Last 2 decades I have been in the “business of” Leadership, people, organisation transformation. The Word transformation is alluring, sexy, deep and ..irrelevant.
Let me explain.
Two things happened.
I was watching my neighbors 3 years old son on a wooden rocking horse. Some of us may have a memory of it. He was rocking. He kept going back and forth and wanting to do it faster. Scared and loving it.
This visual, suddenly brought back a memory of a leadership workshop. During a break, one of the leaders was sitting on a rocking chair in the lobby. And trying to be “steady”. And ironically we were having a conversation about how to manage “uncertainty” and change. The two images in my mind were juxtaposed.
What changed ..I wondered. From feeling the thrill of the back and forth. To the need to control it.
Second.
Sitting with my new flower, I notice it ..”transforming” every day. It can never “Be transformed”
I notice myself and many people I coach ..transforming. Present continuous tense. And yet, I feel we have been thinking of “transformation’ in a very static way.
The underlying belief ..with all the examples of Caterpillar to Butterfly, is, the Caterpillar transforms. And so inherent to that single analogy is the belief and therefore expectation of an Irreversible process. And an end goal. Being a butterfly.
The problem. A Metaphor, gone too far.
In reality, human beings are not caterpillars or butterflies ofcourse, I wish we were. And so, they slip, even after they go through a “Transformational experience”. And to be honest sometimes because of it. And then, what happens, because of the expectation of having ‘reached’ a goal, is guilt and Shame, when one still slips.
“How could I, even after..”
It’s heartbreaking. And yet a result of thinking of transformation as a one way, non-reversible, linear journey.How we end up using a word, and not realise it is no longer relevant in some contexts.
It definitely helps in wearing the Quantum and not Newtonian hat.
Perhaps it time to update , meaning and metaphors.
Maybe we need to apply human center thinking to thinking about Humans. Its kinder to think of human beings as particles AND waves, like an ocean, that goes back and forth and keep moving and growing. Not unidirectional, but deep never the less.
Perhaps we need to move from calling the work – Human/ Leadership transformation to Human and Leadership Emergence.
This may perhaps
- Reduce shame and anxiety of reaching ONE destination.
- Increase more risk taking courageous behavior
- Add curiosity and movement to ones thinking and action
- Be open to sudden insights and turns
- And most important – Be more Playful and also enjoy the Journey.
Since there is No ONE destination.
Maybe it’s time we moved from Calling it Leadership Transformation to Leadership Evolution.
After-all, we update our apps regularly to keep them relevant. Why not our language and worldvews.
“When you sit on a rocking chair – Rock “
Rhea
