Limitless: Leadership that Endures

by Ajaz Ahmed

Dedication and patience are crucial to leading any organization. But the most enduring companies of the modern age have something else leaders who saw beyond the confines of business convention and into a different future. Leaders who didn’t just grow their profits, but expanded the horizons of their customers and our culture. From Henry Ford to Margaret Rudkin, Coco Chanel to Steve Jobs, their extraordinary stories still hold living wisdom for today’s entrepreneurs. Learn from their ageless insights and the possibilities are limitless. In this book, Ajaz Ahmed shares his inspirations for enduring leadership. There isn’t a magic formula for better leadership. But there is an enduring philosophy behind the most inspiring leaders in business, past and present. It’s one that has outlasted markets, currencies, meltdowns, revolutions, and regime changes. Limitless is a celebration of the transformative power of thinking beyond conventional boundaries. Its fascinating true stories of the most audacious and accomplished business leaders remind us how the entrepreneurial spirit really does change the world for the better. The greatest leaders not only make a difference in their own times, but also leave behind the lessons they’ve learned for the world that goes on after them. Finding opportunities where others see obstacles, they show that the greatest investment any entrepreneur can make is to keep an open mind.
 

Genres: Business, Leadership, Nonfiction

293 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2014

About the author

Ajaz Ahmed is the CEO of AKQA, the ideas and innovation company he founded aged 21. AKQA today employs over 1,500 people in 15 offices around the world. In 2014 AKQA won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Innovation. Ajaz co-authored Velocity: The Seven New Laws for a World Gone Digital.

Reviews

[Gökhan Bozkurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book tells the (life/business) stories of some successful business leaders and companies...the author claims that 'the wisdom of the past is the wisdom of the future'. This might be true for some specific cases, but especially in 21st century; i do not agree much. We have a constantly and rapidly changing "new world" so instead of listening to who did what and how in 1920s, I would prefer more recent knowledge/theories that are academically powered. cannot find these kind if knowledge in the book.

[Josh Gruninger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent read that gets one thinking about how to think outside the box. Ajaz shares several stories about entrepreneurs in various circumstances (almost all of them or their companies are well known) who looked at a problem or barrier, and then figured out a way to make it work for them. There were several insights shared that are not very obvious at first glance, but that can provide a framework for those willing to read and learn.
Overall, a book that does more or less what it says it will. It provides examples of leaders in various industries and how they got to their current position without going too deep into history or back stories.

[Natya Nauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many leadership books come up with different frameworks. Some claim to be better than others. This book reminds us the basic principles of a good leader: Democratise, revolutionise, simplify, organise, author. There is no theory mentioned in this book, just stories, stories, stories of all legendary leaders. All of the insights are interesting and applicable. 😊

[Veronica Kirin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice introduction to leadership within business. I appreciated the myriad examples of business founders from around the world, sectioned by leadership topic. I have a few highlights that I will take with me, and a few examples of leaders I wish to know more about.

[Sofya Lebedeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read. 5 key take away points, with clear examples and memorable stories for each one.

Helpful for business leadership. It’s a little outdated and also includes only 2 women and mostly only white men. A more diverse perspective on the same premise would have been helpful.

[Holly Gazzard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the chapters about specific entrepreneurs or business leaders, but felt it was loosely grouped into sections set out by the author and it felt a bit like it had run out of steam by the end.

[Natasha Pettier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storytelling was engaging which makes this an easy read and also helps the reader remember the key messages.

[Jan Havel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and inspirational.