Take a Beat: Rhythm as Strategy

By Erica Lee

In times of transition, upheaval, victory, or loss, leaders often struggle to find a harmonious rhythm in which to enact change. One way leaders can do this is to slow down, do their own self-reflection, and make space for their teams to do the same. If nonprofit leaders want to build a more peaceful and just future, they must make room for experience within change including grief, anger, forgiveness, and accountability. Take a beat, slow down, and reflect as a part of the strategy—not as work to be done after the strategy is finished. 

John O’Donohue reflects on the quality of leadership that is to draw out our most essential selves when he says:

Leaders tend to think they can prescribe change: "We should do this; we should do that." But behavior is an external layer of human presence. Those who try to prescribe change are still coming at things from the outside, still treating people as objects. And change brought about this way is not real change at all; it is merely the substitution of one mode of action by another. The real, undergirding questions are not actually engaged or explored.

Experience is the world in which real change is possible, the world that real leaders focus on. When you make a change in the world of experience, you make it at the heart of things—the place where human identity unfolds and reflects on itself. If you manage to change the rhythm of experience, you will give thought, action, and reflection an altogether different quality than they had before. This is change that is real and irreversible. True leadership is artistry of the heart and awakening of the hidden sources of creativity.

So, what do you do as a leader to incorporate more emotional intelligence into your organization’s strategy? Consider individual and/or collective reflection on the following prompts.  

• What are we celebrating, and have we allowed ourselves to fully experience our victories?

• What grief, anger, fear, or hope are we carrying that we haven't made space to acknowledge?

• Are the emotional habits that helped us survive struggle the same ones we need to build the future we want? 

• Who do we need to be to meet this moment from our essential values? 

• Read a writing piece or listen to a podcast such as the ones below. Pose the question: What stands out to you about this piece?

  • John O'Donohue – Spirituality and Leadership 

  • The Emergent Strategy Podcast – Adrienne Maree Brown 

  • Finding Our Way – Prentis Hemphill

It can be helpful to have thought of partnership and/or facilitation support when hosting these conversations. Feel free to reach out to us for support.