The greatest challenge facing every high-octane leader is creating the space — the mental and physical real estate — to see and think in new ways.

As leaders, we tend to leave certain rooms, that lie within, locked. Closed not because they are too elusive. No, these remain battened down because they are far too expansive. The force of the talent(s) behind that door frightens more than it inspires. To open up is to threaten and throw into question the very leader one has worked so hard to become.

Revolutionaries forever find themselves at such crossroads. Seminal moments in the history of their organizations when one’s accomplished leadership style suddenly seems inadequate. A fork in the road where a leader’s identity collides head-on with the impossibly-elevated strength and stature that a volatile future demands.

Staring into the dark of this precarious junction teaches one to become even more courageous. In the throes of reinventing a billion-dollar business, an executive I work with discovered that the only way out is through…

“When in doubt, go deeper”

By overcoming the insurmountable, a leader learns that his/her well never runs dry. The only limit to one’s reach is the depth of one’s practice. The further a leader goes, exploring and developing the vast talents within, the greater the market space that is available outside.

Ultimately, this is what sets game-changing leaders apart. The staggering ambition required to reinvent one’s leadership style by continually tapping into the edge of their potential.

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