The Wizard and the Warrior:
Leading with Passion and Power
BY LEE G. BOHLMAN
AND TERRENCE E. DEAL
Leaders are defined by their legacies,
which are shaped over time from the hard
decisions they must often make.
THE WIZARD ROLE ENABLES THEM TO
USE IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY,
MEANING, AND MAGIC.
THE WARRIOR ROLE MOBILIZES
STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND A
WILLINGNESS TO FIGHT AS HARD AND
LONG AS NECESSARY TO FULFILL
THEIR MISSION.
The greatest leaders move in and out
of both roles, even if they are more
comfortable with one or the other.
You need not like war to be a warrior.
TO BE A WARRIOR, YOU NEED
ONLY A CAUSE FOR WHICH YOU
WILL GIVE YOUR ALL.
A militant
pacifist
who was
willing to
fight for
peace.
Albert Einstein
Warrior Roles
 Toxic
 Relentless
 Principled
“Nixon would
easily
succumb and
lash out at his
foes, real and
imagined.”
Ray Price
Nixon Staffer
A Toxic Warrior: Richard Nixon
“That’s the
stupidest thing
I’ve ever heard”
was routine
feedback in the
Gates lexicon.
Like General
Patton, Gates
sometimes got
carried away by
his own
combativeness.
A Relentless Warrior: Bill Gates
His difficulty in
disliking even
his enemies was
expressed in the
eloquent words
of his second
inaugural, “with
malice toward
none, with
charity for all”.
A Principled Warrior:
Abraham Lincoln
Warrior Qualities
 Heart
 Mind
 Skill
 Weapons
How Warriors Win
Heart
Mind
 Knowing what you
 Passion
 Courage
 Persistence
want
 Developing a game
plan
 Responding to threats
and opportunities
 Choosing your battles
How Warriors Win
Weapons
Skill
 Knowing the psyche
 Position
 Making friends and
 Organization
enlisting allies
 Rallying the troops
 Enlisting friends and
buying off enemies
 Allies
 Resources
Wizards are people who make things
happen that shouldn’t happen.
THEY WORK ON A SYMBOLIC
LEVEL, USING MYTH, RITUAL,
CEREMONY, AND STORIES TO
SHAPE PEOPLE’S ATTITUDES
AND BELIEFS.
Wizard Roles
 Harmful
 Wannabe
 Authentic
At the People’s
Temple, in a
ritual that had
been rehearsed
before, people
drank a grape
flavored
concoction laced
with cyanide
and paid the
ultimate price of
loyalty.
A Harmful Wizard: Jim Jones
Fiorina grabbed
the spotlight
and in a short
time, many
employees
began to suspect
her motives.
Their doubts
were
exacerbated by
the fact that her
personal fanfare
violated a core
HP value –
humility.
A Wannabe Wizard: Carly Fiorina
Dining at the
French Laundry
in Yountville,
California goes
well beyond
eating great
food. It is a
magical
experience. It
can take years to
get a
reservation.
An Authentic Wizard:
Thomas Keller
Summoning the Human Spirit
Values unify purpose, focus, and
behavior.
2. Icons and emblems shape
abstract values into vivid
representations.
3. Rituals bond people to each
other and reinforce the sense of
community.
4. Ceremony beckons the spirit.
5. Stories nourish the spirit.
1.
“And you
know, my
friends, there
comes a time
when people
get tired of
being
trampled over
by the iron
feet of
oppression.”
1955
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"There are
86,400
seconds in a
day. It's up to
you to decide
what to do
with them."
Jim Valvano
“Jimmy V.”
The Company Handbook for
Nordstrom Department Stores
RULE #1
USE YOUR BEST
JUDGMENT IN ALL
SITUATIONS.
THERE WILL BE NO
ADDITIONAL
RULES.
Embracing the Wizard and Warrior Within
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Wield both sword and wand: know how to create
as well as defend.
Accept current reality, and challenge it because you
see its possibilities.
Learn by sensing and intuition.
Be both strategist and visionary.
Combine the power of the commander and the
courage of the champion with the wisdom of the
counselor and the magical powers of the shaman.
Enhancing the Wizard and Warrior Within
6. Transform the existing reality with a wake-up call
7.
8.
9.
10.
for the status quo and a vision of future success.
Lead with symbols and symbolic events.
Stay focused and sustain a sense of urgency.
Persist.
Take risks and model courage.
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