I must confess, I was terrified to write these blogs and the story of Ubuntu. Self-doubt, legitimacy, and Ms. Neiman’s creative writing class all conjure up feelings of inadequacies as I considered the conversation I wanted to share with you. Overwhelmed. Paralyzed. Then the project manager in me shows up and explains the necessity to break this down into bite-sized pieces. The Lean facilitator in me creates a safe zone and explains this is just an experiment. The strategist in me considers the long-term advantages, goals, and measures in an action plan. The voices in my head have won, and here I am on week seven of twelve blog themes, feeling accomplished and energized. My fears have subsided, and I look forward to the weekly post.
Ubuntu- I am because we are– is the inspiration behind the tool I wish to construct for leaders, specifically women leaders. Leadership requires the balancing of many voices, and the best leadership comes from a place where you’re aware of your strengths and weaknesses and keep the conversation relevant for the situation and audience. When things “click” you can feel the life in your blood, in your heart and in your veins. There is also an energy that can be multiplied if you share about the journey with others. Leaders should be compelled with a passion, vision and goals, along with being drawn to inspire others towards this desired future state. I am fortunate to embody a lot of passion in the area of leadership and have access to great collaborators who support my work.
Each week, as I prepare for the planned topic, I create the open space in my mind for the words, stories, and pictures to form. Ironically, there usually 2-3 different moments of serendipity where the message is laid out and the theme is reinforced. For example, this week’s theme is “breathe.” My preparation included some physical activity to get the blood flowing. As I walked up and down the stairs pictured above, I considered the various elements of the Transform. Action. Strategy. business, the desired impact we seek, specifically as it pertains to leadership. I reflected on the physical and mental conditioning it takes to walk up 60+ stairs in the circuit, and the necessary focus to walk down without tripping. I paced my cadence of steps with my breathing; the heart was pumping, my muscles screamed, my determination soared. Even though it was only 30 minutes, this was an endurance workout requiring focus on the very next step, rather than dread the flight of steps above. In this moment, the blog’s title, metaphor, and picture were captured (mind you my legs hardly had the power to stand up after bending my knees to take this picture).
Thoughts about leadership and our relatedness to others – the story of Ubuntu – race through my brain. Taking that first step is undoubtedly an important and significant step, involving putting in the work to formulate the words so you can articulate to others the vision or forward thinking towards a better tomorrow and it requires A LOT of courage and hope. The second step, or tenth step, or one-hundredth step where we do the action towards realizing that vision requires persistence, humility, and a lot of breathing. Good work is never easy, but I promise you if it is a “good cause” the work will be rewarding, and worth every bit of heart-pumping blood, sweat and tears available. Leaders must be willing to shoulder the cause, the pursuit of the vision, and clearing the pathway for action. And while you are taking each step on this journey, leaders also need to breathe. For their sake, and for those that they lead. A vision quest is a journey that evolves, and personally, we explore and grow along the way. The travel includes searching providing insights, learnings, and mysteries which need to be processed. Weaving in reflection, curiosity, discussion, and debate is part of the breathing necessary to effectively lead. Sometimes we draw in different sensory guidance, whether its whispers of encouragement; tastes of spice or sights of beauty, the leadership expedition will evolve. Leadership requires community, it’s not a solo trip. The adventure offers surprise, perspective, and likely delight (see picture below for the whimsical discovery at the top of my stair climb). Take the step, my friends, you know what journey is calling you. And I will be there with you along the way, should you desire, as you have been there with me. Ubuntu – I am because we are.
