The beauty of Icebergs – both above and below the surface
I was captivated by the sheer beauty and magnitude of one iceberg after another whilst on the recent Homeward Bound 3 voyage. Each iceberg was unique in its own way and presented in a variety of shape, size, and colour. What was visible above the surface was beautiful but this was only a fraction of what made up the entire iceberg.
It reminded me of the ‘Iceberg Model’ which has been around forever in leadership circles but is easy to take for granted. It is a useful starting point for knowing ‘self’ which is a valuable first step in any leader’s journey. We use the ‘iceberg model’ in Homeward Bound as well as in our leadership practice, Dattner Grant and our Compass program – a visionary leadership program for women.
As an Accredited LSI coach, I had the pleasure of supporting and coaching many of the HB3 participants as they experienced their own iceberg moment by discovering what lies below their external fa?ade as a result of completing both the Life Styles Inventory 1 (self) and 2 (by others). At times they were confronted with how their thinking and behaviour influenced their effectiveness as leaders and the cost on them both personally and professionally as a result of this.
We show up in this world much like an iceberg floating on the water. We can see the beauty of what is visible but what do we know about the unseen parts of ourselves hidden below the surface? If we are to compare ourselves to icebergs then we must know all of ourselves; the parts of us on display to the outside world and the parts which make us whole. The parts below the surface make us ‘whole’ – purpose, values, emotions, behaviour, personality traits and our past stories. We need to know all parts of ourselves and decide which ones we want to feed and make visible, and which we want to resolve or tame.
How well do you know your own iceberg and the beauty that lies beneath the surface? #icebergs #icebergmodel #TeamHB3 #strongertogether #womeninleadership #leadership #womeninSTEMM #Antarctica #humansynergistics