Throughout history, times of contradiction and uncertainty have pervaded every aspect of human life. But the 21st century is proving to be the ultimate era of paradoxes.
As a result, navigating this paradox has become an increasingly important capability and asset for leaders at all levels. Mastering the skill of navigation begins with learning to recognize paradoxes and recognizing their existence and form. Not acknowledging that it doesn’t deflect or deter impact means it takes time to understand.
Once you get acquainted with the paradox and establish a relationship (so to speak), you can learn to embrace it and dance with it. Ultimately, we should allow it to become an essential part of our being. As you move from a space of potential discomfort and fear to seeing it as a powerful resource you can tap into, you begin to move into a new league of leadership abilities and gravitas.
To optimize this, you need to align many factors: engaged, authentic, and actively purposeful.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines intentionality as “the power of mind and mental states to think, express, or support things, properties, and states of affairs.”
Taking it a step further, positive intentionality speaks to the pursuit of a greater purpose—something that is important to the collective good. In fact, great leadership stands out for its pursuit of collective values, rather than simply “What can I get for myself?” — the latter is sadly abundant today in both the public and private sectors.
We’ve been through an exponential world. Change is increasing and continuing at a faster rate. The universe itself is accelerating. With the increasing paradoxes in every aspect of our lives right now, the journey to self-awareness and self-mastery is non-negotiable for both existing and aspiring leaders. The more self-aware you become, the more intentional you can become. The more we look beyond ourselves to the larger collective, the more impactful, resilient, and agile we can become.
Genghis Khan
If we look at some of the greatest leaders in history, Genghis Khan It stands out prominently for many reasons. He is estimated to be around $120 trillion in today’s money and is considered the second richest person in history.
While he built the greatest empire in history and dealt with his enemies ruthlessly, his sole focus was on serving the Mongol people. He took an array of disjointed tribes and united them into a galvanized nation. He is still revered today and his vision of achieving this was relentless.
Importantly, his willingness to implement his principles and prescriptions was evident. Once there was a water shortage, and when one of his generals brought him drinking water, he poured it on the floor as a sign of willingness to stand alongside his combatants. He actively engaged the battlefield, thereby setting an unwavering example of genuine leadership. Ironically, while he built the greatest kingdom in history through war, he was also one of the most peaceful in history.
He also did the unexpected by bringing many generals from the enemy into his army, giving him the clear and unique credit that from 1206 until his death none of his generals betrayed him. I got Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection By John Mann.
His brutality was juxtaposed with his empathy, loyalty, and concern for his people. of meritocracy. He was a staunch unbeliever who pursued nepotism.jack weatherford book Genghis Khan: The origins of the modern world, about how he used meritocracy and moderation to allow people to live together. Qualities such as honesty and honor were valued above all else. So although he was ruthless to his opponents, he was always willing to listen and learn new ideas.
Too many modern leaders are willing to make necessary sacrifices, commitments, and difficult decisions, often abandoning accountability. Such leaders most often lack self-awareness and the strong competence attributes and attitudes that come with it.
It takes resilience, agility and vision to have the courage to move in and out of different leadership styles and archetypes to suit the immediate situation and challenges. It takes mindfulness and positive intentions to be able to seamlessly identify and interpret the paradox that prevails in every situation so that we can harness it and take advantage of it.
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Below are three examples of paradoxes that are common in our lives.
The pursuit of work-life balance is futile. Our tendency as humans to want to plan, control, and manage is counterproductive. Work-life balance becomes unattainable due to constant changes in our lives and interruptions to work-life balance programs. Ironically, simply asking for priorities on a daily basis will strike a balance.
Seeking perfection is equally futile. First, it is not achievable. Second, they often exceed the timeline for completion. Third, we rarely celebrate victories. If, instead, we simply pursue excellence by instilling it into the essence of who we are, how we live, and what we do, we will achieve an acceptable level of perfection. Achieve what you can define.
A third example is company loyalty. For years, corporate leaders have championed the desire to have a loyal workforce. In many cases, Loyalty Syndrome produces passive workers who retain the mentality, “If I work and do a reasonable job, the company will take care of me.” I see that some employees don’t take responsibility for their careers and personal development and expect the company to do it for them. The result is less ownership and accountability. Regardless of level, if each person continually examines their own liquidity, marketability and relevance, they quickly realize that optimizing these factors requires optimal effectiveness and productivity. I guess.
I am not suggesting that people should be unprofessional, dishonest, or mercenary. Instead, you should pursue excellence, commitment, and continuous self-determination. Ironically, by having employees stay true to their careers first, companies will have far more engaged, productive, and skilled employees.
There are many other examples of important and common paradoxes, some less obvious. By recognizing them and making learning a part of our lives, we can become important leaders in ourselves, our teams, our businesses, and our communities. DM/ML
Read Bryan Hattingh’s previous column here.
