Colleagues,
The less time you spend reading, the more time you can invest in reflecting:
If you have an aha, please consider sharing it with me here. Do good and be well, Frederick
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Colleagues,
Yesterday, I shared that Mara was graduating from college. I wondered who would step up and mentor her leadership skills? Tomorrow, my son Lance also graduates from college. At 26, Lance has had a more circuitous path to his degree. One of the advantages is that he has already had a number of leadership opportunities, leading and coordinating programs for youth. Lance is an extrovert with a strong personality and a big sense of adventure. At 6’3” he has a strong physical presence and has been called “a natural leader.” Throughout his life, adults have provided Lance opportunities to lead in clubs, teams, and workspaces. His “natural” leadership opportunities have been nurtured and accelerated through the intentional efforts of others. This brings us back to yesterday’s reflection.
Our world is in trouble and we need more leaders. Specifically, we need more leaders who don’t fit the mold, who may bring other skills and perspectives to the problems we face. So again, I appeal to you find someone who doesn’t seem like a “natural” leader and give them an opportunity. Open the gate. If you’ve got a few minutes at 5:00 this evening, consider tuning into Lance’s “Grand Canyon Live Premier” on YouTube (link). Lance created a 20-minute video of his Grand Canyon rafting trip and it is interesting to watch it through a leadership lens. Do good and be well, Frederick Colleagues,
Yesterday, my daughter Mara graduated from college! It is a great accomplishment and marks one of those life-changing moments as she now faces a lifetime of new opportunities and possibilities. I wonder what kind of a leader she will grow into and, critically, who will help her grow into that leader. I also wonder how many people will be in a position to provide that mentorship, but may instead think that she is too young, too inexperienced, too naïve, or whatever else may detract from her making the impression of what a leader “should be.” If I’m completely honest, I have missed hundreds, maybe thousands, of opportunities to mentor future leaders because of judgements I made or having my priorities wrong. Leaders are gate keepers, and one pf those gates determines who gets opportunities to grow their leadership. I have two requests for you today:
Do good and be well, Frederick Colleagues, This is a follow up to yesterday’s post on languishing, in which we named the mental health space between flourishing and depression. It is a space many of us may be occupying, despite the sense that we are emerging on the other side of this pandemic. Languishing is a surreal place to be. Perhaps most strange is the way it comes and goes. I can feel great one day – positive, excited, and focused – and completely dull and apathetic the next.
Even if you aren’t languishing, someone you know probably is. Consider sharing this with them. Do good and be well, Frederick Colleagues,
Back in early February, I admitted to struggling emotionally. I said “It isn’t that I am depressed, it is more a feeling of emptiness.” It must have resonated with many of you, as I received a flurry of replies. If today’s message also resonates, you may want to go back and read my previous post here. It turns out that there is a name for what I was, and if I’m being honest, still am struggling with. This New York Times article talks about a phenomena called languishing. It is the space on the mental health continuum between flourishing (yes, that’s an official term) and depression. It is the state of not being ill, but not being well either. The article is well worth a read, but the critical element is how we respond to languishing. The article suggests two things:
I laughed at reading these suggestions because it is what we as strategic leaders should be doing all the time! I’m not saying strategic leadership is an antidote to languishing but working to engage in our strategic practices is not only healthy for our organization, but also for ourselves. Do good and be well, Frederick |
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