The new leader is one who commits people to action, who converts followers into leaders, and who may convert leaders into agents of change.

If I had to reduce the responsibilities of a good follower to a single rule, it would be to speak truth to power.

While great leaders may be as rare as great runners, great actors, or great painters, everyone has leadership potential, just as everyone has some ability at running, acting, and painting.

I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don't think that's quite it; it's more like jazz. There is more improvisation. Someone once wrote that the sound of surprise is jazz, and if there's any one thing that we must try to get used to in this world, it's surprise and the unexpected. Truly, we are living in world where the only thing that's constant is change.

The crucible is a dividing line, a turning point, and those who have gone through it feel they are very different from the way they were before. Believing that they have been transformed or have transformed themselves, those who survive the crucible (and many don't) are more confident, more willing to take future risks. That new self-confidence is grounded in the belief that he or she has done something hard and done it well.

Great things are achieved by talented people who are absolutely convinced that they not only can but will achieve them.

Listening to the inner voice - trusting the inner voice - is one of the most important lessons of leadership.