I can no longer meet folks in the foothills of leadership
Journey with me instead ...
Journey with me instead ...
These lines and the poem below emerged as I reflected on with who and in what contexts I do my best work, the spaces that seem to make the biggest impact to those I come alongside, and where I am energised to be and do more.
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I can no longer meet folks in the foothills of leadership
Journey with me instead to the floor of the high valley There we will discover clear sun lit air. This may be the most exhilarating venture so far One that goes through foggy uncharted territory We will go with good strength and at a steady pace Stilling, tenderness and spaciousness will companion us Approaching hard edges with softness. And we will come into the dark Into the layers and roots of the ground of our forming We will confront our own mythology We will discover our souls yearning And within find courage for the venture on. There will be losses along the way and much to gain, previously unknown or never thought possible. We may not know where we are or where we have been until emerging on the floor of that high valley, some distance from where we started and very close by. The tall snow-capped mountains more recognisable and friendly now There is magic in this place and it may feel like magic got us here. |
It is not that I see no value in what I called the foothills of leadership. In fact, they are very necessary. It is simply that I do not really live there any longer. My point is that the foothills are thoroughly developed, there is an abundance of leadership models (I added my own and have several other favourites). So go adopt one or create your own. Be sure that it aligns with your stance and worldview as a leader and put it into action.
Then be prepared to move beyond it – that’s what the work up to the high valley is about. And as with any worthwhile venture there is no shortcut to ‘doing the work’, yet with intentionality and discipline a joyful dedication emerges, and at times the alchemy of devotion.
Our way will be sustained by:
If you want to explore and grow in this way, a way that is an expression of purpose and becoming, then my offer is to be a witnessing companion on your journey. I will encourage you to discern your own purpose and the intention of your life and work, to explore the deeper possibility behind events and circumstances, to see our world as one of possibility and interconnectedness. We will often be working with what I call the beauty of the end grain – the overlooked or unseen, the unknown, even the unspeakable or the untouchable.
Then be prepared to move beyond it – that’s what the work up to the high valley is about. And as with any worthwhile venture there is no shortcut to ‘doing the work’, yet with intentionality and discipline a joyful dedication emerges, and at times the alchemy of devotion.
Our way will be sustained by:
- intentionality and practice
- self-reflexivity
- honest self-assessment and authentic dialogue
- journeying over time and with good cadence
- exploring ancestrally and systemically
- being ‘public’ about the path and the experience
If you want to explore and grow in this way, a way that is an expression of purpose and becoming, then my offer is to be a witnessing companion on your journey. I will encourage you to discern your own purpose and the intention of your life and work, to explore the deeper possibility behind events and circumstances, to see our world as one of possibility and interconnectedness. We will often be working with what I call the beauty of the end grain – the overlooked or unseen, the unknown, even the unspeakable or the untouchable.
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