During my most recent career endeavor, I have been engaged as a change agent at the top of a small technology company. This company was in trouble, having slid in sales and losing a string of talented, key employees. The company didn’t instantly end up in trouble; it was a myriad of things that compounded to create a tenuous environment.

My initial engagement was being hired by the owners of the company to craft a strategic marketing direction that tied together all of the divisions of the company into a single-threaded mission.

That’s much easier said than done.

When I stepped into the role, I was assuming that there was far more to work with than the quagmire that really existed. It was as much of a surprise to both the ownership and I just how thin the organization was vs. the perception of what was really there.

Undaunted, I forged ahead with my mission. I was a fresh piece of bloody chum dropped into the midst of the circling school of piranhas.

Before taking the assignment, I made it clear to the ownership that I was a consensus-builder, and wanted to create my own authority through organic, servant leadership vs. being anointed as an "agent of the king", complete with my very own brass nameplate and a badge of honor. Whatever mission we created had to come as a team effort – the environment wasn’t one where a dominant, authoritarian approach would have succeeded.

So fast forward a couple of months (seems like a year), and we’ve got the genesis of a real mission coming together – a viable, entrepreneurial vision that is taking shape that is a perfect fit to leverage all of the experience and resources of this company. I am genuinely excited about the prospects, and most of all, glad that I could get my arms around this thing in spite of the unforeseen challenges.

But that’s not the real point of this conversation.

Being adaptable is an attribute that I have learned over the years. Leadership isn’t about driving the vision at all costs, but about having a set of coaching and team-building skills that transcend far beyond “the mission”. Understanding how to motivate people to join up with your cause has nothing to do with the number of stripes on your sleeve. In fact, most people hate authority and authoritarian approaches.

A successful business culture is one where the organization helps to identify each individual’s skill sets, and then figures out a way for that person to leverage those skills in such a way to further the team’s mission. Everyone has dreams and aspirations. Finding a way to connect each individual’s dreams to the immediate need is essential. A leader is as much a "dream weaver" (cue the Gary Wright tune) as a commanding general.

This comes down to each person needing a sense of purpose. People want a chance to make a difference. They want goals. People want to do work that is meaningful. They want responsibility and autonomy. They want to be a part of the journey to success.

The best way to do create this environment is to write a story. Help people define the mission. Help them invent it for themselves.

What is the common dragon that needs slaying?

What walled fortress needs scaled?

Once that is underway, the mission is then solidified with a common enemy – who is the antagonist that wants to keep you from achieving your mission? Who is the bad guy?

Now does it all start to make sense?

Leadership is storytelling. It’s creating a living literary plot. It’s the classic hero’s journey.

By creating a vision that could be internalized and invented by each person on the team, I was able to skip past all the fighting, the fear, and the morose failure mode. Everyone was instantly able to see the path, and most of all recognize their own position on the team.

I am Gandalf, and we’re Bilbo Baggins’ band of hobbits, elves, and dwarves, marching towards Lonely Mountain.