The Driving Catalyst

What happens to people to make them want to lead—and lead successfully? My daughter would say it was a seed that got planted inside them. Said another way, what's the instigation, the driver, the prompt, or the script change that altered how they acted as a leader? What flipped the switch? Was it some dramatic turning point? Some change of heart or viewpoint, or did they receive some life-changing criticism? Somewhere in their career development something changed, and they found themselves with a new compass.

How often have you heard someone ask, "What drives that guy, anyhow?"

When Paul O'Neill took over as CEO of Alcoa in 1987, he faced a serious leadership wall. Trust at plants was lacking because of equipment safety failures. Unions wanted action, especially because plant managers did not enforce safety rules. What did O'Neill choose as the driver for his leadership of the sprawling Alcoa? Worker safety. He gave his home phone number to workers to call if something was broken or unsafe. Plant managers learned quickly that they could be fired for covering up a safety violation. By the time O'Neill left the company in 2000, trust and quality had improved, and so had revenue. The annual net income was five times higher than in 1987. And he started not with quarterly numbers and stock value but with worker safety.

Nelson Mandela turned his 27 years in prison into a drive for racial reconciliation in South Africa. He had the votes to become president and could have chosen revenge. He did not, and the country was better for it.

Howard Schultz, legendary Starbucks CEO, never forgot how his father had been fired after breaking his leg on a delivery route. The family lost its income and its health care. Schultz's drive was to create a successful company that gave all employees health-care benefits.

I want to help you identify that driver, that seed as my daughter calls it, that dramatic change that can help you write your leadership story. On that basis, we can develop the story's plot in chapter 2, Step 1.