DRAFT – For Discussion Only © Future Systems Consulting Inc. 2007 AUTHORITY • RESPONSIBILITY • POWER • EXPANDING 1 Authority, Responsibility and Power expanding (ARPe)

Abstract

“Rugby can be brutal. He heard a ghastly scream and for a split second thought that someone else was hurt, until he realized it was him. He could feel his knee joint tearing apart. A terrible pain spread throughout his leg as he rolled in agonized slow motion on the field. It was now impossible to move. All his future plans imploded. Struggling with dyslexia for years, it had become painfully obvious to Rickie that he would be lucky to graduate from high school. So, like many kids who suffer academic humiliation, he had hoped to go to college on an athletic scholarship. But now, these were broken dreams, and that hurt more than the knee. He did manage to get back on his feet, but Rickie would never go to college. As he battled toward a high school diploma, his headmaster said, ‘I predict that you will either go to prison or become a millionaire.’” Why did the headmaster predict such extremes? What were the clues? And, why was the headmaster unable to provide a more accurate future? Was high potential evident? Or, just something out of the ordinary? How could the headmaster accurately predict ultimate success? These are the questions we grapple with in our attempts to predict leadership potential. Rickie in this story is Richard Branson of a company named Virgin. The story is found in the book Success Built to Last by Porras, Emery and Thompson