The most important space between us is not a physical distance, but how closely we are prepared to align our vulnerabilities.
To embrace an idea shared with us, is to be vulnerable with our thoughts. To trust someone, is to be vulnerable with our heart. To care about something is to be vulnerable with our time. We could be a thousand miles apart, but totally and joyfully inseparable.
The words we use, the time we share, the kindness we show and the space we allow for others to be heard, are like the individual stitches in the fabric of a relationship. They bring us together and then hold us together. The physical distance between people is then no gap at all.
The most important aspect of leadership is not the cleverness of the strategy, or the smartness of the rhetoric. Neither is it the status or the power seemingly conferred by hierarchy. Leadership is about how we align and respect vulnerability. Can I make you feel that I am worthy of your ideas? Can I make you feel that I am worthy of taking you away from your family to give me time? Can I make you feel that I am worthy of your trust?
Leadership is too often painted as a sweeping landscape of populism and soaring tones. In reality it is pixels of care and thoughtfulness.
The wonderful irony in our current separateness, is that we can feel more connected than ever before because of the kindness and thoughtfulness we show each other.
In our recent history we have built gleaming towers to house the egos of our leaders. They are statements of status and exclusiveness. Their call to prayer is to shout, “fuck you world, look how we gleam all over your inconsequence”. Now these towers are empty, hollow and without purpose. We no longer bustle past besuited avatars and crowd into lifts packed with people, but seeing no-one. Instead, despite the variable quality of our Wi-Fi, we see real people in real homes. We notice small things and we care more that people are ok.
Leadership has been a flag of convenience for driving income and beating the competition; my wish is that it becomes a love letter to our people and our communities.
As we start the process of returning to what we thought was normal, we must ask more of our leaders. We are, after all, the reason others can be leaders. We must still be profitable and we must be competent. There will also always be boundaries, as there are in all loving relationships, but our opportunity is to reset what leadership means.
Leadership is in the stitching together of our interests in common, a patchwork of vulnerable humanity, made strong by our values and shared endeavour.
Leadership is to facilitate our growth as contributors, not as takers.
Leadership is to care about the smallness of our human needs, not the implausible grandness of our corporate ambition.
Take care. Paul x
