I have long been a fan of PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. Early in her tenure as CEO she announced “Performance with Purpose,” a mantra that would become central to the PepsiCo journey over these past six years.

Today, she spoke at the Carlson School First Tuesday luncheon. Cheered by an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd of nearly 450, Nooyi chronicled five leadership lessons that together form the roadmap for global leaders in the 21^st century.

1. Balance the short-term and long-term. Today’s leaders are, all too often, driven only by short-term quarterly results, yielding decisions that are counterproductive for the longer-term health of the organization and society.  Effective leaders must strike a balance. Yes, they need to produce in the short term. But, their decisions must consider a longer-term horizon as well.
2. Develop a deep understanding of public/private partnerships. Nooyi points out that many private sector leaders treat the public sector (NGOs, governments) as the enemy—and visa versa.  “Stiff arming them is simply not going to work,” Nooyi says. Instead she advocates “walking a mile in their shoes.” She believes that NGO leaders do their jobs as a “labor of love.” Treating them with respect and understanding, as opposed to distain and condescension can go a long way.
3. Think global, act local. Nooyi argues this is not an outdated cliché, but instead, sound advice that can yield innovative, out-of-the box solutions. She showed part of a nine-minute commercial video, produced for the 2012 Chinese New Year.  This video gave voice to three PepsiCo brands—Pepsi, Lay, and Tropicana—none of which had enough critical mass to support a large advertising campaign. But, once the resources were pooled, such a campaign became feasible.  In addition, the commercial captured the yearning, in modern Chinese society, for parents to re-connect with their children during the Chinese New Year, a tradition that has recently become imperiled by busy careers and lives.  The commercial, which has been seen hundreds of millions of times in China, is an example of how corporate silos can be broken and local customs embraced, producing a creative solution that works for everyone.
4. Keep an open mind to adapt to changes. Nooyi cites Socratic learning—the art of asking probing questions to facilitate dialog and exploration. All-too-often, leaders close their minds to dissent, cutting off much needed debate. To lead in an ever-changing world, Nooyi says, leaders must adapt and stay nimble.
5. Lead with your head and your heart. Leaders must develop deep emotional intelligence, and bring “their whole selves to work every day.”  They must continually remind themselves that everyone who works for them is a unique human being and seek to strengthen this human connection and bond.  Nooyi talked about how she wrote letters to the parents of her entire top executive team, telling them how proud they should be about the work of their offspring.  This unconventional act created an outpouring of emotion, and more deeply connected her executive team to the company mission—tapping into their underlying passions and sense of purpose.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending an uplifting talk by D&B CEO Sara Mathew at the Carlson School of Management’s First Tuesday luncheon.

Mathew told of her remarkable journey from an entry-level clerk at Procter and Gamble to the top job at another venerable institution, Dun and Bradstreet. By itself, this is a very inspiring story. But what made her talk memorable and truly inspirational was her candor in sharing her darkest and most troubling moments.

Rising through the ranks at P&G, Mathew made her way to head investor relations in the mid-1990s, just as the Internet was catching on. There she convinced CEO John Pepper to hold P&G’s first investors webcast, advocating this as a pathway to bolster communication with key corporate stakeholders.

The webcast was a complete disaster.  Quarterly results were mediocre, and Mathew’s remarks were far too informal for the occasion. Before she knew it, she had destroyed over $3 Billion of P&G hard-fought market capitalization. Soon she would receive a handwritten note from the CEO, suggesting that P&G never do a webcast again.

As failures go, this was a big one, on a very public stage. Still, she was convinced that webcasts were a good idea; just the execution needed improvement.  She went back to the CEO to argue her case, and was granted a second chance. On the next webcast, she delivered a stellar performance. P&G never looked back, and webcasts became the standard way of communicating with investors.

Mathew attributes much of her success over the next seventeen years to this one crucial learning: “failure teaches you much more than success ever will.” It made her more resilient and unafraid to fail.

Mathew’s courage is noteworthy on two levels. First, convinced that she was on solid strategic ground, she had the courage to go back to make her case to P&G’s CEO, causing him to reverse his decision and give her a second chance. Second, she has the courage to retell this story publicly.

This, I feel, is a hallmark of an extraordinary leader; so confident in her leadership that she is willing to share her story so that others can learn as well.  Through her generous act, Mathew reveals an important truth. We are all human and imperfect.  We all struggle, and sometimes we make mistakes. And when we embrace our struggles rather than running from them, we inspire others to follow, and our leadership only continues to get stronger.

Today is the official “publication date” of my first book, Leadership and the Art of Struggle, beginning a weeklong online launch celebration.  There will be tweet chats, blog reviews, radio interviews, tweets, and Facebook excitement.

As all this is going on, I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to the many people who have helped me on this journey.

This has been a trip filled with wonderment, excitement, and learning. At each point on the path I have been blessed to come into contact with those with wisdom and insight to guide me to the next way station.

The reality is that this book is the product of a whole community, individuals who participated in my research, critiqued my ideas, reviewed my manuscripts, provided the illustrations, and transformed my garbled and rambling prose into polished sentences.

But it does not stop there.

Already, a whole team of marketing professionals have worked steadily and swiftly to get the word out. In a world cluttered with many megaphone- clad authors, this is no easy feat.

But it does not stop even there.

As more people have learned about the book, the excitement seems to feed on itself. Now readers are starting to tell other readers.

To all who have helped in this process: please accept my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation.  Without you, none of this would have been possible.

The official launch date for my book is only days away and I am amazed and gratified at how well it is all coming together.

This week we’ve seen some tremendous coverage in the press, with reviews on major media outlets, byline article placement, and blogger reviews.

Here is a sampling of some of this week’s coverage:

• My byline at Fortune: “What J.C. Penney’s Ron Johnson Must Do Now.”
• My byline at CNN: “Why Struggle at Work is Good for your Career.” 
• A mention at Entrepreneur: “How to Thrive During Tough Times.” 
• Mentions in this article at Investors: “Top Leadership Is an Exercise In Constant Improvement.”
• A review by Wayne Hurlbert a Blog Business World.
• A review by Kevin Eikenberry.

You can check my press page for more reviews and bylines and stay tuned to the blog next week for more launch excitement.

So often when we get into an argument, or even a vigorous debate, we don’t even stop to listen to what is being said. Instead, we frequently simply reiterate our position, albeit ever more forcefully.

This is too bad, because it misses a huge opportunity.

Author Stephen Covey has written extensively about a perceptive passage he came across while leafing through a book in a library in Hawaii.  (While this quote has often been misattributed to Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, its true author is unfortunately unknown.)

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.” 

This statement can apply to many different aspects of life. But, conflict, and especially what I call destructive conflict, is a most interesting case. Destructive conflict occurs when the argument becomes so intense that it interferes with or even undermines the core mission of the organization. Here, our perception of a message can become so distorted that we gravitate to the most negative interpretation, giving way to what I call the Conflict Blind Spot. Instead of working to find common ground, the conflict continues to escalate, causing more hurt, and little gain.

What if instead of immediately lobbing a return barb, you instead pause to reflect on the totality of what you want to get out of the conversation? Do you want that quick satisfaction that comes from upping the ante—proving (at least in your own mind) that the other guy is wrong?

Or do you want something different?  Do you want to advance the mission of your organization, your department, or your team?  Do you want to have positive and harmonious relationships that can lead to long-term fulfillment?

So, the next time you get into one of these situations, try something different. Try to pause, to allow a little space. Then try to envision where that space might lead you. What new possibility for common ground do you see? What new ways of expressing yourself come to mind? What new ways of listening?

Granted, it is often very hard to break with patterns established long ago. But, when you allow the quiet of that space to guide you, instead of raw emotions, you begin to consciously and intentionally choose a response, leading you down a different path—a path of growth and inner peace.

Recently, I saw the musical satire, The Book of Mormon. While I had already listened to the sound track, and even purchased and read through the script, I found myself surprised by how deeply I was stirred by the live performance. As the layers of artistic brilliance echoed within me, I began to connect with the many takeaways for students of leadership.

Of course there are the obvious lessons, as the two main characters are transformed through their experiences: from follower into leader; and from self-absorbed and egotistical into an inclusive leadership that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of others.

But the deeper implications are even more intriguing. The Book of Mormon is a story about the struggle of institutions, led by imperfect yet well-intentioned individuals, to adapt and remain relevant amidst changing and perplexing circumstances. The story of how these individuals break loose from shackles of the past to nudge their institutions forward is where the real drama unfolds. It is inspiring to watch how leaders depart from past traditions and rules yet remain true to an institution’s core values.

Flipping through the Playbill before the performance, I noticed that the Mormon Church had placed a full-page advertisement. Initially I thought this was somewhat odd, especially considering how much the Mormon Church was mocked by the caustic South Park style humor. But by the end of the show I realized that the musical was really a celebration of the beauty and relevance of the Church rather than a detractor, inviting further dialog and learning. By placing the advertisement, the Mormon Church smiles at itself, acknowledges its weaknesses and flaws, yet at the same time advances its core message.

So often, society’s cultural norms teach us to feel embarrassed by our weaknesses, deny them, or try to hide them. But, just as the characters within the play, the Mormon Church has embraced its struggle, adapted to changing circumstances, and opened the door for growth and further development.

If we all learned how to do this, not only would we become better leaders, but we would also make the world a better place in the process.

Some people believe that their struggles are actually gifts in disguise. A former executive of a large consumer products organization said it best when she told me: “From my perspective, every single bump in the road, slap in the face, knee in the back—every single one of those things was a fabulous gift.”

Last week, I had the opportunity to learn this first-hand.

The week started on a high note. I had written a blog article and it had just been posted on a prestigious leadership blog site. But my pride and elation were quickly deflated when I learned the article contained an error stemming from a faulty recollection of an event thirty years earlier. Unfortunately, the problem did not stop there. Despite my best fact-checking efforts, the mistake also appeared in my soon-to-be-released book—in the very first paragraph! The book had already been sent to the printer, and I shuddered to think about how the inaccuracy would be replicated 7,500 times, casting a shadow on nearly four years of work.

When I first discovered the error, it felt more like a horror than a gift. Even though I was embarrassed and ashamed, I knew I needed to put vanity aside and quickly address the problem. As soon as I took the most difficult steps, notifying the blog editor and my publisher, that’s when the gifts began to appear.

Instead of totally removing the article, the blog editor simply posted a correction. Of course, no one likes to correct an already posted blog. But, the fact that I had discovered the error myself and promptly notified the editor—rather than it being unearthed through a reader comment—made it easier to swallow.

Another miracle of sorts unfolded with my publisher, Berrett-Koehler. Instead of wringing their hands with accusations and blame, they quickly leapt into action. They discovered that the book had already been printed, but it had not yet been collated or bound—scheduled for binding that very afternoon. Had this come just one day later, the costs to fix the problem would have skyrocketed, and the entire launch schedule may have been placed in jeopardy. With the timely action, only a small portion of the book had to be reprinted and the launch could proceed on schedule.

I feel blessed to be part of a community that rallied so energetically to support me in my time of crisis. It felt like the entire team was behind me—everyone from copyeditors, to print layout specialists, to marketing professionals. Through the ordeal, I have grown to cherish and appreciate the genuine caring of these dedicated individuals and how we all worked together toward a common goal.

Reflecting on the tumultuous week, I remain awestruck by what led me to discover the error in the first place. The faulty recollection had remained latent in my book manuscript for nearly ten months. Then, on the very last day before all havoc would have broken loose, I was guided by a mindfulness meditation to send an email to a person I had not seen or talked to in over twenty-five years, setting in motion the chain of events I’ve just described. If that’s not a gift, I don’t know what is.

The New Year is a good time to break from old maladaptive patterns and form new habits more in keeping with your goals and values. One possible path is to reexamine your leadership style, and confront a blind spot commonly known as micromanaging.

The cost of micromanagement is staggering in terms of employee morale, turnover and productivity. Still, there are often radically different perceptions involved. A boss might feel that the present level of supervision and direction is appropriate, whereas an underling may feel stifled and unmotivated, viewing the controlling hand as counterproductive and even disrespectful.

You can start to break the pattern of micromanagement by following these four steps:

1. Become aware that it is happening. Many bosses aren’t even aware that their leadership style is an issue. 360-degree feedback can help raise your awareness and carries the major advantage that it is anonymous. Often direct reports are wary of delivering direct feedback, so in the absence of 360-degree data you’ll need to pay careful attention to subtle cues like non-verbal signals as well as tap into backchannel information.

2. Engage in new conversations by asking questions. The problem with most micromanagers is that that tell instead of asking. Early in my career I had the good fortune of working at Microsoft when it was still a very small company. Steve Ballmer gave me excellent direction without micromanaging by asking some really good yet tough questions.

a. Focus on the goal. One of Steve’s favorite questions was: what goal are you trying to achieve through your actions? This simple question would often be a catalyst for me to pause and reflect. Often I would conclude that my actions were in pursuit of some goal that didn’t really matter much, or didn’t pertain to the one’s we had previously established as priorities. By asking this as a question, Steve got me pointed in the right direction without telling me that I was off course.

b. Focus on the data. Another of Steve’s favorite questions was: what’s the data? Sometimes this would lead me to a painfully obvious conclusion: I had absolutely no data to back up my actions. Sometimes it would become clear that Steve and I had different mental models and assumptions fueled by differing interpretations of the data. Simply by asking the question, Steve would begin a dialog to compare our different world-views, and clarify how these alternative mental models could lead to different actions. Sometimes this would lead me to change my viewpoint based on Steve’s understanding of the situation. But in other cases, the discussion was sufficient to convince Steve that I had a command over the details, and having satisfied himself that I was on the right path, he would leave me alone. The point is that Steve’s questions surrounding the data served as a catalyst for discussion, dialog and reflection.

3. Keep the tone collaborative. The tone of the conversation is every bit as important as the substance. If you are trying to break a long-standing hierarchical pattern, you must signal this with your tone and approach. Otherwise, your efforts will simply be interpreted in the context of your historical relationship with your team. Take care to avoid an accusative tone. Questions that sound like a lawyer’s cross-examination are every bit as counterproductive as a directive style, especially when interpreted through the lens of past interactions.

4. Make your deeds consistent with your words. It’s one thing to signal a new beginning, and another thing to deliver on it. Once you go down the path of giving your team more autonomy, you must live up to this commitment. Release your desire to control. Don’t underestimate the power that comes when people regain the autonomy and freedom to set their own direction—especially when it is aligned with mutually agreed upon goals.

In the movie The Life of Pi, a teenager named Pi sets out with his zookeeper parents on a journey across the Pacific Ocean. Also aboard the Japanese cargo ship are the zookeeper’s animals, a veritable Noah’s Ark en route from India to their new home in Canada. During a storm, the freighter sinks, and Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with one of the animals, a Bengal tiger. Sharing the small, contained space with his mortal enemy, Pi struggles to stay alive and sane atop the perilous waters of the Pacific.

The adventure, based on the Man Booker Prize winning novel by Yann Martel, is rich with symbolism. The tiger, of course, is the projection of Pi’s innermost fears, and Pi’s struggle is to come to terms with these fears without being eaten alive, while at the same time, making it safely across the ocean.

In leadership, stressful situations often arise which evoke fear harbored deep within us. These fears could stem from concerns about the future, or be triggered by unresolved issues in our past or present relationships. Whatever the cause, these deep-seated fears can impede adaptive problem solving and detract from our understanding and coping with real-life challenges.

The biggest obstacle to dealing with our fears is that they often remain hidden from view. Instead of correctly labeling something a fear, we often attribute our emotions to other factors. Our fear and apprehension can be projected outward into blame and loathing or inward into hurt and self-deprecation. These altered perceptions sometimes exacerbate the problem.

It is often necessary to turn the mind inward to become fully aware of the root causes of our emotions. This is not an easy task, but awareness is a necessary step toward effective handling of any challenging situation.

An incident last week gave me a first-hand understanding of the difficulties in confronting and containing my fears.  I was approaching a juncture where I needed to make substantial financial investment in one of my projects.  I knew this investment was necessary, yet inside was the quiet voice of resistance. Through my meditation practice, I became aware of the blockage and drew the link with a constellation of fears relating to my now deceased father.  I had thought I had worked through all of these fears in my late twenties. But here they were, roiling back.

Once I drew the connection, I could take proactive measures. First I needed to separate, in my analysis of the current situation, what was irrational fear from the portion that was conscientious prudence. The last thing I wanted to do was to completely inhibit the risk-management processes that were appropriately modulating my behavior.

Forcing myself into a state of rational reasoning, I came to the conclusion that the investment was indeed warranted.  But, I also thought of a new strategy to mitigate the risk; a path that I had not considered before.

After undergoing this rational process, I was still sensing some blockage.  I was not yet comfortable to take action.  I needed to circle back to the emotional plane, and find a way to align my emotions with my newly discovered rationality. For this, I started reading a very inspiring book by Whitney Johnson, Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream. Reading this book seemed to expunge the remaining irrational fears that were holding me back.

I suggest the following three-step process to help you come to terms with your own fears.

1. Recognize that fear is affecting you and make a commitment to confronting the fears that are holding you back
2. Embark on an analytical process to more clearly understand your situation on a rational level. Try to come up with at least one new alterative that you had not previously considered.
3. Once you have done your analytical homework, return back into the emotional plane, and search for the inspiration to propel you to action.  It could be a book, as it was for me, or perhaps something else more in line with your preferences and inclinations.  Whatever it is, try to visualize the fear-based emotions exiting from your mind, your body, and your soul.

After you finish, spend some time to reflect on this monumental achievement.  You have taken an important step to taming your own tiger of fear, and have brought yourself closer to realizing your full leadership potential.

In the Spielberg movie Lincoln, there is a scene where the bombastic and powerful House Ways and Means Chairman, Thaddeus Stevens privately debates the president.  Stevens, a staunch abolitionist, is concerned about Lincoln’s apparent equivocation on the issue of slavery, and urges unwavering adherence to a moral compass that points unambiguously toward “True North.” Lincoln counters that this is all well and good, except when your moral compass steers you into a swamp. Your True North doesn’t matter much then. You’re stuck in the swamp.

I’m not sure who came up with the brilliant swamp metaphor, Lincoln or screenplay writer Tony Kushner. Still, the tension between principles and pragmatism is at the root of many dilemmas facing leaders today.

Some leaders simplistically frame this in “either/or” terms: you can either be true to your principles or completely abandon your principles by succumbing to outside pressures. But extraordinary leaders like Lincoln seek a more nuanced understanding by harnessing the dialectical tension—forging solutions that embrace both the principles they hold dear while at the same time acknowledging the real-world factors that are often beyond their control.

Thaddeus Stevens was put to the test when asked to speak in front of the House of Representatives during the critical debate on the Thirteen Amendment that would abolish slavery. Stevens had long argued that slavery should be abolished on the basis of the principle that all men are equal, regardless of their race.  But on this occasion, he is cautioned that a full-throated and candid articulation of his views would be amplified by a fickle press, instigating fear among crucial Representatives, and lead to certain defeat of the measure.

At the moment of truth, Stevens backs down from his purely principled position, softening to the more palatable argument that all men should be treated equally under the law.  While certain radical Republicans were aghast, his more tempered plea was exactly what was called for under the circumstances, and the constitutional amendment passed by a meager two votes.

Stevens could have stuck to his original moral compass, which would have steered him directly into the swamp. Instead, through his struggle, he discovered a new authentic True North voice, one that worked in service of his ultimate purpose, the abolition of slavery.

The type of challenge that Stevens faced is very common in leadership. When we are tested through struggle, we need to clarify which values are most important to us. Very often a careful examination of the natural tension between principles and pragmatism fashions a deeper understanding of our moral compass. We seek a path that simultaneously honors our True North, while at the same time avoiding the swamp.