Chapter 2: Learning From Experience

This chapter begins with the idea of effective managers in organizations reverting back to challenging job assignments, developmental relationships, and adverse situations, when identifying events that have had the greatest impact on how they lead and manage today.  I believe this is a common situation when describing how leaders develop.  When leaders are faced with any of these situations listed above, this is what determines true leaders.  Do you agree with this idea?  Look at your past experiences with these types of situations.  Personally, I can say that adverse situations in my life have made me who I am today.  Looking back at challenging job assignments, developmental relationships, and adverse situations in my life, I believe that they have molded me into a better person.  An example of this is in my current job, I was given a project by my manager.  My manager on purposely did not give me a lot of direction, challenging me to work through uncertainty.  In the end, I completed the project and was complimented by my manager.  This showed me that I can work through problems without necessarily having a mentor guiding me through every step.  I will carry this idea mentioned above throughout my personal and professional life, knowing that hardship will more than likely lead to prosperity.

Another topic in Chapter 2 involves diversifying experiences across organizational boundaries.  In this, executive success in organizations highlights the need for cross-functional or lateral moves throughout the organization.  In other words, success in organizations has a direct correlation with moving people from job to job in an organization.  This will give the person(s) a better view of the organization as a whole, and it also gives them a view on how other people lead and manage.  The book claims that, "While traditional career paths that are focused within a singular function may serve the needs of developing technical experts, the development of leaders requires one that zigzags across vertical, horizontal, and stakeholder boundaries.  Do you believe this statement is true?  Personally, I believe it is important for leaders to be well-rounded in their perception of how an organization runs, and lateral moves within an organization can accomplish this.