Hello everyone,
The weather is beautiful out today, has been for several now, though a few of my neighbors have said something along the lines of “It’s too damn hot already, but I’ll take it.”
They aren’t wrong, it’s 85 degrees out. Much hotter than it usually ever gets here in April, that’s typically late June weather at the earliest.
And yet here we are, with things heating up too quickly for our liking. Change is upon us, whether you talk about climate, economic, or societal arenas.
The past few years have shown that things are “heating up” for everyone regardless of how stable and safe you thought you were or weren’t. Accordingly the layers of identity, stability, and ignorance we’ve accumulated over generations are being stripped away like the layers of clothing we wear through the winter.
We can say things like “It wasn’t this hot before,” and while that is good to acknowledge that, doing so won’t change the circumstances, and it certainly won’t help us get through the heat.
It also doesn’t acknowledge that for quite some time now, everything has been hot for many people, whether you realized it or not. You likely just had the privilege of mental climate control to ease your discomfort, or like the proverbial frog in the pot, hadn’t noticed trouble creeping up on your doorstep.
With unrest and uncertainty all around, those new to overbearing heat may not be comfortable with our circumstances for some time. But we can become comfortable in ourselves, those around us, and those we lead. When conditions change, opportunity follows.
If it’s already this hot, that means the growing season is extending. We are forced to adapt or die out. If the current methods of cultivating aren’t working, we must reclaim what works and explore new avenues of leadership.
With the growing awareness of the nature of climate, societal, and economic change, we have more time to grow, but less time to prepare, which forces us to learn as we continue move forward.
I happen to think this is a good thing, as it removes the illusion of certainty, or mental climate control, from our lives. We are laid bare to our authentic, messy selves that we have tried to hide from the world despite that being what builds bonds of trust and solidarity.
You can only take off so many layers before you are left with who you truly are, and keeping the layers on will continue to cook you until you are a husk.
But because we now have less time to prepare, less certainty, it removes the onus of needing all the answers on our own, and encourages us to distribute responsibility for change amongst others.
So, if you are a leader, be open with what you are shedding, what you are seeing, what you need, and what you want to cultivate.
Ask your people what support they need, what they want to cultivate, and how you can work together to achieve it.
It seems I too, prefer the heat, not because I don’t like bundling up in layers, but because I am forced to adapt rather than stick to what worked in the past.
Don’t just take the heat. It may always be there, but in shedding our layers of assumptions and illusion we can come together to make the shade.
Until next time,
Chris
Welcome, and thank you for your presence!
I am a leadership ecologist rooted in Appalachia, raised through environmental respect, military service and Western educational institutions. I use an animistic lens to better understand the relationship between individuals, organizations, and systems.
When working with leaders and organizations, my approach not one of doctrine, but of guidance: to authenticity, to culture, to systems and people. I believe leadership is not a fixed role, but a living, relational practice.
My work draws from my lived experience and research into myth-making, insurgency and business strategies, regenerative philosophies, creative works, the landscape I inhabit, and the mundane, because the ember of humanity is often nurtured in and between those spaces.
If something resonates, leave a comment, or reach out to chat - I always love hearing people’s stories.
You are always welcome to book a free call to either get fresh perspective or see if we’d work well together in cultivating your capacity to lead.
I offer a variety of services, 1:1 coaching, group programs, leadership training development, and culture consultation.