One of the paradoxes in modern business is that tremendous importance is attached to someone who does very little by himself but depends on others in the organisation to carry out what he wants. To explain how critical the CEO's role is let me take recourse to an analogy-mountaineering.

	Second World First?
	Going By The Book

The primary job of the expedition leader is to select the right mountain (goal). The target has to be commensurate with the resources available-the mission statement, if you please. Next, he has to select the right people with the right skills, attitude and the commitment to stretch to the limit. Ask any mountaineer and he will tell you that the right team member can make that vital difference between success and failure, between life and death. Then, he has to provide them with the necessary tools. He must ensure that his people are not asked to trudge the snow with canvas shoes.

Now comes the biggest challenge-blending people into a team while allowing them to retain their individual identities-creating the right values and organisational culture where each member climbs at his own pace, yet remains bound to the team on the common rope; where the slips of one are halted by the firm anchor of another. The leader needs to be astute at reading the situation correctly. He must know when to withdraw to the base camp and when to mount an assault. The biggest failure of the hi-tech industry has been the inability of its leaders to read their business prospects correctly.

Finally, he must leave the climbers to do their jobs without interference, but with sufficient control over the end-goals. Ironically, the true test of a leader is how well the team performs without him.