Recently I was discussing some of my favorite topics (management,
leadership) with Ashok Shrivastava, retired VP at CPG giant Proctor and
Gamble. Ashok had several insights to share but this particular one was
very interesting.

When a leader declares a goal and goes ahead and achieves it, he or she
is in the “challenge” mode. When a leader does not announce what he is
doing and achieves something, he or she is in “chance” mode. In
“chance” mode, the stakes are low and in the “challenge” mode, the
stakes are high.

There are cases when one is appropriate or the other. But, if a leader is never in a “challenge” mode, there is a problem!