INsight/ Orange for Progress

Manila, 1 June 2022 — Tap into the power of the Orange Way, with discernment. 

How many upward arrows do you see in this photo?

Story

It happened this past month. The flowering of Delonix regia with its bright orange flowers never fails to catch attention. Do you know it as the Flamboyant Tree, Flame Tree, Fire Tree, Royal Poinciana, Flame-of-the-forest, Semarak Api, Merak, Phượng vỹ or Phoenix's Tail, Sein-pann-ni, Flamboyan, Fleur-de-paradis, Red Flame, Extravagante, Gul Mohur, Maara, Krisnachura, or by another name? In the Philippines, where I took the photo, the flowering is said to signal the imminent arrival of the monsoon rains. They have indeed started.

What do you call this tree where you live, and what emotion do you feel when seeing those bright orange flowers? For me, the flamboyant orange reminds me of the power of the Orange Way in inclusive leadership practice, with its focus on progress, results, and success, driven by values of giving equal opportunity and motivating others. Globally, over the past five centuries, we have the Orange worldview to thank for leading humankind to make unprecedented progress in science and development, entrepreneurship, and human rights.

Why then, with so much progress and success to celebrate and inspire us, do we also need discernment when it comes to tapping into the power of the Orange Way? 

Challenge

In leadership practice, the Orange Way is all about embracing challenges that take you way out of your comfort zone and motivating others to do the same. Many leaders experience high levels of motivational energy when using the Orange Way. To tap into its power, you set stretch goals, work to an inspiring vision, and deliver results one after the other. With Orange in your leadership style, you are likely to become known as an enterprising leader, a champion of progress and change who goes the extra mile and leads at the front. Does that ring a bell?

From my experience working with leaders, I can see three challenges where discernment is needed when it comes to leading in the Orange Way. The first concerns leaders who are experiencing the limitations of maintaining hierarchy, order, and procedures and want to discover the power of the Orange Way. The second challenge concerns leaders who are enthusiastically practicing the Orange Way and want to learn to manage its downside risks. 

The third challenge concerns leaders who are deeply engaged in consensus-building, innovation, or holistic changes in their workplace, with too little to show in the way of results. Which of these three challenges resonates with where you’re at?

Question

To become an inclusive leader in your workplace, I highly recommend tapping into the power of the Orange Way, with discernment of where you are in relation to these three challenges in your own unique leadership development journey.

My question for you this week is about your passion for progress and results. Let’s call it your Flame, mindful of the beautiful bright flowers of the Flamboyant Tree. How bright is your Flame burning as a leader? Can others see it? What leadership behaviors are you showing up with to motivate and inspire your team, clients, and partners?

If you are not yet experiencing a brightly burning Flame as a leader, I recommend that you take a look at what is holding you back. Since that will likely involve some limiting beliefs that are hard to spot and overcome by yourself, working with a coach will help. If you’d like to take on that challenge, book a free strategy call so that we can discuss what you would change in your leadership if you had a magic wand.