Like many in my Boomer generation, I was raised on stories of the Old West. It was good guys versus bad guys, and the good guys always prevailed. The stories reassured viewers, especially youngsters like me, that if you abided by a code of truth, integrity, and honor, you too could prevail like the men (yes, it was mostly men)of yesteryear.
As we grew older, we realized that what we were shown were myths, imagined stories that affirmed what it meant to be brave and true. Reality, however, in the form of war and civil unrest, pretty much destroyed this mythology, leaving in its wake grittier tales of the West, those that depicted the hero’s struggles but in a more authentic way.
Lessons of the Old West
And so it is that author and culture consultant Adrian Gostick has chosen this form for his new book, Jack Slade: Song of the Butcher Bird. It is a story of hard luck and redemption as well as the power of family and friendship.
“This story had been sitting inside me for years,” Adrian revealed in an email interview. “I love writing about leadership, but Jack Slade’s tale felt like one that could only be told through fiction. It’s leadership under fire, literally, and I wanted to explore resilience and redemption in a more immersive, character-driven way.”
“The West in the 1860s was a tough place,” says Adrian. “Jack Slade [a real-life figure] was a fascinating man who lived a short but remarkable life. He organized rough men and unruly animals into efficient teams that could traverse the territories in wagons and stagecoaches. He was appointed division agent of the Overland, only to be shot and left for dead soon after by a corrupt station keeper.
“Jack survived, climbed out of his sickbed, and brought law and order to the wildest section of the Overland line. When sober, people said Jack was judicious and kind. When drunk, he could be a cruel bully. That contrast, to me, made him an unlikely but intriguing hero.”
Leadership lessons
Adrian has co-authored with business partner Chester Elton a number of New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling leadership books. “Leadership isn’t about being perfect, it’s about how you act after you fail. Slade’s story reminds us that reputation isn’t always reality, and that the most powerful leaders are often the most troubled.”
Writing the Jack Slade novel led Adrian to discover things about himself. “I had to wrestle with my own discomfort around imperfection. As someone who coaches leaders, I’m used to focusing on strengths. Writing about Jack forced me to dwell in his weaknesses, and in doing so, I had to examine some of my own. I won’t tell you what mine are, but we all have them. Strong leaders aren’t afraid to address them. I’m not sure Jack ever did.”
The craft of writing
In addition to writing in his own name, Adrian has carved a niche in writing books for others. A key challenge many authors face is being original. To Adrian, originality is not what’s most important. “It’s about being honest with what you believe in and the perspective you can bring to the table. Jack Slade’s story is obviously not the only historical fiction about the American West, but it’s deeply personal and taught me a lot. I could have been intimidated by the great writers of the genre, but I decided to tell the story in my way. The power of writing in the specificity of how we do that.”
What is most important for writers, says Adrian, is to “Write what you know. Write about truth. And write from your own experience. In this case, fiction became the most authentic way I could explore the complexity of leadership, teamwork, and redemption.”
So much of what we know and learn about leadership is rooted in story. Jack Slade is a worthy addition to the hallowed canon of leadership literature that entertains, uplifts, and imparts lasting lessons.