What I Learned

I have learned that if things go right, as a leader you should share credit with others. If something has gone wrong, then as a leader I must own up to it. Instead of brooding, start a course correction and provide a broad shoulder to your team. That reduces the damage to morale and energy, and brings you back into action. I believe the shoulder of a leader should become broader and stronger when there is a challenge. I also make it a point when traveling abroad to wear only saris, because I don't feel the need to change my personality if I am entering someone else's boardroom. Also, if you wear a sari you stand out and get noticed. So I am not only comfortable in a sari in the World Economic Forum meeting in snowy Davos, I am proud of it as a dignified Indian outfit.

Agnes Gund
Philanthropist and art historian

At the Museum of Modern Art in New York, I was president of the board when we had to redesign the largest modern-art museum in the country. It cost more than $800 million, which we had to raise mostly from individuals or their foundations. We needed to choose an architect who would design a good home for a super collection, not merely a building that was its own work of art. The most important thing for me during this process was working with every department of MoMA. It is a lot of work to get everyone to agree.

It's important to get everyone on the same page. My role was making them see that we all agreed even if we didn't start out with the same thoughts. I had to develop skills to persuade people to understand my point of view and to accept what I thought would work best.

I grew up in a family of six kids born a year apart. I'm used to never being listened to, so I don't always listen so well on my own—though I'm learning. I wasn't always flexible. If I thought I had an idea that I wanted to pursue, I would think, Oh, this matters so much. I had to learn to listen to other people and take in their perspective.

It's hard to make people understand the inclusive nature of working with a board. People don't always get what they want. I've learned to bring the ball down gently, and make things palatable.