3 leadership lessons from Howard Schultz, Satya Nadella, and Jeff Bezos

3 leadership lessons from Howard Schultz, Satya Nadella, and Jeff Bezos3 leadership lessons from Howard Schultz, Satya Nadella, and Jeff BezosHow would youdescribe an effective leader?There are many ways to answer that question, but most would agree thattrue leadershipinvolves the ability to practice what one preaches, to set the example, and to inspire others.Over the past few years, Ive studied the leadership styles of numerous successful business leaders while researching my forthcoming book,EQ, Applied The Real World Guide to Emotional Intelligence.One lesson that stood out is the powerful way email is used (yes, email) to quickly communicate vital lessons at the right time.Below, youll find excerpts of three extraordinary emails from the chief executives ofStarbucks, Microsoft andAmazon, and the brilliant lessons we learn from each.Starbuckss Howard Schultz inspires employees after stock market chaosIn August 2015, signs of an economic slowdown in China triggered panic and resul ted in more than $1 trillion being wiped from Asian markets, sending the Dow plunging 588 points in a single day and prompting the trending hashtag GreatFallOfChina.Starbuckss chief executive at the time, Howard Schultz, wanted to make sure Starbucks employees were well aware of the situation - all 190,000 of them. So, hesent a compelling memoencouraging them to show special consideration for consumersur customers are likely to experience an increased level of anxiety and concern. Please recognize this andas you always haveremember that our success is leid an entitlement, but something we need to earn, every day. Lets be very sensitive to the pressures our customers may be feeling, and do everything we can to individually and collectively exceed their expectations. The experience we deliver in our stores, the strength and equity of our brand, and the primary reason for our current and future success is because of all of YOU. I believe in you and have never been prouder to be your p artner.TakeawaysLeadership and culture start at the top.It would have been easy for Schultz to read the news and move on, neglecting the opportunity to have any type of impact on his employees. But Schultz took advantage of a great opportunity to exert positive influence - in this case, inspiring his people to improve their customer service on what would certainly be a depressing day for many.Schultz managed to do this, notlage in a manner that was condescending or demeaning, but rather while dignifying and praising his people at the same time.Microsofts Satya Nadella encourages employees after an epic failAbout a year ago, Microsoft launched a Twitter bot by the name of Tay (officially, Tay.ai), in an attempt to advance artificial intelligence communication. Things went desperately wrong, though, when hackers and others caused Tay to begin spewing racist and profane comments - prompting Microsoft to shut down Tay just a few hours later and apologize.No doubt, the Tay team must ha ve felt extremely down after this debacle. So you can imagine their response when they received anemail from their CEO that included the following statementsKeep pushing, and know that I am with you (The) key is to keep learning and improving.TakeawaysPeople need to know youve got their back.We all make mistakes. The question is, how can you help your people recover from those failures?In an interview, Nadella went on to explain the reasoning behind his encouraging tone.Its so critical for leaders not to freak people out, but to give them air cover to solve the real problem. If people are doing things out of fear, its hard or impossible to actually drive any innovation.When you encourage and build others up, rather than dishearten and tear down, theyll be motivated to continue giving their best.Jeff Bezos uses aNew York Timesexpos to make Amazon betterIn the summer of 2015,The New York Timespublished a scathing pieceportraying Amazon, the worlds largest retailer, as a brutal employ er that puts innovation and company performance above its peoples well-being.Im sure Bezos felt the criticism was unduly biased. (I dont recognize this Amazon, and I very much hope you dont either, Bezos told employees.)Butthrough an internal memo, Amazons chief nevertheless encouraged his people to read theTimespiece, and to escalate to HR any stories they knew of like those reported - even inviting individuals to email him directly. (Interestingly,Amazon later revealed significant changesto the way it would assess employees moving forward.)TakeawaysBezos initial response demonstrated a remarkable ability toset emotions aside and learn from criticism - even if its not delivered in an ideal way.Criticism is never easy to take, but it can help us discover blind spots and find areas for improvement. And even in those cases where negative feedback is completely unfounded, it still provides the opportunity to see things from another perspective - which can lead to invaluable insights. Remember, true leadershipisnt about having a title or trying to impress others.Its about great communication and taking action - telling your people what they need to hear, when they need to hear it, and setting the example for them to follow.This article originally appeared on LinkedIn.