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the reality that neither the companies they lead nor their society will make it
unless they bring the very best of their skills and passion to the most criti-
cally important challenges.
The discussion was intense and authentic. At one point, I suggested that no
one is truly a leader who engages people primarily through coercion; that they
could not consider themselves leaders unless their people would be willing to
work for their companies as volunteers. I was not suggesting that salary and
benefits are unimportant, but rather that true commitment is always rooted
in something beyond money. In a quiet but definite voice, an Afrikaans exec-
utive thoughtfully responded, “That’s true for some industries, but not all.”
His statement was not hostile, but rather profoundly sincere and personal. I
held my ground and repeated that the idea applied to all industries. Everyone
in the room sensed the tension as the executive continued, “I’m in the mining
industry, and nobody would ever go down into a mine unless they absolutely
needed the money.”
Despite my worst images of the horrendous conditions in many mines and
my desire to shout my agreement—“ Yes, you’re right, it doesn’t apply in your
industry!”—something in the man’s authenticity made me insist that yes, it
also applied to his industry. “ You’re the expert in your industry,” I responded,
“I can’t say exactly how it applies to your industry and to the mining opera-
tions you direct, but it does. Maybe your mine can offer the best health and
safety conditions. Or maybe it can offer the best education for miners’ chil-
dren, so that every day when miners descend into the mines, they know their
children will never have to do the same.” The words hit home. The man’s face
changed. He knew, along with everyone else in the room, what had just hap-
pened. Perhaps for the first time as a leader, this Afrikaans mining director
realized that he did not have to be a bastard to succeed at his job.
Einstein reminded us that “a problem cannot be solved at the level at
which it was caused.” You have to jump a level to find the right answer. Al-
though I know I can’t solve the problems others face, I also know we can do
much better than we’re currently doing. As a coach it’s my goal to help exec-
utives see, think, and communicate from the perspective of possibility.^2 To
do so, demands courage, specifically:
•The courage to see reality as it actually is—to “collude against illu-
sion”^3 even when society and your colleagues reject your perceptions.
•The courage to imagine a better world—to imagine possibility even
when society and your colleagues consider such possibilities naïve, un-
attainable, or foolish.
•The courage to communicate reality and possibility so powerfully that
others can’t help but move for ward toward a better future.