When saying the wrong thing is the right thing to do.
11/26/2001
What's the difference between a run-of-the-mill manager and a true leader?
Take your example from a practicing contrarian. Steven Sample, who is president of the University of Southern California—named by Time magazine in 2000 as "College of the Year"—says leaders shouldn't try to prove themselves with snap decisions. Instead, leaders should make decisions slowly and sometimes not at all. His own favorite way to stimulate free thinking, for instance, is to "force myself to contemplate absolutely outrageous and impossible ways" to address a particular problem. This well-written book explains what he means, even delving into his own university as a perfect case study.