Mastering Leadership summary

Most of us instinctively appreciate the importance of good leadership. But among many leaders themselves, a paradox exists. Even though most of them agree that effective leadership has an enormous impact on the performance and growth of their organizations, they rarely list developing their own effectiveness as a top priority.

Unfortunately, the research is clear that this paradox is harming organizations. 

What separates an adult mindset from a teenage one, and how do you know when you’ve grown up? Many pinpoint maturity as starting when you accept and internalize the responsibilities that society places on you. We start prioritizing our career, and the financial security of our loved ones. Viewed like this, a mature mindset sounds like exactly what a leader would need to succeed. But the authors disagree. They believe that, as we mature, we often lose our ability to lead effectively. 

The authors frame adult life as a constant battle between our need for safety and our need for purpose. We want a steady career, a mortgage, a pension; but we also want meaning in our lives – we dream of living out our deepest desires and becoming the best version of ourselves. 

Moving from reactive to creative leadership is no easy task. This transformation, which all great leaders must undertake, is central to mythology scholar Joseph Campbell’s classic book, The Hero’s Journey. In this seminal work, Campbell outlines the mythical journey that human societies the world over have described in their religions and legends throughout the ages. This mythological archetype is still relevant to young leaders who dream of greatness today. 

At its core, this hero’s journey tells of a young person who leaves the village in which he has lived all his life, and ventures out into the unknown. Already, we can see how this ancient myth applies to leadership today. 

To become a creative leader, you’ll need to prioritize purpose over safety, and envision a brave new world for your organization. But what purpose are we talking about? And whose vision are we building? 

The answer is that creative leaders need to focus solely on their own purpose and vision; no one else’s will do. To become the best and most effective leader you can be, your leadership needs to be aligned with what you truly want out of life. Ask yourself the following questions: Who would I be if I knew it were safe to be that person? And what would I do in my organization if I knew I wouldn’t get fired? The answers might surprise you, and may even scare you. 

You might think that having a visionary, authentic style of leadership is the endgame, but there’s another step along the way. Your heroic journey toward mastering leadership doesn’t stop when you achieve a creative mindset. Instead, the most effective leaders practice integral leadership. This style is so advanced that only around 5 percent of leaders ever realize it. 

Integral leaders are able to integrate the results-focused, cautious style of the reactive leader with the authentic, visionary flair of the creative. In other words, they manage to embrace the values of safety and meaning, authenticity, and tradition simultaneously in their leadership style.