Introduction

I WAS SPELLBOUND WATCHING THE FIRST PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION of the Lisa, Apple’s first computer with a graphical user interface (GUI). Steve Jobs had introduced the Lisa to journalists in New York City the week before, and his presentations had been electrifying. The event I attended in January 1983, which took place at the old New England Life Hall, was hosted by the Boston Computer Society, the world’s largest computer user group. Like many in the audience, I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of this bold new technology that promised to bring us to the cusp of a new age of computing.

What I did not know then was that, behind his charisma and bravado, Jobs was deeply conflicted and struggling on multiple levels. He had been thrown off the Lisa team because of detrimental, counterproductive behavior. Even as he was publicly extolling the virtues of the Lisa, he was doing everything he could within Apple to undermine its success in favor of the Macintosh. Adding to the irony on a personal level, the Lisa had been named for the daughter whom Jobs had abandoned, just as he himself had been abandoned by his own parents as an infant. In May 1985, Jobs’s aggressive, disrespectful, take-no-prisoners management style would contribute to his losing a power struggle with John Sculley—the chief executive officer that he had handpicked, wooed, and once called friend. Disillusioned and despondent, he left the company he had helped to found.

The Steve Jobs who emerged two decades later to deliver the 2005 Stanford University commencement address was a very different person. He had confronted his struggles, personal and professional, and had navigated through a number of challenges. He was on his way to becoming one of the most influential leaders of our time. Even though he died tragically young in 2011, his life is a testament to personal growth, leadership development, and human potential. Not only did Jobs push the boundaries of what was considered possible, he radically changed our thinking about leadership and innovation. He maximized his own contribution, left us wondering what more might have followed, and inspired us to see the benefits of shifting our perspective and thinking in new ways. Through his struggles Jobs had redefined his purpose in life and transformed his leadership energies in service to this core purpose.

Steve Jobs was not a perfect man or a perfect leader. He was a leader who struggled, like all of us, and whose life and leadership illustrated the developmental metamorphosis that is available to us all. All we need to do is choose it.

Viewing Struggle as an Art

Leadership is often a struggle. Yet societal taboos often prevent leaders from talking openly and honestly about their struggles for fear of being perceived as ineffective and inadequate. Social mores reinforce the myth that leaders are supposed to be perfect and that struggle is a sign of weakness and a source of shame. It is hard to keep these societal views in perspective, especially when facing significant challenges. This cultural programming, learned over many years, becomes ingrained, causing some leaders to lose their confidence and doubt their abilities, thinking something is wrong with them.

The best leaders learn to sidestep these unrealistic expectations by accepting themselves for who they are today while continually striving to be better tomorrow. These individuals come to understand that struggle is a natural part of leadership and that it is often the struggle itself that unlocks the potential for the greatest growth. Instead of denying the struggle or feeling diminished by it, they learn to embrace it as an art to be mastered. Consequently, they develop skills, capabilities, and practices that help them cope with—and even thrive in the midst of—challenge and adversity.

Everyone is at their own unique stage in the leadership continuum and in their mastery of the art of struggle. Some leaders, especially those who are just starting out, may not be aware that their behavior is counterproductive. They have no self-regulatory mechanism, no brakes. Some are so oblivious that they just plunge ahead until they run into a brick wall. They have no awareness of how their own choices and blind spots get them into trouble, and they blame others for their misfortune.

Some continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over. They go from one job to another, acting out the same patterns, reenacting the same scripts. As these scripts play out, they produce the same predictable, unsatisfactory results. Yet they lack the insight to connect the dots between their own unenlightened behavior and the unfavorable outcomes they grumble about.

Great leaders use failure as a wake-up call. Instead of blaming others, they seek out the counsel of a mentor and/or turn their attention inward for reflection and introspection. They become aware of how their own behaviors and practices contribute to undesirable outcomes and resolve to break from past habits, to begin anew. The next time they encounter the same constellation of circumstances, they try a different approach. Choosing a new script frees them from the prison of stale thinking and unproductive behavior and leads to an understanding of how they can work with others to achieve some larger purpose or mission.

As these awakened individuals advance on their leadership journey, they gradually view themselves and their role as leaders in fundamentally different ways than they did earlier in their careers. They reach a place where they view leadership as an enriching, deeply human experience. They derive happiness and fulfillment from not only their successes but also the intrinsic nature of the journey itself.

My goal is to meet you where you are right now and guide you to take your leadership to the next level. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or intimidated at any point in the process, I urge you to press forward. I truly believe that you will come to look forward to the challenges that await you, with anticipation, eagerness, and a newfound sense of confidence. Whether you feel self-conscious or self-assured, you will learn about potential pitfalls in the road ahead and how best to avoid them.

If you are immersed in a difficult leadership challenge and feeling trapped in a situation that seems beyond your control, the ideas and the exercises in this book can help reignite your sense of empowerment and spur you to brainstorm creative new solutions. Even if you consider yourself an accomplished leader with an extensive résumé of achievements, the insights you glean from these pages may expand your view of leadership and better equip you to coach others through their own struggles.

Ultimately, I am confident that you will find value in this book because it is a synthesis of collective wisdom from extraordinary leaders. They have gone through the same struggles you have. They have found the paths that are best for them. I am certain that you will find the path that is best for you.

Fulfilling your potential as a leader requires that you think differently about leadership. You must recast your struggles as positive learning experiences and view them as necessary steps in your development as a leader. You must look at leadership through an entirely different lens.

Leadership through a Different Lens

Some years ago I heard a former classmate of mine, Joe Badaracco, speak about a course he was teaching at Harvard Business School. He and his students studied leadership through the lens of literature. Instead of the usual case studies, the course examined the lives of fictional characters in literary works such as Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Sharer, and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Badaracco’s premise was that fiction opens a new portal on leadership, deepening the understanding of leadership as a human endeavor, a reality that is often absent in other leadership approaches.

By delving into the raw humanity of these flawed yet often heroic characters, Badaracco guided his students to a compelling insight:

Leadership is a struggle by flawed human beings to make some important human values real and effective in the world as it is.

This concept may push some people out of their comfort zone. In a world influenced by relentlessly upbeat urgings, leaders may feel awkward about acknowledging that they struggle. It is understandable that leaders may be too deeply embarrassed to reveal their flaws—or to admit that they even have flaws. This reluctance is why Badaracco’s lens—let’s call it the Struggle Lens—is so crucial. It offers a visceral understanding of the human condition, which is the key to unlocking leadership potential and awakening the mind to an expanded menu of choices and possibilities. Let’s examine this Struggle Lens point by point.

Leadership … The Struggle Lens begins with several different assumptions about leadership. While other leadership models implicitly draw a distinction between leaders and followers, this lens is egalitarian: Everyone who engages in the struggle to make important human values real and effective is practicing leadership. Similarly, while other leadership models focus only on external behaviors, the Struggle Lens expands this view to also embrace the inner experience of the leader.

… is a struggle … Yes, leadership is a struggle, at least some of the time. It is vitally important to face this struggle head on—not hiding from it or feeling shame—because struggle is the gateway to learning and growth.

… by flawed human beings… All human beings have their own unique frailties. Some may argue that people should concentrate on developing their strengths and take no notice of their weaknesses. But conveniently ignoring blind spots, as noted in chapter 7, can lead to serious trouble. By acknowledging that you are imperfect, you give voice to a fundamental truth about what it is to be human, opening pathways for compassion, forgiveness, and healing.

… to make some important human values real and effective … Traditional leadership models emphasize the importance, and rightly so, of goal attainment. Yet an obsessive preoccupation with goals may blind a leader to circumstances in which goals and values, whether personal or organizational, are not in sync. This misalignment needs to be brought front and center so that explicit conversations can take place. What’s more, not all important human values can be made real and effective in every situation, so choices must be made. What does that process look like?

… in the world as it is. Leadership occurs not in some ideal world but in the real world, filled with complexity, chaos, and uncertainty. Taking action always produces consequences that ripple out into the world at large. And no matter how creative the solution, there are always limits to an individual’s power and influence; some factors are simply beyond one’s control. Conviction must be tempered with pragmatism.

The Struggle Lens presents a new portrait of leadership, affirming that struggle has been central to humanity throughout the ages. A new narrative surfaces, emphasizing the realization of human potential through the crucible of adversity.

While traditional leadership narratives contemplate what and how, this struggle-centric narrative probes deeper, uncovering why. Ultimately, it becomes clear that the actualization of important human values is at the core of all human striving.

Indeed struggle and leadership are unquestionably intertwined. A new perspective dawns when struggle is recognized as an intrinsic aspect of leadership and an opportunity for leaders to realize their full potential. When struggle is viewed as an art to be mastered, a new set of strategies and practices emerges, enabling leaders to elevate their skills to ever-greater heights.

The Art of Struggle: Mastery Practices

Although the Struggle Lens was initially focused on fictional characters, its power can be fully leveraged by using it to probe real stories of actual leaders. To that end I asked numerous corporate, nonprofit, and government leaders to recall and describe a time of great struggle in their professional careers. Rather than predefine for them what struggle was, I allowed their unique narratives to guide my inquiry.

From 151 struggle examples covering a variety of challenging situations, a distinct pattern emerged. I saw that three fundamental conditions, or defining elements, were at the heart of every episode:

Change plays a prominent role in leadership struggle.

This change creates a natural set of tensions.

The tensions throw the leader off balance.

Many of these real-world struggle stories turned out well. Some did not. Outcomes were influenced largely by how effectively leaders channeled their energies to accept and embrace change and adaptively engage in the struggle. Even in the stories that ended badly, there was much learning to be gained; failures often proved to be catalysts for future growth.

How can leaders learn to adaptively and effectively channel their energies? My research reveals a set of core practices that form the backbone of this book, which is organized into three parts.

Part I, which encompasses the first five chapters, focuses on becoming grounded—gaining a mooring on struggle and restoring balance. After a closer look at the defining elements of struggle (change, tensions, and being out of balance), the spotlight is trained on different scripts that commonly play out as struggle unfolds. You will also be introduced to the grounding practices:

Adopt a growth mind-set.

Become resilient in the face of failure.

Draw your tension map.

Center your mind, body, and spirit.

Find the support you need.

After becoming grounded, leaders are ready to explore new pathways, the focus of the four chapters in part II. An extended discussion of the Struggle Lens provides context and texture as the exploring practices are examined:

Reimagine the situation to discover a new creative path.

Reinvent yourself.

Overcome your blind spots.

Heal yourself from conflict.

Envision the common ground.

The Pathway to Adaptive Energy

Write or revise your personal vision statement.

Recommit, pivot, or leap.

Part III is dedicated to deepening your adaptive energy so that you can fully realize your leadership potential. The deepening practices offered in these final two chapters validate that the leadership journey is a marathon. Yet the journey becomes more enjoyable and rewarding with every mile as you learn and apply the deepening practices:

Prepare for what lies ahead.

Harness the engine of discipline.

Celebrate what’s precious.

Taking Center Stage: Leader Stories

A real-world exploration of leadership struggle requires real stories told by real leaders. You will meet people like Anne Mulcahy, Kathee Tesija, Ken Melrose, Joe Dowling, Dick Schulze, Marc Belton, Kate Herzog, Joe Kelly, David Durenberger, and Mike Berman. All know what it’s like to be highly regarded leaders in careers as diverse as business, government, theater, and the military. All share their struggle narratives and, more importantly, their learning. In a few stories I have changed names and altered details—as indicated in the Notes—to protect the privacy of certain individuals. Some of these leaders stumbled badly before recovering admirably to blaze new trails or imagine innovative new solutions. Others discovered more-fulfilling career and life paths through their struggles. Other leaders who nose-dived and burned out emerged better and wiser for the experience.

I will also share my own stories, including some that illustrate the lessons I learned while working for and with Bill Gates. I hope and trust that you will actively engage with this narrative through the use of your own stories as well, beginning with the reflective exercises in chapter 3 as well as the additional resources on my website, www.snyderleadership.com. By relating to and connecting with these leadership stories, taking the mastery practices to heart, and working through the accompanying exercises, you will make the art of struggle come to life in ways both personal and profound.

Fully investing in this book by treating it as an interactive experience can only benefit your own leadership journey. The art of struggle is messy and imprecise. The path is littered with obstacles. You must summon the courage to confront your own story, to reconstruct your leadership narrative, and to forge ahead even in the midst of hardship. Out of your discomfort will flow a newfound ease, a self-assuredness that is at once both calming and energizing, and the rewarding blend of command and confidence that only mastery can bestow.

If you are ready, it is time to begin.