Leading in a Connected World | Ryan Dwana | TEDxLSPR

The speaker reflects on 14 years of career experience, starting as an ambitious 23-year-old in 2014, winning the Campaign Asia Achievers of the Year award in 2016, and rapidly progressing from consultant to planning director. However, despite this initial success, the speaker admits to failing in a leadership role as a planning director. This failure wasn't due to incompetence in understanding concepts but an inability to effectively lead and manage the team. The speaker realized they were stuck, unable to communicate effectively, and struggled with team dynamics. This experience led the speaker to research why they failed and how to improve as a professional, consulting sources like Harvard Business School. The key lesson learned was the importance of communication and human connection. Quoting Paul J. Meyer, "Communication, the human connection is the key to personal and career success," the speaker emphasizes that communication isn't just about words but actions and how things are done. The core message revolves around the power of kindness. While being smart might take you far, as demonstrated by the speaker's rapid career progression, kindness takes you further. The speaker observes that many successful individuals eventually fall because they forget important values like kindness, leading to corruption or neglecting their responsibilities. Referencing Adam Grant's work, the speaker identifies three types of people in an organization: givers, takers, and matchers. Grant's research indicates that givers, those who are generous and share, are ultimately the most successful, followed by matchers, with takers at the bottom. The speaker advocates for being a "giver" and emphasizes three key things to give: appreciation (saying thank you), knowledge (sharing expertise), and forgiveness (forgiving oneself and others). Crucially, the speaker also stresses the importance of self-care for givers, noting that some givers fail by not setting boundaries and neglecting their own well-being. The ultimate takeaway is that while success paths differ, kindness leaves a lasting impact. Quoting Maya Angelou, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Being kind creates a positive impact that can change lives, even in unexpected ways. The speaker concludes by encouraging the audience to be kind to others and themselves.