No matter whether you spend your working hours, whether it’s in the boardroom, the classroom, the town hall or your own home office, leadership is what helps us have impact in the world. You don’t have to be the head of a big team to earn the title of leader. It’s a role, and I believe a responsibility, we each have every morning when our feet hit the ground.

Leadership is changing rapidly. Organizations are trying to shift cultures developed in the “command-and-control” model to become more collaborative, more responsive, and more engaging to meet the evolving needs and priorities of their marketplace. Even in society in general, this last year has seen a rise in public activism, in people speaking up for what they feel is important and right instead of sitting back to let elected leaders dominate public policy and discourse.

The Art of Leadership event brings together experts, authors, leaders, and creative thinkers from all walks of life to share their insights on leadership. I had the great opportunity and honour to be there for their Toronto event again this year to graphically capture the key takeaways from the stage. It was a particular delight to be able to hear former Vice President Joe Biden take the stage.

Here’s my “Top 10” list of wisdom from the day, as well as the visual summaries from the day.

Welby Altidor, author of Creative Courage

Vince Molinaro, Author of The Leadership Contract

Dr. Tasha Eurich, Author of Insight

Amanda Lang, Author of The Beauty of Discomfort

Vice President Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States of America, author of Promise Me, Dad

Here are the top 10 leadership tips I took away from my experience:

1. Leadership is duty before self. – Vice President Joe Biden
2. The biggest roadblock to collaboration and creativity is the war on imagination. – Welby Altidor
3. Innovation and productivity are flip sides of the same coin. – Amanda Lang
4. The world is too demanding to be a part-time leader. – Vince Molinaro
5. Our words matter, but our actions matter more. – Vice President Joe Biden
6. Playing creates the space for people to dream. – Welby Altidor
7. The more vulnerable we are, the more we connect. – Dr. Tasha Eurich
8. Discomfort is a signal to stop, pay attention, and get it right. – Amanda Lang
9. When it comes to leadership, good intentions are not enough. – Vince Molinaro
10. To change a damaged culture, you must be willing to risk ridicule. – Vice President Joe Biden