Leader Making a Difference

With over a billion average daily users, Facebook has come a long way from an idea in Mark Zuckerberg's college dorm room in 2004.54 The Facebook founder took the title of CEO at just 19 years old and has grown the company to generate now more than $12 billion in annual revenue and employ more than 12,000 people. While Zuckerberg has made some mistakes along the way, he has learned from them and demonstrated a natural leadership ability that has made his company a success. He has a clear mission for the company that keeps employees focused on building systems that connect people. Zuckerberg has created what he calls a "hacker culture" that rewards creative problem solving and rapid decision making. He pays attention to the details, sometimes finding problems on Facebook before anyone else; and he keeps his coding skills sharp, often fixing problems himself. His employees say that he is inquisitive, persistent, and good at effectively deploying resources. Zuckerberg is demanding, but is also passionate about his work. He believes strongly in teamwork, relying on his executive team for support while still encouraging debate. His hard work has been rewarded. The initial public offering (IPO) of Facebook in 2012 made Zuckerberg the world's youngest self-made billionaire. What can you learn from this leader making a difference?

Discuss the following:

• What can you learn from this leader making a difference?
• Would you aspire to work as a part of his team? Why?
• What lessons in entrepreneurship do you take away from his work?