The blend of success and failure in our leadership is an alchemy. They bubble and brew over time. What pours out of the cauldron at any given moment will look slightly different for each of us as leaders. The relationship of the two–the interaction of success and failure–will change as we move through our lives.

I'm struck by this fact as I continue to research and write about Abraham Lincoln and George McClellan in the Civil War. Both men absorb the effects of mixing success and failure. Both men react quite differently to that mixture. Intriguingly, their religious faith is part of the reaction, part of the differences.

The alchemy of success and failure will show itself in your leadership.