Failing organizations are usually over-managed and under-led.

First and foremost, effective leaders must continuously strive to make themselves smarter and better at making judgments.

Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.

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.

Leaders know the importance of having someone in their lives who will unfailingly and fearlessly tell them the truth.

Leaders learn by leading, and they learn bestby leading in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders.

If I were to give off-the-cuff advice to anyone trying to institute change, I would say, "How clear is the metaphor?"