What Does a Steady Leader Actually Look Like Today?
Photo Credit: Gintel Gee via Unsplash
Earlier this year at Henley Leadership Group, we explored the idea of steadiness: what it means to be steady as a leader, what helps us stay steady, and what that can look like when the world around us feels anything BUT steady. Leaders are sharing that their teams and colleagues are feeling tremendous pressure and that the pace of change is relentless. That things just feel hard right now. With so much disruption and uncertainty in the workplace, we’re returning to the theme to take another look.
When our COO, Shanon Olsen, sat down with our writing group to explore the theme, she challenged the premise itself. What if some of what we think of as steadiness is actually a performance of steadiness? What if a leader can be angry, scared, emotional, uncertain, or even feel a little unsteady and still lead from a deeply steady place?
Key Takeaways
Steadiness doesn’t necessarily look calm, measured, or emotionally restrained.
A leader can experience anger, fear, uncertainty, and other strong emotions and still remain present, respond thoughtfully, and see what the moment requires.
A steady leader can help others find their own steadiness.
Here are some of Shanon’s thoughts.
I have mixed feelings about staying steady while things fall apart. The idea alone brings up questions such as: Why should I stay steady? What is steady, really? Who gets to decide what steady looks like?
As a leader, I have never considered myself steady, at least not in the traditional sense. I love chaos, creativity, and the heated emotions that can stir up some heat. I thrive in mystery, losing my footing a bit and wobbling my way back to steady ground. This is where some of my most innovative and transformative moments have been sourced from. In many ways, this flies in the face of what we have traditionally considered a steady leader.
Who Gets to Decide What Steady Looks Like?
What is being presented isn’t always what is at play. The persona of steadiness can appear as calm, well-dressed, articulate, measured, tidy, with some separation from what is unfolding in front of them. Yet have you ever considered that perhaps one can be steady while being angry, crying, scared, and totally lost?
I think it is important to look beyond what is being presented on the surface and see what is at the core of a leader. What are the embodied qualities that make them truly steady, versus a persona that fits the idea?
A leader who can remain steady while holding all the emotions can get their arms around the whole of the moment: owning the parts at play, keenly seeing what is hidden in the corners, recognizing the different voices demanding a response in the middle of a breakdown, and having a deep knowing that steadiness comes from the depths of who we are, not the persona we have been taught to portray.
Looking Beyond the Persona
I worked with a leader who fostered steadiness and safety because she herself embodied those qualities. All was included when you were with her. She was clear that whatever surfaced could be tended to with care and intention, knowing breakdowns would be resolved as they emerged. She moved through a space with deep attention to causing steadiness without the need to remove elements of disruption. It was an energetic dance that ebbed and flowed as needed in the moment.
She provided steadiness when it was needed. She empowered others to source it for themselves. And she led the entire group through a massive transformation, embracing the mystery, not knowing where it was all going, but knowing on a cellular level that she could count on herself to stay present no matter what surfaced.
Leading from Your Core
This is what it is to lead from your core vs. persona. Leaders who can stay present, know the source of who they are, bring awareness to the multitude of parts they hold, and empower others to find the way, make room for steadiness in all the ways it can transpire.
— Shanon Olsen, COO, Henley Leadership Group
Further Exploration
Shanon’s reflections bring to mind other work that has questioned some of our assumptions about what leadership looks like, pushing us into a valuable inquiry about what it really means to lead powerfully in the moment.
Many moons ago, Deborah Ancona and her colleagues challenged the “myth of the complete leader,” the expectation that one leader should have all the answers and possess all the capabilities needed to lead in complex, uncertain, and ever-changing times. Their work offers another way of thinking about leadership: knowing our strengths and limitations and making room for the capabilities of others. It means collaborating more, sharing power and responsibility, and challenging entrenched views of what a leader should be.
Otto Scharmer approaches the question from a different direction, looking at leadership from the inside out and asking us to consider the inner place from which we act. His work on “robust vulnerability” explores how leaders can show up fully as human beings while retaining the capacity to hold what is happening around them.
Perhaps Shanon’s challenge is an invitation to look beyond what steadiness looks like on the surface and ask what actually allows a leader to stay steady when things are anything but.
Leader Reflection
What does a “steady leader” look like to you, and where did that picture come from?
When things get difficult, what helps you stay present and respond thoughtfully without hiding how you feel?Does the way you respond in difficult moments have an impact on the people around you?
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Yes. Henley Leadership Coach and Facilitator Shanon Olsen’s reflections challenge the assumption that steadiness requires emotional restraint. A leader can be angry, afraid, uncertain, or emotional while still remaining present and able to respond thoughtfully to what is happening.
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No. MIT Professor Deborah Ancona and her colleagues have challenged what they call the “myth of the complete leader”: the expectation that one leader should possess all the capabilities needed to lead. Their work instead focuses on recognizing our strengths and limitations, relying on others, collaborating, and sharing leadership.
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Good leaders bring many different qualities to their work. One that can be especially important in difficult or uncertain times is steadiness. Henley Leadership Coach and Facilitator Shanon Olsen challenges us to look beyond the calm, measured, controlled persona and pay attention instead to a leader’s ability to stay present, hold what is happening, and help others find their own steadiness.