A Journey From Management to Leadership

One student of deep change was Robert Yamamoto, executive director of the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce. For his first four years in the job, Robert felt good about his accomplishments. Then, a new board president told him that he lacked the leadership capacity necessary to move the organization forward and he would soon be replaced.

The shock Robert experienced served as a turning point. It was the beginning of a personal odyssey of discovery and deep change that began with a great deal of soul searching.

During the next few months I went through a period of deep introspection. I began to distrust my environment and staff, and I questioned my own management skills and leadership ability. I felt that the board had lost confidence in my ability, so I resigned my position. I became very afraid for myself and my family, and I began to fantasize about ways to somehow keep my job (do it better, faster). I also started to search for a new job.