The world is in a state of chaos, whether it is political, global, economic, financial, human, racial, health or Earth & climate. Globally, we are all experiencing these times collectively and individually in a container that has been given to us by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In a recent webinar Lynne Twist (author of The Soul of Money) shared some beautiful wisdom. She suggests our world is out of balance, with a very masculine form of leadership. While there are many great qualities of the masculine side of things, it can get out of control when there is too much of it. Lynne’s view requires a return to balance, suggesting that now is the time for the feminine to rise. I wholeheartedly agree.
I work mostly with female leaders because we have spent too much time in the shadow of the extreme masculine side of leadership that dominates much of the world. It is time for women to invite their unique leadership power into the forefront. I don’t mean to say that male leaders are bad, or all ineffective, I have worked with many great male leaders. I believe there has been an imbalance, an over exaggerated masculine style (by men and women) that has dominated leadership.
There are many examples of women leading with a more balanced approach. Looking back on the COVID response from leaders, we may find that women led countries dealt with COVID-19 threat more effectively than others, saving lives. As I write this, we have lost 160k people to COVID-19 in the United States alone and the count continues to increase. I think we in the Western world have much to learn from other leaders, particularly women, and those with a more balanced leadership style.
Our political leaders (no matter the party) appear to spend more time competing and arguing than attending to those they serve, and their polarizing ways are creating a lot of friction between everyday Americans as well. I agree with Lynne that this seems to be a symptom of an over masculinized way of being in the world. It is time to embrace a different, more balanced, more effective way of leading.
Lynne compared this unique time to a pregnancy—we are poised to create something new, but right now we are in the morning sickness phase. Society needs to define what we want to give birth to next. It is clear, that the imbalanced trajectory we have been on no longer serves us or the greater good. It is time for more balanced women and men to lead, partnering to bring the best of masculine and feminine leadership strengths forward.
One of the key tasks for any leader to be more balanced, is to know themselves and what they stand for in the spaces and places they affect. Great leaders are in touch with their own internal values and purpose, and lead from a place of balanced masculinity and femininity.
I guide leaders to return to the core of what is most important; to get clear about what they care about and what they are here to do. It is easy to get pushed off that path in our modern frantic world. I encourage you to commit to look inside yourself; re-align what you are up to with how you are leading yourself, your life, and others. Below are four simple steps to get you started. I hope you are IN!
Dedicate a few minutes once or twice daily with the following:
- Take 1-5 minutes of quiet, where you push away all “to-do’s” & distractions (longer is ok too).
- Take a few deep belly breaths while sitting tall with your feet flat on the ground & relax your body as best you can either from head to toes or reversed.
- Ask yourself these 3 questions with no expectation of an immediate answer:
- What am I here to do now? How can I best serve? Who do I need to be?
- Then just listen all throughout the day, notice & write down any intuitive hits or ideas you get. Over time you will start to get a sense/idea of your most aligned personal way to lead.
The goal is to create a quiet oasis for your mind to rest, open and discover why you lead. I’d love to hear how it goes for you.
