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Jon Stewart Taught John Oliver To Rise To The Occasion

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Every leader needs to prove that he has what it takes to lead others.

John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, echoed this sentiment in a recent interview with Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air. Oliver cut his comedy chops in the U.S. with a seven-and-a-half year stint on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. In summer of 2013 he substituted hosted for Jon Stewart who was in Jordan making the movie Rosewater. Oliver was positively gushing in his praise for Stewart’s support and advice about running the Daily Show in his absence. Many of these lessons Oliver has incorporated into his HBO show.

One piece of advice that has particular relevance to executives and it is contained within the answer to a question that Oliver posed to Stewart prior to his departure. Oliver was concerned that something tragic might happen during the summer of 2013 and viewers would want Stewart’s particular comedic approach to help them cope. Oliver worried that he would not have what it takes to satisfy the audience. To which Stewart replied that should such a moment occur, it would be up to Oliver to prove that he had what it takes to deliver what the audience needed.

That lesson is something every leader needs to embrace. Seldom do leaders get to choose their issues they want to deal with. Certainly leaders plan for the future; that is the role of strategy. But, as military strategists know plans disappear when the first shot is fired. Leaders deal with the reality and in this regard they must know themselves, particularly what actions they must take when the unexpected occurs.

Such an approach is more than crisis leadership; it’s an approach to taking stock of yourself and your team. A leader needs to know whom he can call upon to help with the challenge. Defining the challenge requires sober minds that can dissect the issue dispassionately before reacting too hastily.

Tony Fernandes, the CEO of Air Asia, has played a front and center role in handling the aftermath of the crash of one of his airline’s planes in the Java Sea. According to reporting by Alexandra Stevenson and Neil Gough of the New York Times, Fernandes has served as Air Asia’s public spokesperson. Not only has he spoken at length to the media, he has visited the crash site and met with the prime minister of Indonesia.

Fernandes also met with families of victims. As he told Britain’s Daily Mail in February, “[W]e just sat and talked and made them feel very comfortable that whatever happens, we would find them and we wouldn’t give up. And I think that was very reassuring. We haven’t found everyone yet. There are still more than 50 people unaccounted for. But we just talked to them and let them talk to me, show me pictures and tell stories.”

No leader wants to deal with tragedy but when it occurs, it is up to the leader to mobilize his team to act. Such crises trump everything and if a leader is to perform he must put the crisis front and center. That’s leadership.

Ultimately a leader facing a major challenge will not know how he or she will react until something big happens. Preparation though begins with self-examination, being mindful of strengths and shortcomings. Then identifying talented people who can complement the leader’s abilities, chiefly doing what the leader cannot do.

Leadership is a calling certainly and often that calling makes itself relevant and lasting when the challenges are greatest.

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