Introduction
Recently, I have shared a term with leaders that has been quite helpful, namely rapid intensification. This term is used to describe how hurricanes develop in a short period of time, e.g. the weather was fine and then it changed quickly overnight, which resulted in the development of a hurricane. Recognizing this pattern, weather scientists monitor for the conditions that will result in rapid intensification, and, if they see it starting to happen, they then make specific recommendations as to safety, etc. before a full blown hurricane happens.
Given current events taking place in a wide diversity of organizations, the conditions for rapid intensification are surfacing. Therefore, leaders need to monitor these conditions quite closely. Then, if they do surface, they need to have a plan for how to respond in order to handle the arrival of a metaphorical hurricane.
Another element related to this current situation is that more and more people report feeling isolated, excluded, and invisible at work and at home. They also are feeling irritated, impatient, and disappointed that things are not working very well. Many of these people are desperately seeking a place and/or a group where they feel like they belong, and are welcomed just as they are. These individuals have a desire for connection and certainty, a wanting to stand on solid and stable ground, and a hoping for time and space where life is predictable and safe. This desire reflects people being worn to the core by constant ambiguity and uncertainty. For some, they feel like every day is a moment of rapid intensification, resulting in perpetual hurricanes on a wide variety of different levels in their professional and personal lives.
The Big Question
So, what are people in leadership positions suppose to do when all of this is taking place day after day, month after month?
First, we must remember that everything changes, and that everyone has always been a part of the process. While this may not be comforting, it is a normal part of living, whether we like it or not.
Second, we need to remember an insight shared by Margaret Wheatley: “Evolution does not mean progress, only adaptive change.” While things have always been changing, it does not mean that things are always moving in the right direction. Adaptive change is not always progress.
Third, we need to discern where all this change and reaction to change is happening. Currently, we are dealing with more and more complex problems, and the consequences of many, past solutions. The outcome of this convergence is overwhelming. But we must pause and discern where, not just what is happening.
Nineteenth-century poet Gerard Manley Hopkins coined the phrase “inscape” as being different than landscape. The former focuses on the inner experience of a person moving through time while the later focuses on the external experience of a person through time. While there is a subtle difference between the two, our role as leaders is to discern where the change is happening and how we want to proceed. From experience, working on the inscape is vital to working effectively in the landscape.
Responding to Rapid Intensification
With these three perspectives in mind, we as leaders can respond to these cycles of constant, rapid intensification in three ways. First, we must focus on listening to what is going on inside of us, and also what is happening outside of us. Listening is an opportunity to become more open, not just to understand what is being said on the outside, but also to comprehend the inner dialogue about it. For when we listen and are more open to a diversity of perspectives, we have the opportunity to comprehend a larger understanding, and the inter and intra connectivity to all that is happening in the midst of the constant fragmentation, uncertainty, and ambiguity that surrounds us.
Second, we must practice deep gratitude with the people who are seen and not seen in our lives. Every day, a wide diversity of people are making things happen at work, in society, and in our direct lives. For example, we see the people who are putting the food on the shelves at the grocery store. Yet, we do not see the people who grew it, picked it, and delivered it to the store. They are just as important as the ones who stock it so we can buy it. All of these people deserve our respect, and appreciation. They are creating the infrastructure for us to do what we do in our lives. They, the seen and unseen, are giving us the capacity to cope, and, in time, work with all that is changing.
Third, we need to redefine what is leadership. For many people, it is a philosophical framework that determines how they engage with others. And, I believe this is a very important way of defining leadership. Still, I also believe it is a pathway that one commits to, and lives over time. For over the course of one’s career, the definition and experience of being a leader changes. In the beginning, it may be about choices and decisions, but later it is about connections, clarity, and commitment. Because as we commit to the pathway of leadership, we end up making three important choices, namely being kind to all seen and unseen people, being respectful to all seen and unseen people, and being compassionate to all seen and unseen people. The philosophical framework is the beginning, but the commitment to the pathway is the on-going journey to effectiveness and collaboration.
At the same time, let us remember that kindness, respect, and compassion play a vital role to being successful. The challenge is that many leaders do not do these three things very well. They forget that kindness, respect, and compassion are the building blocks of healthy relationships, and the elements for on-going engagement and commitment. I think this lack of perspective comes from thinking that being kind as a leader is a sign of weakness. We so easily forget that everyone is doing their best, many times in spite of all that is happening in their lives. We also forget that everyone has a life story that includes joy and suffering, clarity and pain.
To be continued on Tuesday.
© Geery Howe 2026
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