As we learned in my previous post, crucibles are trials that rupture the status quo of a person’s life. These events disrupt our current life trajectory. They are the catalyst that overcomes our inertia.
They come upon us unexpectedly and force us to answer fundamental questions about our identity, values, purpose, and priorities. Crucibles require a level of deep self-reflection that they may have never experienced.
My students often balk at the requirement to explore these events and I always encourage them to allow themselves the discomfort of fully experiencing these disruptions and mining them for the gold that is there.
They require a person to step up and do something they had never done before or become someone that had not been previously.
Thomas identifies three unique forms of crucible events. The first form of crucible is labeled “new territory” and involves an encounter with a new or previously unknown environment. These crucibles develop the leader’s adaptive capacity by sharpening his or her awareness and the ability to make sense of this information in an unfamiliar setting.
This aspect of adaptive capacity is similar to what Quinn (1996) refers to as “adaptive confidence.” This is the ability to learn in real time and requires a humility that allows us to drop inaccurate assumptions and flawed strategies in the midst of ongoing actions.
When was the last time you entered "new territory?" What did you learn there?
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