Browse any bookstore, library, or online catalogue, and you’ll find no shortage of books on leadership. And, while they draw on different theories and approaches, many follow a familiar formula: if you want to become a better leader, this is what you need to do. Hazel: An Emerging Leader flips that formula on its head.
Written by Karen MacMillan, Ivey Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Sustainability, and Brent D. Beal, the 242-page business novel takes what MacMillan calls an “anti-textbook” approach. Rather than offering a list of rules, it explores leadership through a fictional narrative of mistakes and hard-won lessons.
The story follows 24-year-old Hazel Rae Nilsen as she takes on her first management job at a struggling factory, where navigating employee misconduct, addressing inappropriate colleague behaviour, and managing up are just some of the challenges that test her leadership. Woven throughout are research-backed leadership concepts and reflection questions that invite readers to consider the decisions and dilemmas along the way.
With Hazel: An Emerging Leader freshly hitting the shelves, Ivey Impact spoke with MacMillan about the experiences that inspired her debut novel, the common mistake many new managers make, and the often-overlooked power of everyday leadership.
Ivey Impact: You’ve chosen a very different format for a leadership book: a novel. Why did you want to tell Hazel’s story through a narrative frame rather than in the style of a traditional business book?
Karen MacMillan (KM): I think there's lots of people who, for whatever reason, don't like to read traditional leadership books. I wanted to find a way to bring leadership research to students and practitioners through a more accessible narrative format. Because I think humans love stories. They resonate with us. And through Hazel’s story, I wanted to create something akin to a one-year apprenticeship, where readers can learn by following others as they navigate leadership roles, seeing both what works well and what doesn’t.
Ivey Impact: What inspired you to create Hazel? How much of her story – and the leadership challenges she encounters – is rooted in what you’ve seen or experienced in the real world?
KM: Well, Hazel is definitely me when I first went into industry. I started out very unconfident and made a lot of mistakes. And so, most of the mistakes that Hazel makes are mistakes that I've made in some form. They are real, and I tried to get them across in a way that also felt very real to those reading about them.
Ivey Impact: Were there any leadership lessons you felt were particularly important to get right because you’ve seen the consequences when they’re missed?
KM: One thing that immediately comes to mind is the importance of understanding that, as a leader, not everybody is going to like you. I think this is especially an important message for women because we are socialized from a young age to be nice and to make sure everyone around you is happy with you. But, if you're going to be a leader, sometimes people are not going to like you. And you need to be okay with that. You need to get used to the idea that you don’t have to chase everyone into liking you. It was one of the most painful, but important, lessons that I had to learn. Because, if we try to satisfy everyone, in the end we usually end up satisfying no one.
Ivey Impact: The book provides reflection questions at the end of each chapter, inviting readers to consider what they would do in circumstances that the characters are navigating. Why was it important to make the reader wrestle with those decisions rather than simply give them the “right” answer?
KM: Well, my dream is that this book becomes something that can be used in an office book club. Because, when more than one person in the company reads the book, they can then discuss the questions and have the same vocabulary to break down the big theories and concepts.
Actually, a few of my friends and colleagues at Ivey have read the book, and recently told me that when they face certain tough situations, they find themselves asking: what would Hazel do? It made me laugh, but, honestly, that’s what I want to see happen. And that’s what I hope those chapter questions will lead to.
As an instructor, I also know that giving information is only part of the learning process – the other is reflection. As humans, if we are given information, but don’t have the opportunity to reflect on it, chances are it won’t stay. Reflection really makes information sticky!
Ivey Impact: Hazel is a new manager who makes plenty of mistakes along the way. Why was it important to show an emerging leader getting things wrong rather than simply presenting readers with examples of great leadership?
KM: I think a lot of times in business we focus on the winners and the “right” solutions. But we can learn a lot by observing missteps.
I think everybody occasionally thinks about the mistakes they've made with some pain and embarrassment. But mistakes are how we learn. We all need to get used to failing sometimes. If you never fail that likely means you are not taking enough risks. We need to applaud those out there who are failing because they are the ones who have the courage to try something hard – they entered the arena! .
Ivey Impact: What does Hazel initially misunderstand about what it means to be a good leader?
KM: A lot of new leaders walk into the job thinking that they need to confidently know all the answers, because that's what a good leader is. And it’s not true.
In the research, there’s a theory called “The Great Man Theory of Leadership” that says that leaders are these special people who are born with the ability to get through any and all problems. Think Indiana Jones or Han Solo. If it wasn't for them, then everything would fall and we would all be doomed. But that's not actually how leadership works. It's not about knowing all the answers. It's not about being born different. We believe at Ivey that you can teach leadership and develop skills over time. I believe that and I have seen it play out time and time again.
For Hazel, this was a big lesson for her to learn and overcome.
Ivey Impact: If someone has never managed a team before, what is the one lesson you hope they take away from Hazel’s journey?
KM: I really believe that being a good leader or manager is a way to save the world, to be a superhero, if you will. So, if you lead with character, make a real effort to care for your team, and to make the work environment good for everybody, it matters a lot. If you’ve ever had a really bad boss or a really good one, you’ll know what I mean.
We all want to have an impact on the world. But those of us who are given responsibility to lead others have a really viable way of improving lives in concrete ways for a lot of people.
Hazel: An Emerging Leader, a business novel by Karen MacMillan and Brent D. Beal, is now available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle format through Amazon, Walmart, and select bookstores.
