take 5

Many have written that Muhammad Ali transcended sport. To me he did so much more. He "went beyond" as only a truly authentic leader can. He transcended race, national boundaries, religious distinctions, and bigotry. He even transcended his own braggadocios persona as he grew, matured, and served his globally enriching purpose.

During my recent bike ride across America to interview dozens of small town entrepreneurs, I discovered that most of the entrepreneurs we interviewed had a fair amount of experience with the industries their business was in. About one-third of them had worked in the same industry they started their business in. Another third had worked in a related industry. Most of the remaining third were regular users of the products or services and understood the pain points and opportunities from personal experience.

In other words, they knew the market from the customers’ point of view. They knew the products’ features, the competitors, and the missing pieces. Only a small percentage of the successful entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed over the past 20 years have started businesses in markets they knew absolutely nothing about.

On any given day, being a leader requires the ability to be adaptable. Leaders do not have the luxury to retreat to their introverted or extroverted comfort zones, but must instead be "ambiverts" and have a flexible attitude depending on the situation.