Leadership is absolutely critical for high-performance outsourcing. In this realm, however, it differs from the typical management narrative of a single individual who inspires and influences others. The key difference is that high-performance outsourcing requires effective leadership pairings, not a sole leadership figure. And leadership pairings between parties is not just at the top; it needs to cascade through the formal biparty hierarchy and include opinion leaders as well. This Executive Update explains leadership pairing and how it saved a contract in default.