This book is different than other books you have probably read. These are not fables. These are not copious chapters containing theories and exercises. This book contains several episodes based on real life events and characters (changed and modified of course) to illustrate the first core concept of leadership, namely "Who's Paying?" We believe this is the most basic, and most fundamental, concept to understanding leadership. Unfortunately, it is the most overlooked. Square Cow evolved from the collective, real life experiences of the book's authors from various management and leadership positions that we served in while working at different Fortune 1000 organizations. It was during these experiences that we realized that all of our schooling and voracious reading of management and leadership literature did nothing to prepare us for the real life crises and disasters we encountered on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, we recognized that our quickly rising careers in the corporate world resulted from our own unique strategies that differed markedly from common teachings and practice amongst others around us. You see, we quickly gravitated toward strategies and tactics that were out of place by conventional mainstream standards. In other words, what we practiced and executed was different, and most times, completely opposite to what nearly everyone around us did. We were breaking the mold, and in the process, we crushed expectations. Our careers rocketed higher and higher as a result. But, something more important began to happen. We began to change the world. Yes, that is right. We began to change the world by impacting everybody around us in such a way that they began to change and to grow. The most fundamentally rewarding success we achieved was not the larger salaries or bigger teams, but it was from helping others grow into successful and highly capable individuals and leaders. We helped others by teaching them our Square Cow concepts and theories, albeit under disguise. We fine-tuned these concepts based on our results. What you will read about in this book was tried and tested not only by these authors, but implemented successfully by all different types of people in all different types of functions. As the book's cover states, these are based on true-life experiences. We only preach what we have practiced successfully. Square Cow is a collective body of theories, concepts, and actions that serve to guide an individual's behavior. From staff person, to managers, to executives, Square Cow enables people at all levels and in all functions to crush expectations and to change peoples' lives for the greater good. We know this is true already, for we each have lived and taught Square Cow successfully for years. Your first step to success is to stop following the herd. We will help you.