important, because in them you can see a person’s yi[will or
intent].” Salzman goes on to say, “Chinese boxing depends
onyifor its strength, so you have to train your eyes.... You
must practice the taoluas if you had complete confidence in
your strength, as if a single blow of your hand could destroy
your opponent.... You must hit him with your eyes, your
heart. Your hands will follow.”
Author George Leonard writes of mastery, “Experienced pi-
lots can tell a lot about how good another pilot is by the way he
or she gets into the pilot’s seat and straps on his or her safety
harness. There are some people who are so obviously on that
they give us a lift just by walking into the room. [Some people]
can demonstrate mastery simply by the way [they] stand.”
Leonard describes some other elements of mastery, too:
“The path of mastery is built on unrelenting practice, but it’s
also a place of adventure.... Whether it’s a sport or an art or
some other work, those we call masters are shamelessly enthu-
siastic about their calling.... Those on the path of mastery are
willing to take chances, play the fool.... The most powerful
learning is that which is most like play.... The word generous
comes from the same root as genial, generative, and genius....
[The genius] has the ability to give everything and hold noth-
ing back. Perhaps, in fact, genius can be defined in terms of this
givingness.”
Barbara Corday said of a kind of self-mastery, “In my busi-
ness, if you love something and want to make it happen, you
can convince other people to go along with you. Personal style,
personal belief, a tremendous desire to make something hap-
pen, tenacity, the ability to never give up, no matter how many
people say no, are vital. I am in a business that is built on rejec-
tion, daily rejection. You have to be able to go beyond that, to
On Becoming a Leader