Ultimately, the changes that we go through that mature us as
leaders have the paradoxical effect of simplifying us while increasing
our embrace of ambiguity. We know ourselves – what we value,
for what or for whom we will take a stand – and we have accepted
both our own strengths and weaknesses.
At the same time, we no longer need to simplify the world, to
insist on a black and white, either/or reality. Perhaps as we make
peace with our monsters – and in so doing, accept our own dark
or shadow sides and admit our own weaknesses without empowering them
– we have less of a need to see extremes and polarize the world
into “them or us,” “right or wrong,” and even
“failure or success.”
We also know that “the bottom line” is merely a
metaphor for a yearning for greatness, and that companies don’t
exist merely to make money any more than human beings exist merely
to make blood. People can’t live without making blood, and companies
can’t exist without making money, but their purpose is always
something larger.
What kinds of metamorphoses
have you experienced? What kinds have you
observed
in others?
