Intentionality and curiosity in the face of huge change
If I look back at my professional life as a leader for the last 20 years, I can remember and count on both hands the number of times I seized the opportunity, made the disruptive play or pushed past significant resistance, intransigence and naysayers to achieve a desired result. These instances are ingrained in my memory for this very reason- I stepped out of the comfort zone and instead of continuing to perpetuate the status quo, I defied the organisation rules, systems or hidden expectations. This is not to say they were all superb choices, as with all our human interactions and behaviours they were framed by the strategies and coping mechanisms that served me at the time and helped my survival in the individual systems of which I was a part.
My thoughts on this have been magnified by our family move from Scotland to Germany in July. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of endless lists, collating vast amounts of information, chasing up submissions, being present and serving clients and keeping a family fed, clothed, organised for the next day. I have felt the visceral truth of the Breton prayer: the sea is so great and my boat is so small, noticing there are more areas out of my control than within it. It took me a while to remember that intentionality is often most effective when we step away from the executive function tasks such as lists, prioritising and analysing the data and instead look to nourish our whole systems and being. I have started to get to know our new area by walking, running and cycling in the nature that we are very lucky to have right on the door step. Going back to the things that bring the simplest of pleasures and, that nourish rather than deplete, have become super important.
Giving myself a break from judgment and putting off decisions when they feel forced - internally or externally - until I have rested and recovered, have been essential. These are great lessons amidst a change or not, offering a valuable perspective of when to seize genuine opportunities, when to watch and wait and when just to weave an experience into the colourful tapestry of life.
Die besten Wünsche.