Leadership and the Art of Struggle (BK Business) by Steven Snyder

Author:Steven Snyder [Snyder, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Published: 2013-02-07T14:00:00+00:00

Even though Hogan had recognized this problem early on in his tenure as CEO, the organization had resisted his early efforts to confront these tensions of tradition. “Everything I did was considered an attack on decentralization,” he said.

The “winning right” mantra gave permission for Hogan to initiate a new conversation around this sensitive topic. “Decentralization didn’t have anything to do with winning right,” he noted. Thus this new yardstick for success—winning right—built the foundation for a new corporate culture, encapsulating the dream that attracted him to the company: a high-performance company with a heart.

Hogan’s experience illustrates how a number of concepts in this book can be practically applied. His story begins with the stumble/recover/learn script. As Hogan began to doubt his effectiveness in setting internal company standards, his reflective mind told him to pay attention; something was not quite right.

As the script unfolded, Hogan’s adaptive energy kicked in. Summoned by the reflective mind’s call to action, Hogan reimagined the situation and conceived a fresh new approach: a three-tiered hierarchy of values. At the lowest level was winning wrong, the worst of all outcomes, one that Hogan would do anything to avoid. More preferred was losing right. Hogan didn’t want to lose, but he preferred losing the right way to winning the wrong way. At the top of the hierarchy was winning right. This two-word motto, which epitomized the ultimate criteria for success, would come to embody the company’s highest aspirations.

With the emergence of winning right, Hogan moved on from the stumble/recover/learn script as the ripples of his creative brainstorm extended beyond what he had imagined possible. As he began following the transcending-constraint script, he saw an opportunity to legitimately dismantle the culture of decentralization, a previous constraint on corporate performance.

Hogan’s intuitive leap exemplifies the mind-set of an experienced leader. After embracing struggle and navigating tensions, he discovered a creative solution that would surprise even him with its far-reaching effects.

Reflective Exercise: Reimagine Your Situation

Now it is your turn. Try to envision a pathway through whatever challenges you’re facing. To get started, consider the following questions:

Have you suffered a setback like Hogan did? If so, it’s natural to experience some negative emotions. Take a little time to acknowledge them. Now, using the ABC exercise from chapter 3, examine the underlying beliefs that led to the emotions. These could be beliefs about what caused the setback to happen and what it might mean for your future. Now think of some more adaptive beliefs that you can substitute.

Do you feel somewhat drained of energy or disengaged? If so, it’s possible that your struggle is affecting you at a deeper level. Here’s a two-pronged approach that might help: First, do something; take some small step forward, even if it seems inconsequential. Second, make sure you read the next three chapters. It’s possible that some element of your job is out of alignment with your core purpose in life. The pages that follow may shed some light on this for you.

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