Singapore, 14 June 2023 — Three metaphors to help you in leading forward.

Story

It happened this week. Working with a group of regional leaders gathered in the green heart of modern Singapore, we felt inspired by the lush greenery surrounding our see-through conference room, and by its historic location on the hill where the ancient palace of Singapura was built in 1299, before Siam’s Ayutthaya and China’s Ming dynasty. 

Over a period of three days, our decor was a kaleidoscope of bright sunshine, dramatic clouds, and pouring rain. What a scenic location for exploring how to lead a modern business forward in the context of local and international cultures that welcome renewal while valuing cultural heritage.

Our exploration of forward-thinking leadership, which included intimate group discussions as well as one-to-one coaching, reminded me of the three metaphors that can inspire us to see leadership as, in turn, an inside job, a contact sport, and playing a bigger game. Working with these metaphors enables leaders to move forward individually, as a group, and in their business. 

Challenge

Leadership, as I’m sure you have discovered, is a complex challenge. This week, we focused on three elements that, as shown by research, are correlated to effective leadership development.  

The first element is working on a vision. When leaders develop and regularly review their vision for life and work, they are more likely to grow and flourish consistently. The second element is for leaders to discover, deploy, and leverage their strengths.

The third element is for leaders to overcome resistance and the risk of being captured by negative emotional states that cause their capacity for executive thinking, curiosity, and creative problem-solving to be shut down. We practiced a coaching tool that paves the way to return to a positive emotional state in 20 min.

Question

Which of the three metaphors is calling you to work on your leadership? 

Is it your inside job to work on your positive mindset or the contact sport to nurture your effective communication skills to build trust in relationships, or your choice to step out of your small self and play a bigger game? 

It was heartwarming to see how leaders transformed themselves to grow this week with an open mind, a willingness to engage, and a commitment to move forward. Such opportunities are well within reach.

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