There are thousands of books about leadership, and it is easy to get lost in the jungle of articles on the internet. The top 10 leadership qualities according to Forbes – honesty, the ability to delegate, communication, sense of humour, confidence, commitment, positive attitude, creativity, intuition and ability to inspire – are easy to understand and represent the main capabilities a leader should have (Prive, 2012). However, leadership is about both character and competence, and the crucial question remains what leaders need to cope with, given constant changes, crashes and crises.
Based on numerous in-depth interviews and a global survey of Schwab Social Entrepreneurs, four main challenges have been identified: building a management team; delegation and succession; balancing and integrating; and personal and professional development. Throughout this manual, these challenges are illustrated with quotes and case examples from interviewed Schwab Social Entrepreneurs, which are displayed anonymously to encourage candid responses.