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What It Means to Be a Fearless Leader 27

“Sounds good, but none of this will work in my company.” When you
notice yourself becoming resigned, stop and pay attention but do not give
in to it. Remember that resignation is an automatic behavior, and as with
every automatic behavior, you have a choice. Either you can allow your
resignation to dictate what you can achieve, or you can choose to empower
your commitment to make change happen.
To clear up any confusion, let me emphatically state: fearless leader-
ship can work in any company. It can work wherever there is a fearless
leader who has the courage to start the process and take a bold stand.

How to Use This Book
This book is designed to personally guide you through the obstacles, chal-
lenges, and breakthroughs needed to become a fearless leader. I have
written it as though you and I are sitting together talking about what is
possible for you and what limits you. I have designed this book to be used
by individuals and teams to learn how to work together at a new level of
effectiveness.
For teams, I recommend you read this book together. Begin by identi-
fying a breakthrough you want to achieve as a group. It may be as straight-
forward as building trust and committed partnerships. Focus your team
breakthrough on a specific business objective so you have a way to meas-
ure your progress and effectiveness. For example, identify a priority proj-
ect or breakdown you want to address. Then identify how trust and
committed partnerships will alter your success and the milestones that will
demonstrate you are achieving exactly what you want. I also recommend
you read the chapters sequentially.
Each chapter builds a step-by-step framework for understanding the
methodology of transformation. As building-block chapters, each
expands and integrates concepts from the prior one. At the end of each
chapter, there are two sections: leadership exploration and leadership
actions.
In the leadership exploration section, there are provocative questions
to stimulate and push your thinking. Here I am asking you to examine what
is occurring with you, your team, and your company in the same way a
scientist would use a microscope to see what is not obvious. Do not use
these questions as an opportunity to judge yourself, others, or the organi-