If Knapp is right, and desire is as natural as eating, then it
exists in all of us. And while Dockson may be right that it can’t
be taught, it can be activated. Virtually every one of us was
born with a hunger for life itself, with what I call a passion for
the promises of life, and that passion can take one to the
heights. Unfortunately, in too many of us, it devolves into
drive. Entrepreneur Larry Wilson defined the difference between
desire and drive as the difference between expressing yourself and
proving yourself. In a perfect world, everyone would be encour-
aged to express, but not required to prove him- or herself. But
neither the world nor we are perfect. In order to avoid booby-
trapping ourselves, then, we must understand that drive is
healthy only when married to desire.
Drive divorced from desire is often hazardous, sometimes
lethal, while drive in the service of desire is often both produc-
tive and rewarding. Knapp, like the other leaders I spoke with,
has that passion for the promises of life, and the drive to real-
ize her passion. “I was raised with eight boys on my block,” she
said, “and I was stronger than all of them. I was the one with
the energy and enthusiasm and drive and determination, so I
became the leader.”
Although she went through a docile period, her desire
emerged intact some years later. “I’m an entrepreneur in spirit,”
she told me. “I see a window of opportunity and take advantage
of it. Jet Airways [a company she founded that flies executives
around the country] happened almost by accident. Deregula-
tion had killed off a lot of small airlines, so corporations were
having a tough time getting their people into small towns, and I
wanted to buy a Lear Jet.” Her desire to have her own plane and
the need for cost-effective executive transportation were hap-
pily combined. Knapp remains restless and inventive. After
founding Jet Airways, she managed a securities portfolio andDeploying Yourself: Strike Hard, Try Everything0465014088_02.qxd:0738208175_02.qxd 1/9/09 1:33 PM Page 123