Successful leaders are great askers

The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born - that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines crucible as "a place, time, or situation characterized by the confluence of powerful intellectual, social, economic, or political forces; a severe test of patience or belief; a vessel for melting material at high temperatures." A crucible was the vessel in which medieval alchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold. That the alchemists inevitably failed in their audacious attempts doesn't denigrate the power of the crucible as a metaphor for the circumstances that cause an individual to be utterly transformed.

Leaders are people who believe so passionately that they can seduce other people into sharing their dream.

Manage the dream: Create a compelling vision, one that takes people to a new place, and then translate that vision into a reality.

Create a compelling vision, one that takes people to a new place, and then translate that vision into a reality.