I love this picture. She has swum into deep water. Larger and larger waves are coming and she has to try harder and harder to keep her head above them. She can feel the pressure of the tide pushing against her, encouraging her back into the shore. But…she wants to go out deeper, to discover what it is like further out, to continue the adventure.
Leading into change can be a journey into deep water. The effort to push against the tide, to keep momentum going, to avoid being submerged by the to do list of normal working lift so that some creative energy is still left for innovation.
What are some of things that help. Well, our swimmer is helped by strong core strength and good physical fitness. For me, the strong core in the leader is found in developing emotional intelligence - that is knowing and being able to reflect well about ourselves - and good physical fitness is found in good reflective practice by oneself and others.
What are those things which have helped you when you are swimming into the tide, knowing that deep water is coming and beyond the breaking waves there are new opportunities for your community to grow and thrive?