Perspectives on Leadership from A+E Networks' Peter Olsen (VIDEO)

What Peter has been telling his team as he manages through the pandemic is "if you're in a good place, hunker down and use this as a time to listen and learn." Peter acknowledges that he has "felt more of a personal burden in the last 18 months to be visible, to help guide people and to really care about people." He advises that leaders "keep an eye out for your people. Stress is more than we think because we're not seeing one another, so I'm telling people to take that extra time to take care of yourselves." What Peter has witnessed in the last 18 months, more than ever, is the need for this type of leadership. "When leadership falls apart, you get a lot of problems," he says.

Peter is a student of the Bible and believes that "in the vast majority of the best business books, 90% of [messages] go back to the biblical foundation of how to treat people. Respect, equality, kindness, accountability, servant leadership and candor are all biblical principles that can guide how we interact with one another and get the best out of people. That particular approach may not be for everyone, but the point is that each person has to make a decision on what they believe in and live it. Fifteen to twenty years ago, I made a decision on how I'm going to carry myself and how I'm going to carve out my own path and approach to business and leadership. I decided that if it worked for me, great; if it didn't, then I would have to figure out another role. Everyone has to decide what their foundation is and stick to it. Be true to who you are and what you believe in and bet on yourself. Life will throw us curve balls; when it does, you need something to fall back on. The formula for success: work hard, treat people right and stick with your own personal foundation."

Watch Legends & Leaders with Peter Olsen here or above.

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