LIFE – Let It Flow Easy!!
“We live in a VUCA world!!” – more than six years back my teacher started our session with this opening line. It was the first time I was hearing the term “VUCA”. My facial expressions gave away my question and before I could open my mouth, my teacher said “We live in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous world.” Now VUCA as a term was first used in 1987, drawing on the leadership theories of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus and was also the response of the US Army War College to the collapse of USSR in the early 1990’s. Basically it also meant in the context that suddenly, there was no longer the only one enemy, which meant figuring out new ways of seeing and reacting to situations.
Leadership is all about finding solutions to the VUCAness of all life situations. It is a misconception that Leadership hat is only meant for the top-shots of the hierarchical chain. Each one of us, irrespective of our position, status, role is capable of being a leader. Leadership is all about the 3I’s – IMPACT, INFLUENCE and INSPIRATION.
IMPACT – The definition of the word impact means to be able to have a strong effect on someone or something or in other words to have a marked effect or influence. However, if we look at the origin of the word impact, it comes from the word “impingere” which means to drive in, to push , to impel. Impact is about having the ability to push one away from their comfort zone, from the norm, to move away from the routine or accepted way of doing things. In a way its about diluting the third attachment which is extremely difficult to see and equally difficult to get rid off – the attachment to our ideologies and thought pattern.
It is about moving away from the herd mindset, not being a ‘sheeple’, not being someone who succumbs to the peer pressure, but it is about being someone who listens to their higher inner voice and acts based on that. Apparently in Turkey, 500 sheep jumped off a cliff and died. The sheep that triggered the incident was trying to jump off one cliff to another and the rest followed. Its the same with humans – we follow one another and fall into the deep hole of unending chase to happiness and die eventually with our music still in our heart.
INSPIRATION – It means to encourage someone to believe into something they do not believe in yet. It originates from the word inspire. If we go to the etymology of the word inspire, it comes from the Latin words “in spirare” which means to breathe into , to affect through divine influence.
INFLUENCE – In our current context, the word influence means to have the power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; having the ability to change the development of fluctuating things such as conduct, thoughts or decisions. Interestingly, in old French it meant ” emanation form the stars that acts upon’s one character and destiny”. It comes from the Latin word “influentia” which means to flow into, stream in.
When we connect the three I’s together, Leadership is all about being able to push people to connect with their divine purpose and let that divinity flow through their actions into this world.
Isn’t this the foremost duty of the parents for their children – rather than forcing them to take up subjects that are not their calling, just because they need to find a place in the society, Instead of succumbing to the peer pressure, help the child know what they are good at, what’s the divine purpose for which they have come here and help them stay course the path. That’s the only way we can build the kind of society and world we all desire of – which is happy, beautiful and most importantly full of love.
What makes a company and it’s product stand out – when the CEO’s and the team stay connected to the purpose of the business for the benefit it provides to the society, the employees find a purpose which is then in alignment with the divinity within themselves and brings in efficiencies in the performances and overall team work. However, this can happen only when we are truly aligned within and it is this alignment which brings in the element of joy to our so called mundane existence!!
So how do you deal with life’s VUCAness – like a leader or like a sheeple?