Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? - John Wooden

Drawing up plans such as these diagrams is the easy part. I did it thousands of times. Creating a successful organization with people who execute the plans at a level of Competitive Greatness — now, that’s the challenge of leadership.

There is also the professional mentor, a person whose success in his or her career can be a source of practical wisdom and inspiration. This success might be mea sured in material gain or far-reaching influence, or in lives touched and relationships fostered. These mentors can offer a model for good business, ethical practices, and effective work habits, and they often provide the motivation we need to seize whatever opportunities come our way.

And that, in my opinion, is the first goal of leadership — namely, getting the very best out of the people in your organization, whether they have talent to spare or are spare on talent.