Tag: environment

Leaders and full spectrum thinking

Once again in lockdown, I am coming back to still a new terrain with the benefit of a couple of lessons learned. While somewhat more familiar, the environment is still foggy to me. Living inside myself, I have come to recognize various voices: the angry one which hardly ever speaks but clearly has an opinion; the inner child who wants, needs, and desires until exhaustion; the confused one who analyzes and cannot make much sense of the outside world; the feeling voice who actually seems to be the most helpful one these days.

Some of us have the luxury of time and space to consciously face a regular “meeting of the minds” within ourselves. I have found this to be a very useful experience: a new staff meeting of sort! We can actually summon the many fragments that make up the whole of who we are and give them all a chance to speak, take space, and be recognized. Beyond the interest of self-exploration and self-care, this practice can help us discover a universe within that points to many untapped possibilities.

You may already have discovered various facets of your personalities, of course, but you may still be unaware of the multi-dimensional nature of our humanness – all your untapped possibilities. The environmental noise has made it difficult for you to hear the signs, see various signals, pick up on energies you never felt. You will no doubt marvel at how complete chaos has proven most useful to escape the outside noise and tune in to find clarity in this uncertain world – your own clarity: the only one that actually matters for you to identify your next steps. This is the beginning of full-spectrum thinking!

How to lead in the absence of gathering

Fellowship is crucial to humanity’s wellbeing. I belong to many small groups and thrive on gathering with like-minded individuals and being of service to people around me. At a time when real-life is interfering with our efforts to come together, nurturing or creating a sense of community will be essential. I believe the aspirations, interests and needs to come together will be felt increasingly, and I would encourage people to consider the importance of forming groups, gathering their tribe.

Forming groups is an invitation to companionship and camaraderie into a circle of support. You may feel driven to found groups around activities that can be managed virtually at a time when gathering is challenging. We may find that groups of like-minded individuals are inherently exclusive as they serve as a support network to those who have something in common, but leadership can help transcend the boundaries that might otherwise keep people apart. We need to cultivate from the outset an inclusive and diverse group open to engaging with others to ensure that the group will grow and thrive as a result.

You will likely come across the discouragement of seeing people reluctant to engage actively, waiting to see how the group evolves. The challenge will be greater in the absence of physical gathering. But intention will be key. You will be tested by others wondering whether you are truly committed to serving with your heart and soul. In fact, your vision and intention to serve will be the seed that will eventually grow into nurturing a community long beyond your own role in the inception of the group and even your own presence, staying true to its original purpose. The group will develop its own life cycle and evolve along the way for as long as it will remain coherent with its core purpose, and resonate with people and the environment. Leadership is about giving the impulse and keeping coherence and resonance alive.

Leadership and listening in to our surroundings

I recently received a new lesson in leadership from nature around me. I live in a city, and much of the world I experience daily is dominated and controlled by human beings, whether we spend our time in buildings, cars, or homes. We are “protected” by structures which give us the illusion of control. Rather than listening in to the wind, the rain, we feel more at ease when we can assert our wills and manipulate our environment. I had the good fortune to live in Canada, albeit in the city for many years. I will always be grateful for that time, which helped me connect with nature when entering the forest or sitting on the edge of a lake, listening into another realm, which is simply asking that we drop our baggage, as human beings, and surrender to a different sense of order and meaning.

When we come from urban centers into nature, we may be tempted to bring our cell phone. We may talk loudly to a friend that comes along. We may go by quickly, as we are used to busy city tempo. We can be totally oblivious to our surroundings. Yet, if we tune in to our environment, we will quickly be taken over by a different reality. We will hear birds and other noises like the wind through the leaves of a tree. We will naturally surrender to the presence of nature into a receptive state of openness and listening.

Should you allow yourself to be captivated and calmed by the energy of nature around you, you will notice that you are not leading your life so much as being led by the energy around you. You will discover that this leadership moving through you, originates from outside of you, and feels so much more connected to others and the planet. It is a different type of leadership that needs to be experienced rather than being taught in seminars. It honors our surroundings and our presence in a way that humbles human nature and moves us in a different direction than our own will, away from crumbling structures into a different sense of security.

Vision and leadership

When we cast our sight on what is happening around us and beyond in the world, we may be overwhelmed by the beauty of nature and the colors and shapes of art in its various forms. We are able to read the feelings of others from their facial expressions. We enjoy the ability to read books and look for signs around us to navigate our way forward. We get a sense of control of our environment based on knowledge and the ability to see what is coming our way and where we stand.

At the same time, looking around me these days, I can be just as overwhelmed by what I see. I often feel unable to make sense of a lot of images passing in front of my eyes throughout the day. I register the stress on people faces, as well as the ugliness and fear coming from the wreckage of natural disasters, inhuman treatment coming from all corners of the planet. I often close my eyes; don’t you? Yet I feel compelled to see both sides and the contrast to stay on the edge. Ultimately, I realize how little control I have, and how I am increasingly relying on inner vision to find my way.

You may discover that your eyesight diminishes as your inner vision is meant to increase. Your acuity may be advantageously replaced by an inner knowing that will help you reconsider what you thought to be factual, and navigate the world of fake news more easily. You may lose control over the world around you, but you gain mastery over yourself. Inner vision comes from a place where thoughts and feelings/emotions through your body show you things that are not manifest in the world of forms, but connect you to a part of yourself which operates from a different intelligence, and helps you lead from a different place.