Happy Monday Everyone,
I hope you have a good start to the week and upcoming month. Iโve spoken to several people recently all trying to find ways to cope with what seems like crisis after crisis hitting their news feeds every minute while just trying to get through the day. And thatโs where this morningโs thoughts stem from.
๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐, ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ.
Do you treat them with respect, or ridicule?
โHe knew he was caught up in one of those stretches of time for anything to happen normally would be abnormal. The dawn was too tense and highly charged for any common happening to survive.โ
- Mervyn Peake, ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด๐ต (1950)
These words describe a reality many people in todayโs world and workplace still feel daily, yet only a fraction of leaders acknowledge it, let alone step up to help others navigate through it.
๐๐โ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐.
Being a leader doesnโt mean having all the answers, but rather creating meaning and offering certainty where you can. Including for yourself.
Calling yourself an โauthentic leaderโ doesnโt give you a free pass to be abrasive, short-tempered, or controlling. If thatโs your default, itโs fear youโre masking as authenticity.
Fear of being found out.
Fear of not being enough.
Fear of not knowing what to do.
None of us really knows what weโre doing. At least, not alone in isolation. We interpret the world around us relationally. The tension is alive, and grows or dies depending on how we interact with it.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
People need someone to listen, to stand up for them, to hold space without tearing down their self-worth.
The longer you double down on unhealthy habits, the more abnormal it feels to change. But you donโt need to keep carrying the leadership style you inherited.
There is nothing โcommonโ about surviving these tense dawns. That survival is itself a source of strength, of connection, of opportunity.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐.
Until Tomorrow,
- Chris
Contour Lines is my anecdotal newsletter segment that weaves whats going on in my life with my thoughts on leadership as well as personal and organizational development.
If something resonates, leave a comment, or reach out to chat - I always love hearing peopleโs stories.
Want to chat about personal growth or walking a path of authentic leadership but arenโt sure were to start?
You are always welcome to book a free call to either get fresh perspective or see if weโd work well together in cultivating your capacity to lead.
I offer a variety of services, 1:1 coaching, group programs, and leadership development program consultation. When you are ready, lets talk.