The ability to plan for what has not yet happened, for a future that has only been imagined, is one of the hallmarks of leadership.

Unlike top management at Enron, exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it. They understand that, whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being told they might be wrong, it is more than offset by the fact that the information will help them make better decisions.

Every great group is an island... but an island with a bridge to the mainland.

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

All of great leaders evidence four basic qualities that are central to their ability to lead: adaptive capacity, the ability to engage others through shared meaning, a distinctive voice, and unshakeable integrity. These four qualities mark all exemplary leaders, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, or race.

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

The leader...is rarely the brightest person in the group. Rather they have extraordinary taste, which makes them more curators than creators. They are appreciators of talent and nurturers of talent and they have the ability to recognize valuable ideas.