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The Challenge

As the popularity of the Leadership Pill soared, a front-page interview with the Effective Leader appeared in the Leadership Times and was picked up by nationally syndicated news wires. The Effective Leader, who had emerged as a staunch critic of the Leadership Pill, was convinced that the Leadership Pill was composed of the wrong ingredients.

"The problem with the Leadership Pill is what's in it. LPI tried to infuse their product with classic lessons in leadership, but apparently they extracted the wrong stuff," stated the Effective Leader. "I've observed people who use the Leadership Pill and find they are concerned only about getting results. Truly effective leaders also win the trust and respect of their team members. They excel at empowering others and letting them know that what they do is important."

The Effective Leader's comments sparked concern about the Leadership Pill and prompted a rush of inquiries at LPI corporate headquarters. In response to the growing chaos, the CEO of Leadership Pill Industries went to see his director of public relations.

"What's going on here?" demanded the CEO. "Give it to me in sixty seconds or less -- I'm already late for my tee time."

"Bottom line, the Effective Leader insists that we've got a faulty pill. He's proposing a Pill-Free Challenge to prove it," explained the director of PR.

"Hold on a minute -- the Effective Leader?" mused the CEO. "Is this guy for real?"

"The Effective Leader has been a respected business guru for decades. His view on leadership is summarized in this pill-shaped message that was printed in the interview," said the director of PR as she handed the CEO the article:

Leading People
Is the Opposite of
Trying to Control Them.

"This Effective Leader needs to get with the program," said the CEO. "No one leads pill-free anymore. He should know that by now."

"I just got off the phone with him before you came in," said the director of PR. "The Effective Leader is insistent on holding a Pill-Free Challenge. He says that he has been contacted by the media to make his proposal public at a press conference. The story will hit the papers the following day."

"Big deal. So tell me how the Pill-Free Challenge works, then," growled the CEO.

The director of PR paused for a moment. "It's kind of like a taste test: pill versus pill-free leadership. An independent panel selects two low-performing cross-functional teams that suffer from poor customer service, bad morale, and diminished profitability. The Effective Leader will step in as the leader of one team, with the goal of turning the team around over a twelve-month period without ever popping a Leadership Pill."

"What about the other team?" the CEO asked.

"The other team serves as the comparison group and is led by a current leader within that organization who must abstain from Leadership Pills until the start of the Pill-Free Challenge," the director of PR continued. "After that, this leader will take the Leadership Pill religiously over the course of the year while trying to turn the comparison group into a high-performing team."

"You must be joking," said the CEO with a snort. "The Effective Leader is doomed. Without Leadership Pills, he is sure to lose. This Pill-Free Challenge can become our advertisement for why the Pill is so essential to leadership survival. I'll get the marketing team on it right away. You notify this Effective Leader fellow that we accept his challenge. This is going to be a piece of cake."

And with that, the Pill-Free Challenge became official.

Copyright © 2003 by The Blanchard Family Partnership and People First Group Holdings, LLC