Leadership in Permacrisis

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.

This is one of my favorite quotes by John Maxwell - I love it for it's simplicity and for it's evergreen relevance. A good leader has a vision, has the ability, grit and perseverance to see it through and is able to inspire people to come along on the journey and stay the course.

The 2022 Collin's word of the year was Permacrisis - the picture I added to the article isn't a caricature of my hair and its current state (thought most who see me would argue it is :) - it is the cognitive load, the constant tugs and pulls, the ever changing nature of crisis around us that is overwhelming, tiring and pushing a lot of us to the brink of mental burnout

As we have collectively come out of a high adrenaline/ cortisol induced period trying to navigate at teams through COVID and its aftermath I believe as leaders we need to take a moment and really reflect on slowing down before picking up pace again. How can we spend time with our teams building trust, co-authoring and co-creating a culture that will see us through in this new evolving hybrid world. How can we adapt our vision to keep pace with the change that is constant around us and not always in our control. How can we grow personally and professionally with to stay true to the WHY of what we do day in and day out and what makes us tick as individuals - all when the context is changing constantly.

Leaders create a vision that compel others to join them on the journey. The only way to do that is through inspiring — and eventually persuading others to one's point of view. The best visions demonstrate alignment between us as leaders and our desired outcomes. The optimal space is when personal values are aligned to professional ones. When others feel that resonance, they are inspired to action.

The most inspiring actions involve role modelling as well as teaching. When my words are congruent with my actions, I become a role model for others. As I share my vision, I teach what’s important to me, what I think matters in the big picture.

Teaching in this way creates the intrinsic desire to upskill as a leader. By presenting my authentic self, my vulnerabilities, my areas for growth I don’t need to mandate upskilling because I’ve created the conditions for individuals to want to do it on their own.

Intrinsic motivation lasts longer and better because it comes from within. We don't just help people grow professionally - we help them create a foundation to grow personally as well.

With immense humility, I am taking the editorial liberty with John Maxwell's quote - A leader is one who knows, the way, goes the way, shows the way and perhaps something we all need to think about how we grow along the way.

This is really the need of the hour as we stay in this state of permacrisis - adapting, changing, growing while staying true the original vision. This is muscle memory we need to lean into a lot more than we have ever needed to historically and I believe it is good for us in the long run. We just need to give ourselves grace in the short term to learn, fall, fail, adapt and celebrate the progress we make along the way.