In 725 AD Leo III, the Syrian emperor of Constantinople, toppled the huge statue of Christ that loomed over his palace’s front gate. What Leo wanted to do was to prove his independence from church authority. What Leo DID was to create a new term, "iconoclast," which means "the destroyer of an icon."

A more contemporary image, one that we all share, is of Iraqi citizens toppling the huge statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad after the arrival of US troops. That was an act of "iconoclasm."

But things we target most often to get torn down have changed. In fact, there is a new book out that suggests that this word "iconoclast" is best used to describe "A person who does something others say can’t be done."

In his book by that title, Iconoclast (Harvard Business Press, 2008), Gregory Berns conte…