At a breakfast briefing I listened to Robert Senior, founder of Fallon and now chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi. He talked about his career, his love for communicating and the importance of the "vision". As Senior said, Martin Luther King didn't start with "I have a business plan", he had a dream.
My first Director of the Year Awards Final in September was a celebration of your dreams. We heard inspirational stories of great leadership and courage in what has been a tough couple of years, but all the winners shared one thing – they had a vision that they focused on even in the face of huge challenges. Click here to read their stories and click here to read Amy Duff's interview with our Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Dame Mary Perkins. Her dream for Specsavers was to stay private and have each store owned by optometrists rather than a big corporate. Thirty years on, that's what she's achieved.
As well as our winners, this issue features a host of other leaders who I am sure will inspire you – from Childreach International director David Milton to Andy Wood, chief executive of brewer Adnams, who has weaved sustainability throughout the company and has discovered new revenue streams. Plus, we pay tribute to Steve Jobs and we preview the BBC's business season, which features a rare interview with a young man who had a lightbulb moment in 2004 – Mark Zuckerberg. We also talk to Lovefilm's Simon Calver and chat to The Storytellers – the brilliant company that uses storytelling to help corporate leaders connect teams with their vision.
Senior concluded his talk by saying that Britain's greatest export has been ingenuity – from architecture to Dyson to the Rolling Stones. He's right and it's something we should all be very proud of. I hope this issue of Director goes some way to reflect that ingenuity. Do let me know what you think.
Have a great month.