EVERY MILLENNIAL LEADER NEEDS A CRISIS

If you want to lead you need a transformative crisis. This from Bill George and Andrew Maclean who write[1] about transformative leadership passages. (By the way, the lack of one may contribute to what holds many “gap leaders” in the nonperformance zone. They simply never had the tears or scars required to move on.) But the price is high.

Chris Lowney claims that “an early crisis creates self-scrutiny and learning agility” and points to the Jesuit examen as an example. Lowney characterizes the examen as a crucible event, and as the author of a book about heroic leadership, makes a good point.

“My husband and I heard one morning that our beautiful 19-year-old Juliet had been killed in an automobile accident,” said Marilyn Carlson Nelson. How many business leaders lead because they want to make life better for others? Yet this is what Nelson steered toward in her grief. “I decided to make whatever time I had left meaningful so that time that Juliet didn't have would be well spent”, Nelson concluded.

“I'd rather have a bad meeting than a bad life” said Doug Baker of Ecolab, after laying a hard truth at the feet of his boss. This hard truth could have cost many their jobs and Baker decided to move past his "me" issues. Some would call this a CLC (“career-limiting conversation). Baker survived to become Ecolab’s CEO because his “me” paradigm shifted.

Jeff Immelt at GE had to complete an annus horribilis to move on. (BTW, little-known fact, Jack Welch talked to Peter Drucker for three hours the day before he appointed Immelt to take over at GE.)

Only when leaders stop focusing on their personal ego needs are they able to develop other leaders. Every leader reaches a point where she chooses to become powerful or to pour out her life for others. This is not only about the nonprofit sector but bidness too.

I have become suspicious of emerging, so-called “gap leaders” claiming to be on the other side of their gap, who can’t tell me a crucible story.

Giving birth seems to have this kind of effect on some women leaders I know. Another friend saw half his helicopter squadron die in Vietnam. My (formerly slightly goofy yet lovable) eldest son survived Iraq and now hangs out in Afghanistan as an army staff sergeant working with special forces. A current student confronts a profoundly life-changing possibility as he wrestles with cancer. These folks have leadership stories to tell and I’ll listen.

Trust no one ... without a crucible experience. (Millenials, listen up.)

Originally published September 5, 2010

[1] Leader to Leader, No. 45 Summer 2007

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In Crisis, Disaster, Leadership, Peter Drucker Tags Bill George, crucible, Ecolab,examen, gap leaders, General Motors, Jack Welch, Jeff Immelt, Jesuit, millenial, Peter Drucker