INsight/ Making The Way

Manila, 2 October 2026 — How do leaders make a way together?

Story

For leaders to move without knowing the whole way is one thing. Discovering what becomes possible as we move with others is another.

At a recent team retreat on leadership, I invited people to share a life experience that had catalyzed their leadership. I shared first. Then someone else shared. Their story changed what became possible for the next person.

As others followed, experiences emerged that hadn’t been shared with colleagues before. The quality of the conversation changed. So did the relationships in the room. None of us knew beforehand where the conversation would lead. We were making the way as we went.

Challenge

Leaders are expected to create direction. Waiting until the way is clear slows progress. Determining the way too quickly closes possibilities that have yet to emerge.

Some possibilities only become visible once we begin moving. A conversation changes what can be said next. An action generates a response. Someone sees something we hadn’t seen. The way becomes clearer through participating in making it.

The challenge is to keep moving without closing too quickly what the way might become.

Question

Way-making happens through participation.

What we notice, share, question, invite and do affects others. Their responses affect us. Each contribution can change what becomes possible next.

We make the way through how we participate. Where will your next move create space for way-making together?

#LeadershipWayMaking

Concept illustration generated with AI