It was the fall of 2021, a year after the pandemic that rocked our world when I took the risk to start my doctoral program in leadership. The was a restlessness, a wrestling in my soul that was calling me to learn more to step towards a new path. The pandemic taught us so much about our systems, ourselves, our families and friends, and about our deep need for community. It was during the pandemic where leaders fell and leaders were born. It was also during the pandemic that Annabel Beerel wrote Rethinking Leadership. The pandemic changed the relevance of roles, and research around leadership. Beerel gives us some new insight on what leaders need to holistically approach leadership in our new post-pandemic context. It was the end of the pandemic but the leadership journey was just beginning. \u00a0The book summary states\u00a0“This book provides a detailed review of the key leadership theories and skills required during times of crises and radical uncertainty, how these can be developed, and how they can be applied in practice.” 1<\/p>\n
The End<\/p>\n
This is my last blog post as a doctoral student, the end of my journey with this program. It amazes me how quickly the end seems to come, and how quickly things can change. Just as the pandemic changed our understanding of the needs of leaders and how leadership can be developed, an educational program changes the students. We read in our program about the power of knowledge and how it changes us. Alice Hoffman was quoted “Once you know some things, you can’t unknow them. It’s a burden that can never be given away.” Learning is this way, leadership development is this way, and thus what seems like the end is only the beginning.<\/p>\n
The Start of Something New<\/p>\n
In the book Rethinking Leadership, Beerel brings together a collection of ideas to reach a holistic approach to leadership development. This was how my research for my doctoral project developed. It was looking at psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and the impact of external influences to understand how leaders lose their capacity for risk. It was during this research that I discovered the power of play and how leaders can benefit from this simple exercise. In the midst of trauma and crisis leaders can be worn out, burned out, stressed out, and simply feeling stuck. It can feel like the end of their leadership journey, but what if from these moments something new could be born. From the finishing of my doctoral work something new is beginning, to equip and empower leaders to engage in new ways, by discovering the power of play that can facilitate leadership risk-taking.<\/p>\n
As this final blog post is written the beginning of something new can be written, Venturing Free can be born… Rather than saying goodbye or the end, let me say this: I have learned, I have seen, I have finished and now it is<\/p>\n
THE BEGINNING!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thank you to all those who have walked this journey with me may you be reminded to play, to take a risk, and to lead from all you have learned. The world needs this new beginning from each of you!<\/p>\n
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\u200c<\/p>\n
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