Leadership Lessons from Rocky Balboa and Sylvester Stallone

There are clear leaders we can learn from. Then, there’s unlikely sources of leadership lessons. This article is about the latter.

Yes, we can learn from everybody – no matter who it is, if we are aware and have enough humility, we can learn, but we must look and be open. I learned something from a very unlikely source: Sylvester Stallone.

A few weeks ago on twitter, Sylvester Stallone sent out a tweet that is a good reminder of what type of leader we can be and what is required to get there. He said:

Diamonds is the hardest material. Graphite is the weakest material. Yet both contain the same carbon atoms. What makes the difference? PRESSURE. Same as life, yes?

I’m not a geologist and know almost nothing about diamonds and graphite, so I can’t validate what Sylvester Stallone says. But, it makes sense.

What do you think? Have you found yourself maturing and getting stronger through the pressure you’ve felt in your personal and professional life?