Dynamic range and leadership
Golden toolboxes
Category: reflection/introspection
Epistemic status: personal views
The more I develop in different areas, the more I start moving towards an increased dynamic range.1 Always reaching for a certain reaction pattern2 is a kind of stuckness, hindering attunement to the particulars of each situation.
Historically, I’ve been stuck in high-agency modes of interaction. I’ve handled discomfort in social situations by redirecting the flow of the group, “taking charge” of something “in need of fixing”.
Being able to steer the social settings I find myself in is a valuable skill. It’s crucial to leadership, holding space and context setting. When done in service of the group, it’s a beautiful thing to behold.
There is a stuckness-related shadow side though; being unable to disambiguate between my own discomfort and a social setting in need of change. Sometimes, the rest of the group is doing fine. If I then try to shift the setting as a way to cope with my own issues, I’m doing the group a disservice.
I’ve slowly started expanding my own dynamic range, getting comfortable with not stepping in and taking charge. Not all situations need me,3 not all situations need to be fixed. By leaning into receptivity,4 I’ve found a way to be active without trying to fix or control.
This increased comfort with inaction has helped me act with more skill. I’m getting better at processing my own emotions/asking for help when I need it - allowing me to only step in and shift the group when it serves the common good.
If you notice yourself always falling into the same patterns when confronted with a certain kind of situation, I encourage you to lean into the opposite and see what happens.
The width/breadth of ways of being that’s available to me.
The fact that there are millions of organizations getting along fine without me is mind-boggling.
When I’m receptive, I actively take in what’s happening around me, without trying to affect it.