Day #765 - Names and Context

Space to Operate

Meadow refused to eat her rice the other day. It’s not her favourite. So I told her it was baby pasta (a firm favourite) and she polished it all off. It may not have been my finest moment of truthful parenting, but it did remind me of a key part of our human experience. That we are not really all that logical, but that we do seek agency and control.

We put value into things as much as we find it within them: for most of us, our choice of shoes, cars, or clothes are not simply utilitarian. We put in a certain amount of value that relates to our aspirations, our identity, and our beliefs.

Leadership is not dissimilar in that we ‘put value’ into it, at least when it comes to Social Leadership, which is an imbued form of authority.

Formal leadership is given to you: Social Leadership is earned, and the Social Authority that we earn results in our dynamic power.

Changing a name changes a context, and can change an outcome, but it also can be viewed as deceit. But changing context, without changing the name, can also deliver a good outcome. Giving people more freedom to choose, more agency to decide, more space, can deliver higher engagement.

Use your sixty seconds today to consider this: how does your leadership set a context, and how do you use this in your practice?

I hope you’re having a great week so far.