How to Lead, 5th Edition

Chapter 25

Handle crises

Some people are lucky, they never encounter a real career or business crisis. However, most people find they do have a crisis at some point in their careers. It can feel very lonely. The only person who can get you out of the crisis is yourself. The middle of the organisation is where many emerging leaders find themselves bailing out to set up their vegan farm on a Scottish island. This is natural. The first flush of career enthusiasm has disappeared. The long haul to the top still looks long. Then something happens: the final straw is added to the camel’s back.

The difference between success and failure is often persistence. Successful leaders work through their crises and find that Nietzsche was right: ‘That which ...