Introduction

Managing in Reverse

As discussed in the Preface, leaders are essentially in charge of two things: objectives and execution. Said another way, leaders set the direction and are responsible for the optimal performance of operations. At the highest level of organizational leadership, a leader oversees an entire organization, which is simply an operation on a grand scale. Leaders also manage suboperations within an organization, such as divisions, business units, or departments. Professional individuals also manage operations and become leaders in their own fields, such as a surgeon carefully performing heart surgery, or a professional athlete tightly executing his or her sporting event.

Take, for instance, Shaun White in the world of winter sports. He and snowboarding have become synonymous terms. When many people think of snowboarding, they think of Shaun White, “The Flying Tomato!” As a five-time Olympian, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a thirteen-time Winter X Games gold medalist, he rebranded the sport. Shaun pushed the limits of snowboarding so high that he is often regarded as the world leader who revolutionized the sport as we know ittoday.

Shaun’s superpipe and halfpipe performances were quintessential, as he outclassed other competitors in skill, speed, style, and air. His scores proved it. In the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, Shaun earned the highest halfpipe score ever recorded to that time—a 48.4 out of 50 possible points. In 2012, he also became the first person in history to score a perfect 100 points in the superpipe at the winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado.

One of Shaun’s trademarks, which helped him rack up points, was his ability to maximize his vertical height, or “amplitude,” after “dropping in” on the superpipe or halfpipe with unusual speed. In 2010, at the winter X Games, he flew to a height of twenty-three feet in the air, a newrecord.

So, as a leader, how do you maximize “amplitu