Climate change, famine in Africa, the ongoing war in Afghanistan: What do these things have in common? še failure to e¦ectively address each has been, at least partially, attributed to a lack of political will. While it cannot be denied that these events are more globally signi¢cant when compared with the treatments of organizational politics familiar in the organizational sciences, it cannot be denied that the ability to change these events is a contest of wills-that is, the will of those who desire change pitted against the will of those protecting the status quo. Ultimately, this battle will be won decision by decision and initiative by initiative and represents the cumulative impact of countless individual acts designed to in¤uence others and a¦ect change. Inherent in each of these acts is personal risk ranging from potential losses of social capital to the loss of life. šus, what sets leaders in these situations apart from others is their motivation to accept this risk and to move their initiatives forward.