Young Leadership principles - hope and expectations for the future | Sunniva Muren | TEDxStavanger

Summary

Cinema, an 18-year-old entrepreneur, shares her experience founding a youth-led company that creates meaningful connections between generations, especially with elderly people suffering from dementia. Her journey emphasizes the value of shared leadership, creativity, and leveraging personal strengths within a team. By focusing on a vision that goes beyond profit, Cinema and her team developed a service that fosters joy and connection, resulting in impactful experiences. Her insights highlight the importance of inclusive leadership and mission-driven goals, shaping the future of leadership with an emphasis on collaboration, creativity, and making a difference.

Takeaways

• 😀 Youth-led initiatives can solve important challenges, like improving communication with the elderly, especially those with dementia.
• 😀 The personal experiences of the team members were a driving force in developing a meaningful solution for the elderly.
• 😀 Leadership in a startup involves both giving and receiving, with unexpected personal growth and insights.
• 😀 Shared leadership, where everyone takes responsibility, can drive a startup’s success and foster team collaboration.
• 😀 Creativity is key in a startup environment, where unconventional ideas can be explored and refined into a better solution.
• 😀 Each team member’s unique strengths should be leveraged to complement others, creating a passionate and efficient team.
• 😀 Passionate engagement is driven by a shared vision, not just financial success, but by a deeper connection to making a difference.
• 😀 A good leader values every team member's input and creates an environment where all creativity can flourish.
• 😀 Leadership should be guided by a vision of creating and sharing with others, rather than focusing solely on profit or individual success.
• 😀 The experiences of creating a meaningful product can deeply enrich personal and professional growth, as seen in the joy of connecting with the elderly.
• 😀 Tomorrow’s leaders are expected to promote shared leadership, recognize individual strengths, and have a vision that transcends financial motives.

Q & A

What was the main goal behind starting the youth company?

The main goal was to create sparks of life for the elderly, particularly focusing on those with dementia, to help bridge the gap between generations and facilitate meaningful conversations.

How did the speaker feel about the process of starting a company?

The speaker initially aimed to inspire and give, but ultimately felt that the process of starting the company provided invaluable insights and led them to develop a deeper understanding of leadership.

What specific challenges did the company aim to address?

The company aimed to address the challenges of communication and connection with elderly people who may suffer from dementia, particularly focusing on fostering meaningful interactions.

What were some of the activities or products created by the youth company?

The youth company developed a card game box and a song service, which aimed to create moments of engagement through singing, playing, and conversation.

What personal experiences motivated the speaker to start the company?

The speaker's personal experiences with people with dementia motivated them to create something valuable that could improve the lives of this group and help facilitate connections with them.

How did the speaker describe their teamwork with their friends?

The speaker described their teamwork as very cooperative, where everyone shared ideas and supported each other, with a shared responsibility for developing the company.

What was the approach to leadership within the youth company?

The company adopted shared leadership, where there was one leader, but everyone contributed equally, bringing their unique strengths to the table to complement one another.

What role did creativity play in the company’s development?

Creativity was essential, with the team considering a range of wild ideas, such as acting as singing clowns and creating toolkits. Eventually, they settled on a concept they all identified with, which led to a much better result than the initial idea.

How did the speaker and their team leverage their individual strengths?

The speaker and their team leveraged their individual strengths by assigning tasks that suited their skills. For example, the speaker was good with numbers, while others were better with creative tasks like music or guitar.

What does the speaker believe is the true purpose of business?

The speaker believes that business is about much more than profit—it’s about sharing moments, sharing lives, and taking part in something larger than oneself, such as making a meaningful impact on others.

What vision does the speaker have for future leaders?

The speaker envisions future leaders who practice shared leadership, value creativity and individual strengths, and are driven by a vision that extends beyond money to making a difference in people’s lives.

How did the youth company’s initiative affect both the elderly and the team members?

The initiative helped the elderly reconnect with their loved ones, such as the granddaughter who was able to bond with her grandfather. For the team members, the project enriched their lives by creating a sense of purpose and passion.