Introduction

TED is a great resource for learning new things by watching inspiring speeches, occasionally with added animation. However, the TED website also offers a variety of formal and informal channels through which you can learn about many more topics than just the ones that inspire you.

 

Five Best Ted Talks For Business Leaders

  1. What makes a great life? by Barry Schwartz
    Human beings are ‘meaning-making’ creatures. We make sense of the world around us by giving it meaning in our minds. It is how we make sense of the different situations we encounter and decide what to do next. However, what if there is no meaning in certain situations?

 

  1. How do you build a business? by Bill Gates
    Bill Gates is one of the most admired businessmen in the world. His company, Microsoft, is a household name, and he is often referred to as the richest person in the world. In his TED talk, Bill Gates describes how he built his company from nothing to $100 billion and what lessons he has learned about management along the way.

 

  1. Good design is good business by Tom Kelly
    In his talk, Tom Kelly, a former editor of ‘Fast Company’ magazine, begins by giving a brief overview of design thinking. He then reveals some insights from talking to designers at companies like Nike and Ikea. From these discussions, he concludes that good design creates a competitive advantage for the company and improves the quality of life.

 

  1. Do you have what it takes to build a business? by Eric Ries
    Eric Ries is a prominent figure in the field of innovation. He believes that you need to have vision and courage to build a company and make innovative changes to the system. He talks about how he completely remodeled Freelancer.com, one of the most popular freelance websites globally, by implementing Lean Startup processes and applying principles learned from his research on innovation models.

 

  1. The Secret to Success by Shawn Coyne
    Shawn Coyne gave a TED talk about his bestseller, The One Thing. This book is about the power of the mind. Shawn used his own life story to illustrate that one can achieve success only by focusing on one thing at a time and making a good effort on it.

 

Conclusion

TED talks can be a good source of information and inspiration. However, some of them have proven to be misleading and even wrong regarding certain subjects. It is, therefore, important that you understand the context in which they are given, and their limitations before you blindly rely on their message.