Risky Leadership
“Before change comes stillness.” (145)
In our busy world we hold in high regard anyone who looks like they are busy to be still is the equivalent of a curse word. Even when someone says to you I wish I could just sit for a moment , be still in silence for a moment, in the back of their heard they know that this would actually be a huge problem for so many of the things they really have to do and that it will never become a reality that they allow themselves to feel.
Becoming a Good Leader
In leadership there are many buzz words, trends for how to lead, and strategies to engage to be the best leader. All of which as leaders we are grabbing at like TVs on sale on Black Friday. Leadership has become another competition something to be gained, to be conquered, to be owned. Books like The Undefended Leader by Simon Walker begin to challenge these practices. Walker calls into question these strategies and poses a new more risky way of leading.
Risky Leadership
To be a leader that is self emptying, that is hospitable, that leads from empathy, and that is willing to take time to be still and listen is a huge risk in the world of competitive leadership. “…What would happen if you were still for a moment- truly still. Not just inactive, but still in your heart. You let go of your ambition, your desires and personal hopes, and instead paid attention to the situation in front of you.” (145) This type of stillness would take unhindered confidence in one’s self and a willingness to miss something or even fail in order to hear what is truly in front of you. This is a risk.
Leaders Who Can’t risk
In my doctoral research I started with trying to understand why leaders loose their capacity for risk taking. Why do leaders fall into the safety of maintaining and loose sight of potential growth for themselves and their organizations? Why do leaders fear failure? My research lead me to understand it a leadership trauma. A failure, a negative experience under a leader, a negative experience with someone they were leading, any number of negative events that stored within the leader a fear, a pain, a trauma that took root. I then began to ask the question how do we heal? In 2023, post covid, in the midst of social movements, and now war; how do we as leaders heal?
Risky Play
In a moment of stillness for me, swimming one mile worth of laps in a pool, in complete silence, I could feel me soul being to heal. In the stillness of my mind through the repetition of swimming laps, I could hear my hearts passion again. In stillness from the business of our lives, in separation from the to do list of things to maintain our leadership position, in swimming laps in a pool we a leaders can begin to recenter and to see what needs are right in front of us. My research began to take a turn towards how play plays a pivotal role in healing our leadership trauma and opening our minds up to the possibility of taking new risks in leadership. It isn’t necessarily inactivity leaders need, it is an opportunity to reconnect with the core of who they are and why they lead. To remember their passion, to feel hope, to engage empathy, and to take risks. This is exactly what we have all done as children when we played. We learned these skills through play. Yet, as adult leaders we have allowed our business to actually steal our ability to lead well and we have abandoned the play that can empower us and equip us.
Simon Walker wrote 4 words towards the end of his book and they hold great power and sound wisdom.
“Before change comes stillness.” (145)
May we all be brave enough to be still, open enough to play, and free enough to risk.
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