Barack Obama (Notes)

● I've failed before and I've survived

● The failure lesson gives you confidence
● I felt I had something to prove, that moved me
● People sometimes want to protect you from failure
● I encourage young people not to be afraid to try something that hasn't been done before
● Shape your option based on the facts, don't try to fit/shape/select the facts to your
opinion.
● Have women in the table!!
● We all have blindspots, find different perspective!
● I was out of place, the teacher made me proud of being different
● This is not about you, this is aboute that cause, the struggle, your feelings and ego are
not what's important
● Teaches help you understand your values and important, what's a re the things that are
preventing you to reach your greatest/full potential
● You have to be useful, not necessarily have all the attention
● The power we have comes from empowering others that are coming after you
● Take power over your own life
● If we can create a network that is building the capacity of the youth I'm confident to from
our future
● Social service is not charity, is key to economic success
● Knowledge economy: education is more valuable
● What only people can do is think creatively, think innovately
● Ideas travel faster then people can move
● If you have access to technology you can be part of the revolution that is taken place
● Countries need to invest in their people
● Law, transparency, good governance, investment in schools, etc, all those things make a
good market and are good for a business
● The more you include all types of people, bigger is the pool of talent
● If women are not included, you are leaving talent onhe field
● Successful people need to be willing to give back enough to provide a layer of
opportunity for people coming behind us
● We don't reach our kids what's important
● We don't need more stuff, but we've been thought that's the measure of our value. That's
why it's hard for us helping create a more equality society
● Finding the balance we should expect from our leaders, political, business and religion
leaders.
● Most difficult day: shooting in a school, 20 kids shot and teachers, when comforting their
parents it was very hard to not being able to assure we would fix it or this would change
● You are only as good as the team you build
● What made me a good leader what's having the right questions
● You can't be expert in everything, but you need to ask the right questions
● Make decision based in probability
● Sometimes you don't know if it's gonna work if it's the right decision, but you have to
guarantee you've looked all your options and create a decision process you can trust
● It's possible to achieve your great power without being corrupted
● Don't be consumed by your power
● Are you able to empower and serve others people? Only then you're a good leader
● Being a leader in the formal sense is not enough