Tag: zuckerberg

Categories
BLG Leadership Insights Proactive Leaders Proactive Stories Social Media

7 Mark Zuckerberg Leadership Quotes

Whenever we talk about Mark Zuckerberg we like to point out how young he is and all the money he could be worth. We don’t really talk about Zuckerberg like he’s a leader in charge of a billion dollar company–we talk about how he couldn’t get dates at Harvard and, for the umpteenth time, we marvel at his age.

But it’s time to start looking at Zuckerberg’s leadership soberly. “I started the site when I was 19.” Zuckerberg says, “I didn’t know much about business back then.” But he learned quick and managed to make Facebook a global brand despite his inexperience.

Now we have to ask ourselves how a 19 year old kid with  no prior leadership experience became a leader of over 2,000 people in a competitive industry.

The following Zuckerberg quotes don’t answer the question directly–but they revel his pragmatic approach to getting things done.

Categories
Leadership On the Edge Social Media

10 Must-Read Social Media & Leadership Stories From December 1-3

1. The Gap enters the China market–tripping, stumbling, and over charging. Their signature 1969 jean doesn’t evoke dreams of the decade of sexual liberation for the Chinese. Instead it may evoke memories of the cultural revolution.

2. It’s a pleasure to be ranked #23 on Evan Carmichael’s Top 50 Leadership Blogs. Thanks for the hat-tip Evan!

3. Learning to think like Zuck. Great post with interesting examples.

4. Forbes has come up with a great hook (and an annoying slide show): The Biggest CEO Screw-Ups of 2010.

5. The inherent risks in social media.

6. Fun list: “7 toxic coworkers you have to avoid.” If the characters mentioned come uncomfortably close to home, I’d suggest running.

7. Here’s a simple but effective method of selling new ideas to your boss.

8. How do you solve the North Korea problem?

9. Kids these days are…wired for distraction. Overreaction or the tip of the iceberg?

10. The truth behind tasteless in-flight meals.

Categories
BLG Leadership Insights Social Media

Fortune Favors The Bold: The Facebook Epic

In September Mark Zuckerberg, creator and founder of Facebook, was interviewed by The New Yorker contributor Jose Antonio Vargas. Zuckerberg said that he liked the Aeneid and later he texted Vargas a few of his favorite lines from the book.

“Fortune favors the bold.” was one of the lines Zuckerberg enjoyed.

A few weeks after the article was published the movie The Social Network was released. The movie depicted Mark Zukerberg’s life at Harvard and his rise to internet fame. Zuckerberg ultimately came off as a tragic hero–smart and deserving, but also socially stunted and brutally mean. On the screen it looked like fortune favored friendless, detached, types who would do anything to fit in.

But that’s the movies. For all of Zuckerberg’s flaws, tics, and documented use of profanity, he was nonetheless bold. He stole or adapted the idea for Facebook from fellow classmates, dropped out of Harvard to move to Palo Alto, and took loans out to keep everything moving.

He might not have made monumental sacrifices, but they were still bold moves for a college student.

Fortune favoring the bold is a good thing and the cornerstone to our idea of humanism. It means we can all have a say in shaping our own destinies–we can all work hard hard to gain favor. It’s not always easy and, as Zukerberg’s story illustrates, it’s not always a job that lets you have friends.  But that might not be the whole truth. “Fortune befriends the bold” says Emily Dickenson.