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The single hardest part of leading any organization is knowing what is going on. There's too much noise in the system, too much complexity: you absolutely depend on people speaking up and raising concerns.

As a leader, you have to have the ability to assimilate new information and understand that there might be a different view.

The most important role of a leader is to set a clear direction, be transparent about how to get there and to stay the course.

I think the leaders inevitably express the people they are leading.

Leaders play a unique role in periods of crisis and chaos. Because if you don't, you're not going to harness the power of all the people behind you.

In the end, as a leader, you are always going to get a combination of two things: what you create and what you allow.

A good leader should focus on making sure everyone is being given the tools to do their job, not just expecting - poof! - that they're going to produce great work.

Showing leadership doesn't mean every employee will run the organization; that would lead to chaos. Businesses do need someone to set the vision and then lead the team to it.

Well, the first quality of being a good leader is you have to be able to follow. See, a good leader can't just be the leader all the time, I have to be able to follow.

If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example. I have to do so for all the Ikea employees.