Golly, I’ve told this so much it’s threadbare. I used to often be hired as an efficient second aide to famous men. I got quite a good reputation for being an able lieutenant. Sometimes I took pleasure in telling them something could not be done. “Look, boss, we can’t get a TV signal out of Mt. Rushmore!” But when I realized I had done this, I stopped it. The moment of truth for every “leader” is when they stop being part of the problem and become part of the solution. And this applies right down the line. If you want to get somewhere, you need to make the prerogatives of the boss your own.

Read the wOw conversation: A Secret to Success: ‘Make Every Boss’s Problem Your Problem’