How Leaders Do The Impossible

Lately I've been opening up the last boxes from moving in at home. One box had all the refrigerator postits, photos, sayings, and etc. from my old place. One that I love is a newspaper photo, from a stage performance, of an acrobat in a position that seems to violate the laws of physics. Here it is:

I love this photo because it reminds me that appreciating momentum is a key to understanding what you see (and what you're capable of doing). It's a cliche that action creates its own opportunities, but you rarely see a picture illustrating how true that really is.

How does this cliche apply to you and your approach to leadership challenges? Do you tend to wait before acting until all the pieces have come together? If so, you may think you're being strategic, but your strategy is weak. It's static, and fails to account for the dynamic factors – including you!

Another cliche that you've probably heard is that it's easier to ask for forgiveness later than for permission now. This cliche summarizes the experience of the most dynamic leaders, who have learned that the cumulative benefits of moving outweigh its costs. I invite you to try to work from that perspective for the next few days. Use your imagination, do what you want, and see what happens.

But I do have a word of advice for you to keep in mind. Leaders who regularly succeed with the dynamic strategy are nimble, have a great sense of balance, and have developed a grace of action. Nimbleness means you have the repertoire required by whatever situation you get into. Balance means you maintain awareness and control of yourself despite your physical orientation. And grace in action means you flow with the momentum no matter where the action takes you.

These three elements: repertoire, balance, and flow are the essential qualities of great leadership. To cultivate them, you need to act and learn from the experience. Even if you have natural talents, most of what you need to learn comes from doing.

When you choose to experiment with that path – and I hope you do – remember my photo. If you interpret what you see in life as a series of static snapshots, you'll be failing to see the power and magic of the dynamic momentum behind them.

This article has been selected for syndication in EzineArticles.