It's Who You Know, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 5Search for your Core Four

Four is a magic number.

Just as there are four essential elements that work together in the universe (fire, water, air and earth), there are four critical roles in business. These are:

1. Chief Executive Officer — vision and strategy = fire
2. Chief Operating Officer — resources and operations = water
3. Chief Information Officer — new thinking = air
4. Chief Financial Officer — performance and results = earth.

In sport, every successful team consolidates vision, talent, ideas and action across the four key roles of owner, manager, coach and captain. In ‘The Making of a Corporate Athlete' (HBR, January 2001), Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz propose that an individual optimises their talents and skills through the balance of four key areas: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Many popular TV shows hinge on four key characters. Think of Vince, Drama, Eric and Turtle in Entourage. In Sex and the City the four lead characters can be broken down into four distinct personalities:

1. Samantha — rebel, lover, fanatic (fire)
2. Charlotte — fantasist, carer, nurturer (water)
3. Carrie — dreamer, writer, thinker (air)
4. Miranda — butt-kicker, go-getter, realist (earth).

Novelist J. K. Rowling based her Harry Potter series on the chronicles and adventures of four houses at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, whose heroes included (and could be exemplified by):

1. Gryffindor — adventurous, courageous, brave and determined (fire)
2. Hufflepuff — hard working, dedicated, patient ...