Crucibles of Leadership

- Warren G. Bennis and

Robert J. Thomas
Introduction
The topic is taken from the Journal Crucibles Of Leadership written
by Warren G. Bennis and Robert J. Thomas and published in the
Harvard Business Review.

This book teaches leaders how to be a good leader by leverage their
transformational experiences.

Qualities needed to become a good leader.

Types of crucible experiences .

Tells how a leader can learn from crucible experiences

And what organizations have to do to develop good leaders.

Leadership

Leadership is the ability to lead .

The ability to influence a group toward
the achievement of goals .

Leadership is a process of getting
things done through people.

Leadership means responsibility.

A crucible is, by definition, a transformative
experience through which an individual comes to a new
or an altered sense of identity.

Essence of leadership is learning and the most valuable
learning comes from experiences or more precisely
transformational experiences.

Definition
Characteristics of great leaders
Great leaders are invariably great learners.
They learn to practice while they perform.
They learn both from success and failures.
They not only learn by doing but also learn while
doing.
They are clear about there aspirations and
motivations.
Learning from crucible
experiences
Crucibles experiences converts a novice leader into an eminent
one.
Crucibles experiences transformed them and become the source of
their distinctive leadership abilities.
Crucibles experiences help the leaders in gaining clear vision of
who they are and what are their roles and their place in the world.
Crucible experiences illuminate the hidden and suppressed area of
their soul.
Crucible experiences allows a person to not only survive an ordeal
but also helps him to learn from them and become a good leader.
These experiences help the leader to emerge from devastating
circumstances without losing hope


ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS
To learn from crucibles experience
the leader should have :

Adaptive capacity

Ability to engage others

Integrity

ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Adaptive capacity: Adaptive capacity refers to the ability to
learn adjust and change according to the requirement . By
facing significant new problems and dealing with them
adaptively , leaders can achieve new levels of competence ,
which can prepare them for new upcoming challenges.

Integrity: It stands for moral and ethical principles. It is knowing
about what we stand for . It means having the courage of
conviction and remaining strong during tough times . It is the
ability to understand when to lead and when to follow.

ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Engaging others: It includes both teaching and listening .
The leader can enlist as well as command team members.
By this the leader can listen the problems of there team
members and try to solve them . Some times he will come
through such problems, previously he never faced and these
problems help him in gaining experience.
Types of Crucibles experiences
There are three main types of crucible experiences:

1. New territory - These experiences help leaders become more alert to new
information and honing skills in making sense out of a confusing situation. The
challenge is to overcome the disorientation that comes with any situation and
weave it into ones experience.
2. Reversal Such experiences are associated with loss or failure. They teach
both endurance and imagination. Typically, something believed to be
permanent, turns out to be temporary or what is believed to be true, turns out
to be false.
3. Suspension These experiences involve an extended period of contemplation
or deliberation. Here, the leaders are challenged to clarify their core values and
purpose in life. If leaders cope with this kind of experience well, they can
reinforce their personal foundation of core beliefs.



PREVAILING OVER DARKNESS
Finding meaning in trouble / disaster , Example : Do not
panic, emotion and blamed the situation Establishing a
good relationship with another person ( prison warden
).Think positive and continue to learn about the concepts of
Marxism and Mao Zhedong.

Learning to be a good leader can be done if someone
could take the meaning of difficult times surrounding ,
continue to maintain idealism , and able to develop
themselves continuously.
MEETING GREAT EXPECTATIONS
To be a leader of progress can also be done by way of
meeting the expectations and exams given by others
against him . Work hard in a yielding nature and continue
to learn so as not to disappoint others and to met many
great people are the things that make a person a leader.
Fortunately, not all crucible experiences are
traumatic. In fact, they can involve a positive, if deeply
challenging, experience such as having a demanding boss
or mentor.
Conclusion
Of this journal article , we can learn that , " Leaders
who extra ordinary can find meaning in " the most
negative events " that happened to him and also learn
from them " . Learning that she gets distributed back to
the people around him so that he can inspire trust , loyalty
and hard work to lead.

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes , they emerged
from adversity and become stronger , more confidence in
themselves and in achieving their goals , and more
committed to their work . Transformative event like this is
called the " crucibles " .