I reflected this weekend about the way that people really learn leadership. While I am a very active leadership teacher, lecturer, and author, I strongly believe in the power of experience in shaping the behavior of leaders.

Consider the following on crucible experiences:

Crucible experiences. Robert Thomas wrote, “Leaders learn how to lead from experience. Formal training can help, but it’s no substitute for learning on, and off, the job. (Crucibles of Leadership: How to learn from experience to become a great leader, Robert J Thomas, Harvard Business Press, 2008). All the classroom programs and rich didactic curriculum is wasted if physicians do not have the chance to put the principles into practice. Interesting, this is exactly how physician train – and yet, many organizations rely solely on the classroom courses to “produce” physician leaders and managers.

A crucible experience is one in which one is tested, stretched, challenged by something that is “real.” The experiences could take place at work or in other settings. Some leaders have honed great skills though taking on leadership roles in churches and other outside organizations. Crucible experiences can take place when leaders are put into very novel situations they have not confronted before. Thomas suggests that there are three types of crucible experiences. They are: “new territory” when someone is placed in a different role or position with different skill set demands, essentially dealing with that which is not known; “reversal,” when there has been a loss or failure; and “suspension,” which is a situation which requires an extensive time of reflection or deliberation. It is also important to note that crucibles can come through the result of total failure.