The Gift of Struggle
In The Gift of Struggle, Bobby Herrera shares his leadership philosophy by telling the stories of his struggles, identifying the gifts he found, and sharing those gifts with readers.
AVAILABLE IN: PRINT DIGITAL AUDIO
About this book
Every leader has stories about the challenges they have faced and struggles they have overcome. In the moment, those situations require strength, patience, perseverance and courage. With time, those struggles provide us lessons for how to be better leaders. Bobby Herrera learned to see those struggles as gifts.
As the co-founder and CEO of Populus Group, Bobby never imagined the challenges of building a $500 million organization that serves tens of thousands of people. Throughout his life, he experienced the divergence between the intentional leader he wanted to be, and the less engaged version of him that showed up at the office every day. One day at a company meeting, he decided to share a story about one of his first struggles as a young adult. That story, a pivotal experience that had transformed Bobby's life, inspired his employees with its radical transparency, humility and the idealism of Bobby's dreams for the company.
In The Gift of Struggle, Bobby shares twelve of those stories from his leadership journey. Each chapter shares the details of the story, the broader lesson any leader can apply, a set of questions to reflect on, and an afterword for how the story later unfolded in Bobby's life. Building on Bobby's efforts, this book inspires readers to find their own stories, share their gifts of struggle with others, and become the leader they imagine they can be.
About The Author
Bobby Herrera is cofounder and CEO of Populus Group. With annual revenue of $500 million and many Fortune 100 customers, it is one of the fastest growing HR services companies in the United States.
Bobby grew up on the outskirts of a small town in New Mexico. As one of thirteen children in a migrant family he learned the value of hard work, rising early, and putting in long hours in the fields. After high school, boot camp became his ticket to opportunity.
He serves on national community organization boards and is a regular speaker at corporations and service groups. He is proud Army veteran.
Bobby is most proud of his family. His wife Roslyn and their three children Santino, Griffith, and Sofia live in Portland, Oregon.
“A powerful leadership book from the best CEO you’ve never heard of.”
Patrick Lencioni
Author of the bestselling The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Book Excerpt
“Struggle is painful. Whatever our individual circumstances, we all understand struggle as part of the human condition. It can be demoralizing and defeating when you make a mistake or simply become stuck and don’t know where to turn. It’s publicly humiliating when you can’t hide your failure from others. Nonetheless, my advice for anyone with the courage to do so is to make struggle your best friend. Although it’s uncomfortable, it’s the most honest and revealing measure of progress toward becoming the leader you desire to be.”
Audio Book Excerpt
Listen to a sample from the audiobook:
“Bobby's story teaches us that who we are will have a significant influence on the leaders we become. Thank you, Bobby.”
Alan Mulally
Former CEO of Boeing and Ford
Interviews & Podcasts
Bobby joins Pat Lencioni for a conversation about leadership, struggle, and building a world-class culture.
Bobby and Bob Burg on how to reframe the way you view struggle in your life.
Bobby talks with Scott Miller about struggle and how those instances shaped Bobby's leadership journey and positioned him to positively impact others.
Watch the book trailer
See Bobby speak
Awards and Recognition
Book data
The Gift of Struggle: Life-Changing Lessons About Leading by Bobby Herrera
- ISBN: 978-1885167873
- The book was first published on June 3, 2019.
- National Bestseller
- The hardcover edition has 176 pages.
- Published by Bard Press.
- Distributed by National Book Network.
- The trim size is 5.4 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches.
Foreign Translations
The Gift of Struggle is available in Korean from Dani.
