Cheetahs begin their hunting careers by attacking anything that moves – from antelopes to rhinoceroses – indiscriminately.
As this happens so early in their development, only 25% of cheetahs reach adulthood. These young cubs combine passion (hunting) and purpose (to fill their bellies), but lack the mastery of knowing how and what to kill. Creative leaders face a similar challenge in seeing their ideas reach the next stage of development.
Professional mastery is key to bringing an idea into practice and towards success. The desire and passion to build, for instance, a leading global software firm needs to be combined with knowledge and expertise of all its elements – programming, industry success factors, skills, etc.; otherwise your survival rate will be lower than the young cheetah.
Mastering a profession to the fullest will allow you to become a true bearer of change. By using both insight and a wide-ranging helicopter views to see where your field is heading, you will have a detailed understanding of which elements really matter. Being able to envision a better future must be combined with the insights and qualities of true creative leadership for innovation to really ignite.