I'd always rather err on the side of openness. But there's a difference between optimum and maximum openness, and fixing that boundary is a judgment call. The art of leadership is knowing how much information you're going to pass on - to keep people motivated and to be as honest, as upfront, as you can. But, boy, there really are limits to that.

Think of successful creative collaborations are dreams with deadlines.

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

I wanted the influence. In the end I wasn't very good at being a president. I looked out of the window and thought that the man cutting the lawn actually seemed to have more control over what he was doing.

The first job of a leader is to define a vision for the organization...the capacity to translate vision into reality.

Understand stakeholder symmetry: Find the appropriate balance of competing claims by various groups of stakeholders.

Great groups deliver great results. And for everyone involved in a great group, great work is its own reward.