Here is a re-creation of a conversation one of our associates had recently with a client.

"What is the single most important idea you teach?" asked the client.

• The key to success in an organization is leading people, which requires a leader to earn and keep their trust by understanding their individual differences and perspectives and respecting their dignity at all times. If people are not led effectively, the organization will not communicate well with its customers, nor meet customers' needs.

"But how do you tell leaders to do that?" asked the client in a follow-up question.

• Leaders keep the trust of followers by: respecting their good work, driving out the fear of failure, not wasting their time, and continually demonstrating the leader's own competence. We use many practical real-world examples to teach each lesson.

"What keeps a leader from forgetting what you teach?" pressed the client.

• An effective leader must continually engage in self-examination and new learning to establish and maintain an authentic "sense of self" that permits the leader to choose the harder right when faced with a difficult decision involving ambiguity. We don't give leaders lists of "rules" to follow; we use practical lessons to help them think as leaders.

To learn more also see How We Teach and Looking for Myself.