Crucibles

Of
Leadership
Introduction
The topic is taken from the book “ Crucibles Of
Leadership” . It is written by Robert J Thomas .
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.

 Meaning of crucible
A crucible is a vessel used for high temperature
chemical reactions. It is made of material that does
not melt easily. In medieval times alchemists used it to
convert the base metal into gold. The author refers to
profound experiences as crucibles. Apart from this it
also means searching test or trial. Crucible
experiences is a severe test of patience or belief. It
refer to an intense, meaningful and often
transformational experience. It is something which
transforms us, and shakes and shapes our lives. Some
of these experiences last a short time, others much
longer. Either way, they help change us in some way.
According to author “ crucible is more like trial or
tests that corner individual and tests that corner
individuals and force them to answer questions about
who they are and what is really important to them” .
 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 one’s
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
 
 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
To learn from crucibles experience the leader should have :
1. Adaptive capacity
2. Ability to engage others
3. Integrity
 Learning from crucible
experiences
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.
Learning from crucible experiences
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 .
Learning from crucible
experiences
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.
 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
 Organizational implications
For developing experience based leaders the
organizations must have to implement the
techniques of crucible experiences.
Experience based leader development
process involves :
1. Preparing – Leaders should be prepared
by putting them into those situations
which are totally different from perception
and access risks and consequences .
2. Deploying- Deploying refers to practice .
So practice has to become an essential and
valued activity for leaders .
3. Renewing – It refers to the process of
preserving and renewing what the leaders
learned from these experiences .
 Conclusion
Crucible experiences are very important in
developing a good leader . Experiences always
makes the man perfect. These experiences will
help the leader in facing the problems which
will come in future. Exposure and life changing
experiences often hold the key to the
development of a great leader . So
organizations must help leaders to adapt and
learn , and engage the leaders in the most
intensive learning when experiences actually
happen. And this is the stuff of true leadership.
 Made by :
Rohan Srivastava
Monika Verma
Mayank Shekhar
Sushmita Mishra
Vikramjit singh minhas