My greatest leadership lesson of 2022

Throughout this year, I repeatedly came back to a phrase gifted to me by a dear teacher. 
 

“If this shall be the case, how do we proceed?”

Living into that phrase in 2022 was my greatest leadership lesson of the year. 

Responsibility to and for your world is a core part of leadership. Included in that responsibility is accepting your world for what it is. A lifelong journey of mine is to accept reality rather than try to change it. This lives in the part of the phrase that says “if this shall be the case."

Part of accepting reality is accepting your own experience. That includes what you want or don’t want and what you need and don’t need. It requires honoring yourself. And unhooking from dissecting your own experience into right and wrong evaluations. Accepting reality as the case is actively validating what’s true for you — even if the world doesn’t yet see that truth for you.

This year I stepped up my responsibility by acknowledging and accepting my reality. In doing so, I was able to leverage my whole self to explore the second part of the phrase: “how do we proceed?” I had more energy and self to use toward this part because I’d stopped wrestling with my reality. 

When I try to redefine reality, I get stuck. There’s no proceeding because my energy goes toward negotiating with what I want and need and what’s true for me. 

This year I was able to make some bold choices after accepting my reality. The ways I chose to proceed are different. Unimaginable even. The impact of some of these choices is still unfolding as I head into this year. But I’m clear and calm about those choices because they came from a place of honoring reality. 

The bottom line for me: Stop trying to change your reality. Instead, accept reality, and leverage your full leadership capacity to create new impact from what is true.
 

Call for Reflection:

What part of your reality would you benefit from accepting?

Shine On, 

Alicia

(Image by Valentin Antonucci via Pexels)