alexander

4 THE WISDOM OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
the reality transformation derived from asserting that the
customer comes first.
Alexander the Great sometimes reframed problems by
creating another problem. When he solved this new, ‘‘created’’
problem, the original ‘‘unsolvable’’ problem was either
irrelevant, trivial to solve, or moot. I call this process
problem displacement, and it is arguably the most important
leadership secret in this book. As you will see in the following
historical analysis, Alexander the Great did not accept
perceptions of his environment as limitations to be accommodated.
Perceived problems were reframed into alternative
problems, which were then solved. Often, the solution
was to redefine the situation, and then act in accord with
the newly constructed reality. The recast, solvable problem
became the solution to the original problem. Sometimes
just telling people something different from what they believed
was enough.