--- title: Newton Institute | leadership lessons description: leadership lessons | --- [![logo](https://blog.newtoninstitute.com/hubfs/NewtonInstitute_Jan2017/Layout/NI-Logo-Horizontal-Solid-Color-web.png)](https://newtoninstitute.com/) - [LEADERSHIP TRAINING](https://newtoninstitute.com/leadership-training) - [KEYNOTES](https://newtoninstitute.com/keynotes) - [BLOG](https://blog.newtoninstitute.com) - [RESOURCES](https://newtoninstitute.com/resources) - [Books](https://newtoninstitute.com/resources#books) - [FREE Downloads](https://newtoninstitute.com/resources#free-downloads) - [ABOUT](https://newtoninstitute.com/about) - [CONTACT](https://newtoninstitute.com/contact) Search ... - [LEADERSHIP TRAINING](https://newtoninstitute.com/leadership-training) - [KEYNOTES](https://newtoninstitute.com/keynotes) - [BLOG](https://blog.newtoninstitute.com) - [RESOURCES](https://newtoninstitute.com/resources) - [Books](https://newtoninstitute.com/resources#books) - [FREE Downloads](https://newtoninstitute.com/resources#free-downloads) - [ABOUT](https://newtoninstitute.com/about) - [CONTACT](https://newtoninstitute.com/contact) # BLOG ## Insights and thought leadership from the team at Newton Institute. ## [7 Leadership Lessons from 2016](https://blog.newtoninstitute.com/7-leadership-lessons-from-2016) Posted by [John Stahl-Wert](https://blog.newtoninstitute.com/author/john-stahl-wert) on January 19, 2017 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![](https://blog.newtoninstitute.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/2016_Header-1.jpg)](https://blog.newtoninstitute.com/7-leadership-lessons-from-2016) Early-20th-century philosopher and poet, George Santayana, said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” With that in mind, here’s a quick look back at seven world-changing events from 2016 and leadership lessons we can learn from them. **Lesson #1: Don’t Lose Touch with the Needs of Those You’re Leading (Brexit)** On June 23, 2016, surprising the pundits and ruling class, British citizens [voted](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/world/europe/britain-european-union-brexit.html) on a referendum to pull the United Kingdom out of the European Union. Lessons: 1. Leaders can lose the pulse of the people. A commitment to truly serve those we lead presses us to stay close in touch with them, but it’s important to be intentional about this. 2. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. There’s always a group that yells the loudest, but we must not believe that volume equals majority. We must look past the noise to hear what people are really saying, experiencing, and feeling. 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