Experience may be a leader's best teacher--but there's a hitch. Two people can have identical experiences, but one blossoms while the other is depleted. The same can be said for any pair of fired CEOs, unsuccessful political candidates, or rookie supervisors.

In Crucibles of Leadership, Robert J. Thomas concludes that what matters most is what one makes of experience, particularly the traumatic and often unplanned crucible events that challenge one's identity as a leader. What distinguishes leaders who grow through a crucible experience? Their approach to learning. Like accomplished athletes or artists, they practice as strenuously as they perform. And because the line between performance and practice is often hard to discern, they learn how to practice while they perform.

But theirs is no ordinary practice. It's a regimen tailored to individual aspirations, motivations, and learning styles--a Personal Learning Strategy. Building on insightful and moving stories told by accomplished leaders, Thomas offers probing self-assessments and innovative tools designed to help you develop your own Personal Learning Strategy.

Provocative and original, with examples drawn from business and politics as well as from the inner workings of the Mormon Church and the Hell's Angels, Thomas's book will revolutionize the way you think about leadership and learning.

"Robert Thomas's fresh answer to the tired question of whether leaders are born or made takes readers in a new direction: toward understanding the burning challenges and even failures that turn ordinary people into great leaders. This practical book can help men and women from all walks of life rise to their full potential."

-Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School Professor and author of Confidence and America the Principled

"Learning from one's own experiences and from those of others is the Archimedes lever for leadership effectiveness. Crucibles of Leadership unlocks the secrets of learning how to lead--what a gift!"

-Fred Harburg, Former President and CLO, Motorola University and former SVP of Leadership and Learning, Fidelity Investments

"As someone who has participated in the journey of a company that has grown from $4 million to $40 billion, I believe the core premise of this book rings true. The skills derived from facing one's own "crucibles" are powerful tools for growing one's business."

-Brad Anderson, Vice Chairman and CEO, Best Buy Co., Inc.

羅伯特·托馬斯是位於波士頓的埃森哲卓越績效研究院的執行院長， 塔夫斯大學佛萊契爾國際關係學院的領導學客座教授。他從事領導力、組織設計和轉型變革等領域的研究、教學和谘詢工作。2002年，他與沃倫·本尼斯閤著瞭《極客與怪傑》一書，探索35歲以下和70歲以上的領導者的動機和誌嚮。

羅伯特也在《哈佛商業評論》、《哈佛管理前沿》和《財富》上發錶關於領導與變革的文章。他與彼得·奇斯和伊麗莎白·剋雷格閤著的《人纔驅動的組織》是最早闡述全球化企業的人纔管理戰略的著作之一。他的第一部重要著作，《機器無法代勞的事情：工業企業中的政治和技術》，獲得瞭1994年社會問題研究學會的米爾斯奬。