Our Potential and Co-Creating the Future

Have you ever had a coach or a manager or a parent that had extremely high expectations of you?

How did that feel?

Did your personal expectations match those?

Zoom In

It likely depends.  I'm betting if that person was leading with care and nurture, that eventually you began to see what they saw.  You started to believe in you.  Then, you went beyond believing in your own potential; you stepped into it and began acting from there.  My Mom has always been that for me.  Sometimes, the loving butt kicker, but always in service of my greater self. It is and was so meaningful that somehow her wholehearted support of me reflected my deeper essence, not her views of me or what "should be".  Stepping into the wider social world, I was lucky enough to have a couple teachers and mentors who saw deeper character in me along the way.  They balance out the other voices and inputs that can do damage or keep us quiet.  This loving challenger energy forced me to look within to identify my values, anchoring from there and expanding into spaces I could add value.  At a young age, these strong influences in my life served as scaffolding. From there, I constructed and stepped into my own self-advocacy, claiming my agency.

Connection

When someone sees you, it's powerful.  When another person sees something in you that you don't yet see in yourself or openly claim, it's a potent moment of curiosity and awakening.  It is astonishing what can come to be when you shift into "you have to believe it to see it".  For me, I developed self-efficacy allowing me to take risks, trusting myself to figure it out.  I know I can do it and it will not be alone. Being seen is vulnerable too, as we're all unfolding and likely not ready to be fully shown as a finished product. Have compassion for yourself, knowing this is the human experience.

Zoom Out

Let's zoom out now to the macro lens... to the systems view. There is a lot of change and upheaval taking place around our world and among the workforce landscape.  There are great expectations being placed upon our systems of work.  People of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances are challenging the status quo and expecting more from the employer/employee relationship.  The system is being challenged.

Many leaders may feel triggered by this.  You might feel it as you're reading this now.  Let's be honest, many leaders are simply trying to hold it together while being human and leading in this wild world.  The pace of change continues to accelerate and the unknowns are mounting.  Now the stakes feel higher and the demands are becoming loud.  You're being seen when perhaps it's not pretty or perfect or all figured out. To any leaders feeling that trigger currently, remember that YOU too deserve to be served by that very same system. And you alone do not have the answers, no one expects you to.

I invite you to explore a reframe. This challenging of the wider system is not an attack on you the individual leader.  In fact, it's not an attack at all.  This is not being called out.  This is an example of being CALLED IN.  There is great potential in the systems we humans create or inherit.  People are saying something because they believe in the potential of the system to do better.  We believe in the potential of us.  We see a future state that is greater than our current, with the ability to serve many more people, more fully and deeply.  Shouldn't we all be curious to explore that?  How do we invite more voices for generative dialogue? This experience of complexity is one we must lean into, not run away or hide from.

"Managers change the people to fit the system.  Leaders change the system to fit the people."

Alexander Den Heijer

I get it.  I, as a human living in 2024 feel the shifting sands of change all around me.  Rather, it feels more like tectonic plates shifting and at times it has rocked my world. And while it is unsettling or can seem overwhelming, there is also possibility and freedom in that unknown.  This moment is malleable and we are resilient and innovative.  Activate our collective intelligence with collaborative and intentional action and we've got this!

Impact Leaders, we're being CALLED IN.  What's our next best move? Let me know your thoughts!

Thrive on!

Ari DeGrote

Founder | Impact Leadership Catalyst