Think of a crucible as an occasion for real magic, the creation of something more valuable than an alchemist could possibly imagine. In it, the individual is transformed, changed, created anew. He or she grows in ways that change his or her definition of self.

Almost without exception, members of great groups see themselves as winning underdogs, as a feisty David hurling fresh ideas at a big, backward-looking Goliath. They always have an "enemy."

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

Our tendency to create heroes rarely jibes with the reality that most nontrivial problems require collective solutions.

Companies which get misled by their own success are sure to be blind sided.

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

Leaders must earn the trust of their teams, their organizations, and their stakeholders before attempting to engage their support.