On Attributes of Creating a Great Leadership Environment

"He draws people out of their comfort zone,” he said, “but he does it subtly, challenging them with his openness and his commitment to change. He ends up making them rise to the occasion. He doesn’t just synthesize and sell a solution. He finds opportunities in the larger body of players to create circumstances where change can happen.”
- Former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff, John Podesta, speaking about Barack Obama, quoted in Ron Suskind's book, Confidence Men.

Consistent with my contention that contemporary leadership is about creating environments where people come together to share an experience from which an alternate future becomes possible.