Social entrepreneur and Gen.T honouree Lynn Pinugu of Mano Amiga Philippines and She Talks Asia shares the insights she got on successful leadership from her meeting with the man cheekily known as No Drama Obama
Lynn Pinugu has made it her life mission to elevate others. The Gen.T honouree is the co-founder of Mano Amiga Philippines, a school providing high-quality and affordable education to underprivileged children, and community and advocacy agency She Talks Asia, which aims to give a voice to women of all backgrounds.
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For her efforts, she has been recognised by various prestigious programmes including the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations Summer Fellowship and the Obama Foundation Fellowship. She also got to meet with Obama himself when she was inducted into his programme for young leaders in 2019 and gleaned some of the most valuable insights on successful leadership she’s continued to apply to her roles in her organisations.
Here, she shares four of the most memorable lessons she gained from the former US president.
Don’t be blinded by your own hype
“It’s so easy for leaders to believe their own hype,” says Pinugu. She then recalls President Obama jokingly sharing that having two daughters who don’t find him funny helps keep him humble. “It’s good to surround yourself with people who are not impressed by you. It’s important to constantly have people around you who keep you in check, and call you out whenever necessary.”