Harvard Business ReviewParables of Leadership W . Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne Why do the same activities lead to renewal in one company and to more - of - the same performance in another ? Almost always , the explanation comes down to " leadership . " But while it is easy to recognize leadership in action , defining the essence of leadership is hard because it cannot be reduced to a set of personal attributes nor confined to particular activities and roles . Intent on capturing the essence of leadership , W . Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne articulate five parables that capture the essence of leadership . These parables deal with the qualities that define true leaders , and allow their points to be made through stories , not through statistics or research . A young prince sent into a forest to learn to hear the unheard . A discouraged disciple whose journey down a mountain teaches him perspective . A tale of fire and water . In these and their other parables , the authors illuminate the qualities and actions that define a leader . In so doing , they give every reader an occasion to reflect on his or her own life and work . W . Chan Kim is The Boston Consulting Group Bruce D . Henderson Chair Professor of International Management at INSEAD , France . Renée Mauborgne is The INSEAD Distinguished Fellow and Affiliate Professor of Strategy and Management at INSEAD . She is also President of ITM Research . For a complete list of Professor W . Chan Kim ' s articles in : Harvard Business Review