Leadership and the Art of Struggle How Great Leaders Grow through Challenge and Adversity

by Snyder, Steven

• ISBN13: 9781609946449
• ISBN10: 1609946448
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-02-04
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

Leaders struggle every day to have influence, battle stress, and create the future. Each day seems to spawn three problems for every one that gets solved. New initiatives fail, senior managers and investors grow impatient, and direct reports can chafe at feedback. Steven Snyder has a message for junior leaders and CEO's alike--this is all perfectly normal and part of the job. The myth of the perfectly confident, unflappable, and poised leader is just that-a myth. Snyder builds on more than 30 years as an executive, CEO, and academic to provide a blueprint for growing through adversity. He has studied nearly 100 senior executives to distill what really matters most in becoming a great leader. His main takeaway is that the struggle never goes away, and real growth only becomes possible when leaders become willing to learn. Snyder then digs into fifteen key strategies for mastering the art of struggle, from understanding the inevitable tensions, to practicing accountability and emotional centering. To be sure, Snyder does not promise any magic pill or quick fixes-the process of becoming a great leader is a lifetime journey. There may be no perfect leaders-but readers of this book will learn how to achieve greatness in the struggle.

Author Biography

Steven Snyder is the founder of Snyder Leadership Group, an organizational consulting firm dedicated to cultivating inspired leadership. He is also an executive fellow in leadership at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Snyder was an early executive at Microsoft, where he managed the company’s relationship with IBM and was the general manager of a business unit. Later, Snyder became CEO of the Internet startup Net Perceptions, where he won the World Technology Award for Commerce.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Bill George
Introduction

Part One: Becoming Grounded
Chapter One: Struggle Is Not a Four Letter Word
Chapter Two: Adaptive Energy
Chapter Three: Turn Your Energy into Adaptive Energy
Grounding Practice #1: Adopt a Growth Mindset
Grounding Practice #2: Become Resilient in the Face of Failure
Chapter Four: Make Sense of a Chaotic World
Grounding Practice #3: Draw Your Tension Map
Chapter Five: Regain Balance
Grounding Practice #4: Center Your Mind, Body and Spirit
Grounding Practice #5: Find the Support You Need

Part Two: Exploring New Pathways
Chapter Six: Navigate Tensions
Exploring Practice #1: Re-imagine the Situation to Discover a New Creative Path
Exploring Practice #2: Re-invent Yourself
Chapter Seven: Illuminate Blind Spots
Exploring Practice #3: Overcome Your Blind Spots
Chapter Eight: Transcend Conflict
Exploring Practice #4: Heal Yourself from Conflict
Exploring Practice #5: Envision the Common Ground
Chapter Nine: Discover Purpose and Meaning through Struggle
Exploring Practice #6: Write or Revise Your Personal Vision Statement
Exploring Practice #7: Re-commit, Pivot or Leap

Part Three: Deepening Adaptive Energy
Chapter Ten: Peer into the Future
Deepening Practice #1: Prepare for What Lies Ahead
Chapter Eleven: Savor the Marathon
Deepening Practice: Harness the Engine of Discipline
Deepening Practice: Celebrate What’s Precious
Additional Resources
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author