To conquer adversity successfully, we as leaders need to build and maintain regenerative systems in our lives. I learned this recently over a long lunch meeting with a senior executive. We had gathered to discuss a major organizational transformation. Most of what was happening was based on disruptive goals instead of incremental goals. The impact of these new goals was being felt at the people level, the structure level, the systems level, and the culture level. People were overwhelmed and all of the problems that were surfacing as a result were adaptive in nature.
At home, this same individual was dealing with a husband who had a new job. She shared with me that she often felt like she was on the verge of complete burnout or a total nuclear melt down.
“What am I suppose to do? The goals are Board endorsed. Our industry is changing fast. And I have to keep moving forward.”
I listened carefully to her concerns and then said, “In situations of this nature, you have to manage your energy, not just your time and commitments. How do you recharge, rebuild or regenerate your energy? Is this an event or a system?”
I have learned personally and professionally that each of us needs to recharge, rebuild or regenerate our energy on many levels. Some of us will do this through exercise at the individual or group level. Others of us will gain energy and perspective through structured or institutional settings like a church or a support group. And finally some of us will do this personally by meeting regularly with a select group of friends. The key I have found is that it needs to be systematic. We need to not just be doing it because it needs to “get done” but instead we need to do it because we understand that this choice over time makes a big difference. It results in on-going improvements and insights.
Second, when it comes to regeneration, we need to step back and recognize that measuring something does not always need to be numerical in nature. The party line in the world of business is that“We inspect what we expect” and “If we can not measure it, it can not be improved.”
My perspective on all of this measurement stuff has evolved over time. I understand the importance and role that measurement plays in helping people get better at something. But when it comes to regenerative level work, I believe there is a time and a place for qualitative measures, too. I have not met a leader in all my years who will quote me a statistic related to personal or professional change. Most tell me a story about an event or experience that shifted their perspective and their choices. I have come to understand that if a person remembers something like this over time, then it has made a difference. Our memories and the feelings around these memories are just as important as the quantitative measures.
I also have learned that the telling of stories related to those events is important, too. It bonds people and makes people feel like they are making a difference. It also inspires people. A number can not always do this. The sharing of a story or a memory can.
Finally, we need to understand that stewardship of regenerative systems is our responsibility. People who conquer adversity and emerge stronger and more committed do not “outsource” the care of institutional regenerative systems or personal regenerative systems. They engage by being committed to active participation. As one elder told me years ago, “you get out of it what you put into it.” This means going regularly to church or a support group. This means making time for friends and family.
There have only been a few times in my life when time was not a defining characteristic of what was happening. At these moments, I was not aware of what day of the week it was. Nor was I focused on the clock and what was coming up next. These were what I like to call “100% now moments”.
For example, the days after our first child was born I did not know what day of the week it was. The only time I noticed was sun rises and sun sets. To this day, I specifically remember the time I spent laying on the couch with a newborn son on my chest, watching the sun slowly rise. It was so peaceful and so now.
The biggest and long periods in my life where “time stopped” happened over four summers. During my college years, I went to the same place every summer to be a camp counselor. It was way more than a job. It was a community where I could do “deep battery” recharge after another year of higher education. This particular camp taught simple outdoor living with a focus on wood craft skills, camping skills, crafts, music, trips and adventure.
What made the work of the summer camp experience so powerful for me was that I had found myself, and my team i.e. the other counselors, and my community. We actively supported each other by encouraging each other to try out new activities. When difficult issues surfaced related camper behavior and when challenging differences of perspective happened between counselors, we made the time to deal with them in a thoughtful and respectful manner. In short, there was an “I” but there was an even stronger “we”.
This sense of community was based on an understanding that the work we were doing was changing the lives of all involved. Our goal was make each day a meaningful day. Therefore, we made time to build a meaningful and supportive community. It was dynamic, organic and personal, i.e. a “thick system of relationships” referencing the work of David Brooks in his new book, The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. As he explains, “When a community begins to build together, they don’t just create new stuff; they create new norms.”
When I look at the bigger picture, the road ahead is complex. Big issues and complex challenges abound. Our work as leaders will be very important. Therefore, we need to support people to have a meaningful day at work, to have a meaningful day at home, and to do it within the context of a caring community.
This week, begin to build and routinely maintain meaningful regenerative systems in your life. It will make a big difference at work and at home.
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