculum Development:
This curriculum was curated by Dr. In Kim, who is a professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at University of Louisville. He is internationally known as a leader in helium-oxygen (heliox) research for respiratory diseases. As a Fellowship Training Program Director in Pediatric Emergency Medicine for 12 years, he has built a nationally recognized brand of teaching excellence in medical education. His clinical medical background is supplemented by a M.B.A. degree.
See more information about Dr. Kim.
Website designed by Laura Bishop, M.D.
LEADERSHIP Basics
How Great Leaders Inspire Action
Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful moder for inspirational leadership -- starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King and the Wright brothers.
Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning -- and addressing the possibility of failure.
What it Takes to be a Great Leader
The world is full of leadership programs, but the best way to learn how to lead might be right under your nose. In this clear, candid talk, Roselinde Torres describes 25 years observing truly great leaders at work, and shares the three simple but crucial questions would-be company chiefs need to ask to thrive in the future.
This talk starts slowly, we recommend beginning around 4 minutes and 50 seconds into the talk.
Suggested Readings:
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Stanley McCrystal
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
motivation
Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.
What motivates us to work? Contrary to conventional wisdom, it isn't just money. But it's not exactly joy either. It seems that most of us thrive by making constant progress and feeling a sense of purpose. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely presents two eye-opneing experiments that reveal our unexpected and nuanced attitudes toward meaning in our work.
With help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: It takes two).
Suggested Reading List:
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us By Daniel H. Pink.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional Intelligence Introduction
Katherine Fortier is a child and educational psychologist in the U.S. and the Netherlands specializing in psycho-educational consultations. In this TEDx talk, she discusses the value of emotional intelligence as opposed to IQ which is often looked to as the primary measure of intelligence.
Why EQ Is More Important than IQ
Happiness and love are rooted in personal relationships. Learn the four stages of developing your awareness and emotional management skills. DIscover why EQ is even more important than IQ to your success and fulfillment.
Suggested Reading:
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ by Daniel Goleman
Decision Making
Here's a talk that could literally change your life. Which career should I pursue? Should I break up -- or get married?! Where should I live? Big decisions like these can be agonizingly difficult. But that's because we think about them the wrong way, says philosopher Ruth Chang. She offers a powerful new framework for shaping who we truly are.
Dan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness -- sharing some surprising tests and experiments that you can also try on yourself. Watch through to the end for a sparl
Magnus Walker talks about his life journey of following his passion and going with his gut feeling which eventually led him to turning his dreams into his reality.
Suggested reading:
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney
listening and communication
In our louder and louder world, says sound expert, Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening -- to other people and the world around you.
Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? Here's Julian Treasure to help. In this useful talk, the sound expert demonstrates the how-to's of powerful speaking -- from some handy vocal exercises to tips on how to speak with empathy. A talk that might help the world sound more beautiful.
Lead Like The Great Conductors
An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.
Suggested Reading:
Zapp! The Lightning of empowerment: How to Improve Quality, Productivity and Employee Satisfaction by William Byham and Jeff Cox
Negotiation
William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations -- from family conflict to, perhaps, the Middle East.
Listening is the essential, and often overlooked, half of communication. William Ury shares stories of candid conversations with presidents and business leaders to provide us with impactful lessons, such as understanding the power of a human mind opening up. He asks us to join a listening revolution, and promises that if we all just listen a little bit more, we can transform any relationship.
Non-verbal Communication
Ron Gutman reviews a raft of studies about smiling, and reveals some surprising results. Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you will live -- and that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being? Prepare to flex a few facial muscles a you learn more about this evolutionarily contagious behavior.
Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how "power posing" -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our changes for success.
On any given day we are lied to from 10 to 200 times, and the clues to detech those lies can be subtle and counter-intuitive. Pamela Meyer, author of Liespotting, shows the manners and "hotspots" used by those trained to recognize deception -- and she argues honesty is a value worth preserving.
Suggested Reading:
How to Win Friends and Influence People in The Digital Age by Dale Carnegie and Associates
Collaboration
People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us from the "liquid networks" of London's coffee houses to Charles Darwin's long, slow hunch to today's high-velocity web.
When to Give Up The Driver Seat
Over the years, research has shown a counterintuitive fact about human nature: Sometimes, having too much choice makes us less happy. This may even be true when it comes to medical treatment. Baba Shiv shares a fascinating study that measures why choice opens the door to double, and suggests that ceding control -- especially on life-or-death decisions -- may be the best thing for us.
In this prescient 2005 talk, Clay Shirky shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have big roles and fluid cooperation replaces rigid planning.
Suggested Readings:
Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
Stages of Group Decision Making on Wikipedia
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions -- and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite.
Suggested Reading:
Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
Creating a Level Playing Field by Shelley Correll
Adam Leipzig, a noted movie and theater producer, discusses how to find your life's passion in 5 minutes.
Learning
The Learning Curve of Mastering New Skills
Josh Kaufman, author of The First 20 Hours: Mastering the Toughest Part of Learning Anything, discusses the learning curve of mastering practical knowledge and skills. He describes how his first child inspired him to approach learning in a whole new way.
Diana Laufenberg shares three surprising things she has learned about teaching -- including a key insight about learning from mistakes.
As the Athletic Director and head coach of the Varsity Soccer Team at Ryerson University, Dr. Ivan Joseph is often asked what skills he is searching for as a recruiter: is it speed? Strength? Agility? In this talk, he explores self confidence and how it is not just the most important skill in athletics, but in our lives.
Inspiration
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
Clinical psychologist Meg Jay has a bold message for twentysomethings: Contrary to popular belief, your 20s are not a throwaway decade. In this provocative talk, Jay says that just because marriage, work and kids are happening later in life, doesn't mean you can't start planning now. She gives 3 pieces of advice for how twentysomethings can re-claim adulthood in the defining decade of their lives.
At his Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks -- including death itself.
Suggested Reading:
Work-Life Balance
How Will You Measure Your Life
"It's actually really important that you succeed at what you're succeeding at, but that isn't going to be the measure of your life." Too often, we measure success in life against the progress we make in our careers. But how can we ensure we're not straying from our values as humans along the way? Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and world-renowned innovation guru, examines the daily decisions that define our lives and encourages all of us to think about what is truly important.
Suggested Readings:
How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen
An epidemic of bad, inefficient, overcrowded meetings is plaguing the world's businesses -- and making workers miserable. David Grady has some ideas on how to stop it.
Change Management vs. Change Leadership
John Kotter discusses the difference between "change management" and "change leadership" and whether it's just a matter of semantics.
We believe we should work hard in order to be happy, but could we be thinking about backwards? In this fast-moving and very funny talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that, actually, happiness inspires us to be more productive.
Suggested Readings:
Leading Change by John P. Kotter
Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John P. Kotter
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Physiology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor
"10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier (Backed by Science)" by Belle Beth Cooper of Huffington Post
Innovation
Clay Christensen explains his landmark theory of disruptive innovation; utilizing a simple product that can displace existing competitors.
Economics writer Tim Harford studies complex systems -- and finds a surprising link among the successful ones: They were build through trial and error. In this sparkling talk, he asks us to embrace our randomness and start making better mistakes.
Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects inspired by his time in Bali.
Suggested Reading:
Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic: Inside One of the World's Most Admired Service Organizations by Leonard Berry and Kent Seltman
Success
With profound simplicity, Coach John Wooden redefines sucess and urges us all to pursue the best in ourselves. In this inspiring talk he shares the advice he gave his players at UCLA, quotes poetry and remembers his father's wisdom.
Alain de Botton examines our ideas of success and failure -- and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgements. Is success always earned? Is failure? He makes an eloquent, witty case to move beyond snobbery to find true pleasure in our work.
Miscellaneous
In a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to just ignore the ordinary stuff. Marketing guru Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes to getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones.
When two people are trying to make a deal -- whether they're competing or cooperating -- what's really going on inside their brains? Behavioral economist Colin Camerer shows research that reveals how badly we predict what others are thinking. Bonus: He presents an unexpected study that shows chimpanzees might just be better at it.
Dr. Sean Richardson takes lessons learned from the professional athlete's locker room to provide an overview of the subtleties of human brain & behaviour function to facilitate overcoming the normal & predictable human barriers to success.
Conductor Charles Hazlewood talks about the role of trust in musical leadership -- then shows how it works, as he conducts the Scottish Ensemble onstage.
As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Sherry Turkle studies how our devices and online personas are redefining human connection and communication -- and asks us to think deeply about the new kinds of connection we want to have.
David Logan talks about the five kinds of tribes that humans naturally form -- in schools, workplaces, even the driver's license bureau. By understanding our shared tribal tendencies, we can help lead each other to become better individuals.
In this Princeton University graduation address, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos makes the case that our character is reflected not in the gifts we're endowed with at birth, but by the choices we make over the course of a lifetime.