The first four skills of Inner Leadership are the ability to stay calm in a crisis, make clear sense of the situation, find more opportunities, and then choose the best way forward even when the outcome is uncertain.
But even when we know what we want to do, there are three main reasons why we might still sometimes find ourselves stuck.
The first is overthinking or analysis-paralysis. This is when we over-analyse a situation so much so that we cannot take a decision. Like Hamlet, we flip back and forth between the possibilities, endlessly asking: “Option A or Option B, that is the question…? And what about Option C or Option D? And what if I fail? Or what if I succeed? And what about Option E or Option A or B…?”
The second reason we can sometimes get stuck is when we aren’t sure who we want to become. If we don’t know the future we want to create for ourselves then how can we possibly choose our best next step to take us there?
And the third reason we can get stuck is simply out of fear: fear of the unknown, fear of failure, and even fear of success.
This means that the fifth key skill or competency of Inner Leadership is to know how to overcome these three potential blockages so that we can move forward.
We can achieve this by realising that:
- In a time of massive change we will never be able to predict or control what happens, so all ways forward are a step into the unknown
- When everything is changing, the biggest danger comes from staying still
- There is no ‘correct’ way forward, only the one that will bring us and the people around us the most energy and enthusiasm to wake up every morning longing to make it happen
- And even if we then ‘fail‘ to achieve a particular outcome we will still gain useful learning and experience from the attempt. And that will then help us to find a new way forward, towards what matters most
Knowing these four things enables us to overcome any of the three main reasons that people sometimes feel stuck. That enables us to begin. And that is the next key step to becoming antifragile.
Have you ever found yourself feeling stuck? Were you feeling afraid, overthinking, or did you simply not know the destiny you wanted to create for yourself? Did you eventually choose the way forward that inspired you most? Would it be useful for you to be able to do this more quickly next time?
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and tools for building inspiration in times of change.
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