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develop. The creation of a leader involves obstacles and failures that must be faced. For TED, Powell was a
not a problem, but instead a moment that provided for realignment of followers, for learning to be more
transparent, and for TED to grow and develop as a dynamic leader.
While a leader can arise from a single action, moment, or idea, a leader can fall from a single negative
experience, a follower, or idea. In terms of TED, a single observation of three actions, and a brilliant idea
led to the creation of a serving, transforming, and innovating leader. TED has experienced factors that could
have led to its downfall as a leader, from switching company leaders to growing too big too quickly, but in
the aftermath of each potential fall, TED was able to respond in reflexively and act accordingly. The ability
of TED to evolve and reshape itself is what will allow TED to continue to be a servant, transformational, and
innovative leader. TED as a leader has gone where many leaders have gone, from Roy Vagelos to Salmon Inc.
Where TED is headed is where many leaders have yet to go. In the words of Anderson, “We don’t know what
the final destination is, but we are guided by a philosophical and deep belief in the power of good thinking,
the power of good ideas…With TED, the end of the talk should not be the end of the idea, but just the
beginning” (Hotchman).
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