Crucible Roles
A crucible is a vessel used to heat metals or other substances together at high temperature (1500-5000°F). The crucible itself is made of material (ceramic, metal, slate, etc) that can withstand intense heat but allow other materials to change in a controlled space.
I've lately been fascinated by the impact of "crucible roles" in a person's career and the types of leaders that emerge from this melding. These types of positions put a leader under intense heat and allow them to blend new experiences and potentially untapped skills into something new--a stronger substance or leader than existed previously.
· Crucible roles force the individual and tough situations together into close, unescapable proximity. People are looking to them to solve the problem.
· This is generally a role where opportunity is provided to the individual by others (bosses and mentors) because they see potential that will rise to the occasion.
· These types of roles bring out blind spots and showcase flaws, but also allow the leader opportunity to push past and execute, to find how to manage their own weaknesses.
· Failure might be expected. It could be that it is a no-win situation and a leader in the crucible doesn’t know that. And because they don’t know, they find a way to win anyway.
· There’s a defined ending. The product launches, the goal is reached, or moved to a point of rotation hand off.
· Crucible roles are preparatory. They lead to something – a bigger role or a change in leadership.
At the heart of this concept, crucible roles require thoughtful risk-taking on talented individuals. To be successful, a business has to be okay with the idea that they are actively developing their talent by putting them in hard situations where failure is a possibility. It’s a high-risk, high reward talent strategy.
For driven individuals who seek crucible roles and big opportunities, finding a company that makes big bets on people is a reason to join or stay with an organization.