The Winter Solstice on December 21 holds a special place in my heart as it marks the return of light, offering a moment of reflection on the year that has passed, providing us a chance to reflect on our journey through the seasons and the deep resonance this cycle stirs within us.
For me, this past year has unfolded in a dance of contrast and perspective. Viewed through the lens of predictability and control, it appeared fraught with challenges and deviations from the expected path. Yet, when embraced with openness to the emergent and the unknown, this very year transformed into quite a magical span of my life.
What do I mean by that? Perhaps by offering you your own exploration, my experience might feel more resonant.
- When you set goals, where do you source the goals from? The known past? What you think you should do? What your soul is whispering (or the soul of the organization)?
- How hard do you push through and strive to meet goals? Do you push through every issue or do you sense into the environment around you and in your body and respond from that place?
- How often do you listen to the inner whisper/gut feeling? Or do you mostly pay attention to what is screaming hot in front of you and react to fix it right away?
- How much time sitting/being in the formless and unknown do you partake in? Or are you constantly in motion and action?
This year, life presented unexpected pauses, not through illness or injury, thankfully, but through external circumstances that encouraged a slowdown. This shift allowed me to inhabit spaces of formlessness and emergence more fully, facilitating a richer, intuitive engagement with life and work.
Embracing and moving with the unknown is becoming a vital strategy for thriving in the complexity of our modern world.
Embracing the Unknown in Strategy. Related to the above, a recent conversation with a CEO illuminated the evolving landscape of strategic planning. She queried about setting strategy in a world where setting specific goals are increasingly unattainable yet still letting a strong mission guide the way and provide the riverbanks to keep flowing forward.
This is a pivotal shift from traditional, linear strategic models towards an emergent, responsive, and fun approach to planning.
This emergent way of being with strategy honors our core values and mission and yet remains open to the unknown, integrating creativity and responsiveness into the fabric of organizational life. It moves beyond static frameworks, fostering a dynamic interplay between an organization’s current state and its aspirational future.
As we return to the light of this solstice, I hope it can be a beacon guiding us toward a method of strategy that thrives on flexibility, creativity, and deep alignment with our core values. Imagine strategy as a living, breathing aspect of our organizations, vibrant and attuned to the ever-shifting landscape of our world.
This approach can be mirrored in our personal strategies—how we set our goals and intentions, how we respond to life’s unpredictable rhythms, and how we allow space for the unknown in our personal journeys. I know integrating this approach is creating magic for me.
Here’s to leaving room for the magic!
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