Inspirational Leaders - By: Albert G. Hammond

Recently Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman, was in the UK speaking at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh international TV festival and what he said may have rankled a few in the audience. He delivered a very interesting address, without pomp or pretention, on the debilitating division between the arts and sciences - one that has crippled Britain for decades. It seems for the nation that invented television, photography and computers, the notion of postmodern juxtaposition or the Victorian idea of the polymath is distinctly absent from the educational system and the business landscape; keep them separated is what the UK espouses. Schmidt rejects this tendency for society to compartmentalize, "Lewis Carroll didn't just write one of the classic fairytales of all time. He was also a mathematics tutor at Oxford. James Clerk Maxwell was described by Einstein as among the best physicists since Newton - but was also a published poet." This address also appeared prescient, having come just a few months before the world's most well known nurturer of creative and technical cross-pollination, Steve Jobs, passed away.

In fact it was Jobs that once remarked in a New York Times article that, "The Macintosh turned out so well because the people working on it were musicians, artists, poets and historians - who also happened to be excellent computer scientists." This seems a very modern notion, one that shouldn't be turning its head, looking backwards for inspiration. But, perhaps culturally, both in America and Britain, the idea that developing, practicing or excelling in several fields is an impossibility or in Britain's case, haughty or vain. There is also the potentially crippling, invisible presence of self doubt, that must, of course be supplanted with positivity from an early age, and 'schooled-in.' Otherwise the tiny voice (that is in all of us) of 'you can't do it' is given root, allowed to flourish and can quickly strangle generations of young people (the recent London riots, may be in some part an expression of this).

We, as a society, look to leaders - political, educational, musical, financial - for not only guidance, but inspiration. And the world of business and entertainment has been fecund for the last decade with 'all singing, all dancing' men and women that are, hopefully, inspiring a new generation to dream, develop and aspire. When young people see a hip-hop artist like Jay-Z, or label and entertainment mogul, Russell Simmons, going far beyond the initial success in their chosen field and embracing entrepreneurialism, social awareness and philanthropy in equal measure, a polymath paradigm seems approachable.

So it is also the case in the business world. It's nothing new to learn of successful CEO's being philanthropic in their spare time, but the commitment and dedication currently employed by legends like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and the 'Billionaires Club' is unprecedented; breathing new life into the old adage that 'you can't take it with you.' But there are many other, less well-known, but equally diverse and altruistic individuals in the current climate.

Scott Mead is also in this camp. A highly successful investment banker, he achieved prestige captaining Goldman Sachs through, arguably, their most adventurous and profitable decade starting in the late 1980s. Beyond his business pursuits, Mead is involved in an array of charitable work that keeps him very busy. His most recent activity is in the now decade-old New Look Foundation (started by R&B artist, Usher) of which he's recently become a board member. The Foundation aims to empower young people and provide positive leadership to inspire personal development. He's involved in many other causes as well and runs a parallel life as an accomplished photographer, having trained with luminaries Emmet Gowin and William Eggleston whilst at university (two of his shots recently won a place at the Royal Academy of Arts' summer show in London).

It leaves one wondering why life can't be more like a continuous TED talk - a constantly evolving parade of inspiring, multifarious individuals. Isn't that how we want to educate future generations? Brian Eno, a musician, producer and an all round all-rounder recently described how many people don't recognize what they're naturally good at, essentially closing off a portion of themselves. What a shame. Self-awareness and self-belief must come from somewhere; community and cultural leaders are the ones to inculcate children with positivity and encouragement, the kind of approach Eric Schmidt believes used to be present in Britain's educational system. Juggling many worlds doesn't have to be an impossible feat, on the contrary, it's a paradigm whose time, if we as a society choose to nurture it, has once again come.

About the Author

Albert Hammond has covered a spectrum of events and organizations from endowments, research groups and new facilities. For more information visit Scott Mead or Warren Buffett.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Albert-G--Hammond/205811

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