Steve Farber’s The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership turns conventional wisdom upside down. If you are looking to recapture the magic of your work, his book will inspire you because it goes deep–very deep. Farber’s ideas, presented in the form of his own personal story of discovery, deal not with techniques but with the soul.

One of his characters neatly sums up the LEAP approach to leadership–

“‘The Extreme Leader consciously and intentionally cultivates love in order to generate boundless energy and inspire courageous audacity. And he or she must provide the proof that it’s all been worthwhile: proof through the alignment between word and action; proof through the standing up for what’s right; proof through measurable, tangible signs of progress; and proof through the experience of phenomenal success as well as glorious failure. That’s the LEAP.” (The Radical Leap, chapter 10)

Inspiring! Bold! Rings true. And then I realized I had heard this story before–four times before, as a matter of fact. Here’s what I mean …

Cultivate Love
“They said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She replied, ‘No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go [and ] from now on do not sin anymore.’” (John 4, 3-11)

Generate Energy
“He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha!‘ (that is, ‘Be opened!’) And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it.” (Mark 7, 33-37)

Inspire Audacity
“‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside may also be clean.’” (Matthew 23, 25-26)

Provide Proof
“It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit’; and when he had said this he breathed his last.” (Luke 23, 44-46)

Farber is 100% on target. It’s far from easy, but anyone who brings love, authenticity, vision, energy and passion to his work is on the way to becoming an Extreme Leader. It doesn’t matter whether you are a mid-level manager, an entrepreneur, a CEO or even a carpenter.

Word Sell … Scrambled Toast