Un-Becoming.

Continuing on Identity, came across this telling tale from the incomparable Mulla Nasrudin. More about this here.

Mullah Nasrudin was going into a large inn to sleep for the night. There were many beds all in one room. The thought occurred to Nasrudin that in the dark he would not know who he was, so he tied a balloon to his ankle. While Nasrudin was sleeping, the man in the next bed decided to play a joke. He untied Nasrudin's balloon and tied it on his own ankle. When Nasrudin woke up, he looked at the man next to him. Then he reached out to shake hands and said, "Ah, I know who you are. You are Mullah Nasrudin, but please, tell me who I am."

:)

From having very scheduled days, I have experimented with the opposite for the last few weeks. A few big things were blocked out - time spent with my parents, a wedding, a holiday with the family, but around all that there was space. Rather than planning for what's next, I have allowed for things to appear.

Walked into a library, browsed for a while, spotted many books, resisted the temptation to read reviews online before picking up what I want to read. Ended up getting "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. I have tried to read this at least 3 times before, and swiftly given up. I think it is going way better this time, I only have to read each page five times before I can move to the next; and then when I pick up the book after a few hours, I only have to go back 3 pages before I can proceed. Based on complex quantum calculations, I think I should be able get it back to the library by 2037.

Decided to head to the mountains for a multi-day trek. So a friend and I went on the lesser- known "Hamta Circle" trek in the Himalayas, scaling 4000 meters. I lead a pretty active lifestyle, may even go as far as to call myself relatively fit, but on the trek, each step uphill introduced me to a new muscle and tendon in my thighs, and each step on the way down reintroduced me to new nooks in my feet, and knees. But the views!

I digress, but, maybe not.

Ever want to feel insignificant, impermanent, stripped of all identities? A bit of Stephen Hawking and some time in the unfiltered expanse of nature are a pretty potent combination.

Newton's work established that there is no "Absolute Space"; and Einstein established the absence of "Absolute Time". Makes me wonder, maybe it is time to call for an end to "Absolute Identities".

I have had the chance to work with 1000s leaders and leadership teams over my career. I am yet to come across a leader that feels they are operating at their fullest potential. Leadership tookits, traits, habits, hacks, more recently - bio hacks, are in abundance, but seem to not address the complexity of our world. Maybe we are solving for a Complex world, with approaches more suited for a Complicated world?

Quantum Identities?

Imagine an executive, let's call her Sarah, who has just accepted a position as CEO of a major corporation. Up until this point, Sarah has been the COO . In her old role, she had a clear sense of who she was and what was expected of her. But as she prepares to step into the CEO role, Sarah finds herself in-between, no longer the COO but not yet the CEO. In quantum terms, Sarah is like a particle in superposition - she is both the COO and the CEO simultaneously, until she fully transitions into the new role. This superposition of identities can be disorienting, as Sarah grapples with the expectations and responsibilities of her new position. She may find herself questioning her abilities, wondering if she has what it takes to lead a large organization. But this space is also a place of possibility. Just as a particle in superposition contains the potential for multiple outcomes, Sarah's transition represents an opportunity for her to redefine her identity and leadership style. She can choose to simply slot into the CEO mold, or she can use this moment to consciously create a new way of being. Taking each moment at a time, unburdened by stories of the past!

Another fundamental principle of quantum physics is Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, which states that the more precisely we know one property of a particle, the less precisely we can know another property. As Sarah prepares to take on her new role, she will inevitably encounter uncertainty. She may not know all the details of how her company operates, or how her team will respond to her leadership. This uncertainty can be unsettling, but it is also a necessary part of the transition process. Just as a particle's properties are in flux until observed, Sarah's identity as a CEO is in flux until she steps into the role and begins to make her mark. The more she tries to control every aspect of the transition, the more she may find herself frustrated. But, if she can embrace the uncertainty and trust the process, Sarah may find that she is able to navigate the transition with greater ease and adaptability.

The Quantum Leap

Ultimately, the process of navigating a transition is a quantum leap - a leap into the unknown, a leap into a new way of being. But this leap is not a single event, but rather a series of smaller leaps, each one building upon the last. There will be times when she feels fully in command, and times when she feels uncertain. There will be times when she feels like a leader, and times when she feels like an imposter. But through it all, Sarah must trust in the process and trust in herself. She must embrace the uncertainty and the possibility of the liminal space, and use it as a springboard for growth and transformation. And she must remember that she is not alone in this journey - that every executive who has ever made a quantum leap has walked this path before her, and that every executive who will ever make a quantum leap will walk it after her.

Thank you, Stephen Hawking :-). Thanks to your work, Sarah, I, and several others may life's our leadership journeys better!