Even leaders need to remember to check-in and communicate with their closest friends. In RJ's third conversation here, he shares what integrity, listening, and communication mean for leaders. He acts with these skills in his professional and personal life. From running mentorship camps to sticking to his values on something so seemingly small as a disposable cup at a bus station, RJ puts actions behind his words. Do you think it's coincidence that someone who acts on details also succeeds at such a global level? I don't, and I suggest that if you pay attention to such detail and act on it then you will help yourself more than anyone else and more than you expect. Check out www.leadpalestine.com to learn more about his work, watch his TEDx talk, and listen to this interview to hear how you can start with simple actions to make big impact.

RJ and I talk about the early success of LEAD Palestine, the organization he began to teach leadership to youths that most of the world abandoned in Palestine. Where their environment made it natural to respond with hopelessness and what comes from it---desperation to the point of aspiring to blow oneself up---RJ is bringing social and emotional development to create hope themselves. They happen to have been born into a world where leadership meant in politics authoritarianism and militarism, which bled into personal relationships. Nobody taught alternatives and those who acted on those models succeeded, however much at others' costs. RJ is teaching an effective style of leadership built on personal skill. I can't help but imagine a lot of it came from my class, though, obviously he deserves the overwhelming credit for implementing it. Though the class he took with me was social entrepreneurship, that semester, several students showed great interest and initiative and I'd stay after class to teach and coach leadership exercises, sometimes for hours. Among those students, RJ stood out. I also ask him about his personal role as a student barely older than the people he's helping, as well as his personal challenge of avoiding plastic bottles. For a self-aware, thoughtful, active leader, the modest personal challenge increased his mindfulness, activity, awareness at no cost in time, money, or other resource. Read the transcript.

I encourage you to review RJ's leadership program in Palestine for yourself. Check out www.leadpalestine.com. RJ Khalaf is my youngest guest so far, still an undergrad at NYU, but achieving beyond student status. He took my social entrepreneurship classes. In this episode, you'll hear RJ on his passion and success: a leadership program that teaches leadership skills to Palestinian kids who would otherwise throw stones or worse, as you'll hear. He makes it happen at the New Askar refugee camp, which has been around for more than 50 years. RJ says he feels in over his head, but he's acting on his values. He teaches leadership to come from kindness and care. He acts with integrity, discipline, compassion, vision, and things leaders twice his age often lack. The camp students and mentors love the message. You'll also hear about his environment challenge---one many listeners can probably relate to, but few have acted on. Read the transcript.