Leadership Wisdom of the Week #21

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”

– Mary Oliver, The Summer Day

In her poem, Mary Oliver dives into the depths of human existence and reflects on how short and precious our lives are. I personally feel that now, after the summer holidays, is the perfect time to stop and think about what we want to do with our working lives.

Reflecting on the meaningfulness of work is not only about what we want to achieve here and now. It is also about our longer-term commitment to growth.

As managers, it is important for us to consider what we are aiming for professionally — and, based on that, what we want to continue doing, what we want to change and what new things we want to learn. What makes our current role meaningful? What does it give us, and how does it contribute to something beyond ourselves?

For people leaders, this also means reflecting on why we want to lead. A conscious motivation for leadership provides a much stronger foundation than simply continuing in a role we may have happened to end up in.

Good leaders also remember to ask their team members the right questions and encourage them to engage in the same kind of self-reflection. Everyday working life can be hectic and consuming, making it difficult to think about the bigger picture or look beyond immediate demands. And yet, if we never plan beyond today, we may end up staying where we are even when it no longer meets our needs.

Change does not have to be big, and learning does not need to happen in leaps. On the contrary, it is often the small, everyday changes that make the greatest difference over time. But to choose the right small steps, we first need some sense of the direction in which we want to grow.