Valuing Leaders for “Who They Be”

We opened our 1st annual Open Horizon Leaders Retreat two years ago with a reference to the need for leaders to balance “effort and ease.” This comes from the practice of yoga, and it can be applied to projects of all kinds. The idea is that we can’t always be effortful, or consistently have our foot on the gas. It’s not sustainable. It’s up to each of us to find the best balance for work and rest, for effort and renewal, to find ways to also put our foot on the brake.

Recognizing that these brilliant leaders could use some spaciousness, a pause in their schedules, we invite them to be in community, with skillful facilitators, opportunities to connect with like-minded folks, and a program that invites them to consider how they show up as leaders, how they practice self-care, and how their identities locate them in their work.

Open Horizon recently held its 3rd annual Leaders Retreat.?

At the opening this year we talked about the cultural dimension of “being versus doing.” Society tells us that our value comes from what we do, what we produce and provide to others. We are socialized to always be doing. Alternatively, there are cultures that assign individual value to simply being, to being part of a family and community, to being from a certain place, to being human.

We told our partner leaders that we admire and support them for all that they do, and we also admire and support them for all that they be. We value them and all that they are when their feet are up and their hands are resting in their laps. This is part of our ethos, to have a holistic approach to uplifting leaders, to help them find a good balance between effort and ease, between doing and being. We know that when leaders are well resourced and rested, whole communities feel the benefit. We see the capacity building portion of our work as including rest and renewal support as well as? fundraising consulting and training sessions.

Our horizon feels more open after spending three days with 28 of our partner leaders, days during which they had the opportunity to reflect on their purpose, to connect with new fellow leaders and friends, to find renewal in pausing.?

In what ways are you trying to maintain a healthy balance between being and doing this year?