COURAGE & CURIOSITY

These summer holidays provided subliminal leadership messages.

In particular, each time we purposely spent with our teens it was like having a reverse mentoring session.

One day I financially invested in our entertainment at a lively adventure park. I watched in horror as our two young humans climbed trees, walked on high ropes between trees, and fly through the air around trees.

I’m sure my silver locks took sudden growth as I cowered while they displayed courage and curiosity, high in the sky.

·       They displayed no fear and total control of their environment.

·       They kept pushing out of their comfort zone, into their stretch zone while I was in the panic zone.

·       They kept close, supporting, and coaching each other to manage the difficult courses.

I struggled to suppress my vocal fear while they unclipped their safety harnesses during their sky-high explorations.

I kept thinking the worst and they kept thinking, "what’s more challenging’’.

I watched other kids who were paralysed or ‘pissed off’, displaying no confidence or courage. Their parents were having to backtrack to help them return to safety or cajole and coax them to complete the course.

Whilst they climbed the many heights, I cherished the solid ground beneath my feet.

My greatest lesson, I realized that my courage and curiosity has waned.

This solidified when I came across an apt sign at the bottom of a tree:

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.”

Courage and curiosity are the backbones of confident self-leadership.

How’s your self-leadership?

When I’m not in the panic zone, I’m in my comfort zone, helping leaders in their stretch zone -exploring self, social, strategic, and societal leadership.