It was too late to sleep and too early to be up and about, but I was captivated by the beautiful silence only the pre-dawn brings. As I gazed out of the large windows in my room, shards of liquid gold streaked across the dark sky, reminiscent of the scene of young Anakin in the midst of the Jedi knights. Yoda’s words came to mind.
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”,
..I murmur, almost lip-syncing with Yoda.
It occurred to me that fear can cause incredible damage to a leader’s ability to lead by limiting their focus to small thoughts
“But, does it really? How? How does it limit a leader’s ability? Does thinking small, cause big damage?” – the question, barely a whisper, escaped my lips.
“The insidious grip of fear”, the calm deep voice of my wall spoke back, “is well-described by Yoda, and its effects on leadership can be catastrophic. When a leader thinks small, they risk causing colossal damage to their ability to lead, losing sight of the big picture and failing to inspire those around them to greatness.”
That, is interesting. “Can you give me some examples?”, I ask.
“The story of Indra in Rig Veda is an example of how small thinking can lead to big damage. Indra became so fearful of losing his position of leadership that he stole the power of other gods and sages, but this only caused him to lose the trust and respect of those around him. Similarly, King Dambhodbhava from the Manusmriti became cruel and unjust due to his fear of losing leadership, which ultimately led to a rebellion against him.”
As I absorbed this, my mind was full of vivid imagery of these stories. This is a challenge. And its true. I needed more. I asked, “But the way we live, we are always conflicted with choices. There is always, at a minimum, either A or B. Its easy to have an expectation to think big – but, in making choices, won’t big thoughts become small?”
“F. Scott Fitzgerald once said,
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”
Effective leaders balance caution with bold action and big thinking, navigating the tension between opposing viewpoints.”
“Balance the need for caution and careful consideration with the need for bold action and big thinking;
navigate the tension between caution and ambition, fear and courage, and short-term and long-term thinking.”
“Those are great examples. But how can I develop the skill of holding opposing thoughts in my mind?”, I wondered.
“Do you want to start by asking yourself questions such as “What are the potential consequences of this decision?” and “What are the different perspectives on this issue?” And when faced with a dilemma, do you want to take a moment to pause and consider both sides of the argument before making a decision?”, the deep resonating voice continued..
“Remember, it’s a journey, and it takes practice, but holding opposing thoughts in the mind can lead to better decision-making and ultimately, positive outcomes for yourself and those around you. It’s rewarding to ‘play the devil’s advocate’ and deliberately arguing against your own position – it’s liberating how much better understanding you could get of the opposing viewpoint.”
“Think Big. Think Fearlessly.”, my friend intoned, receding back into an anonymous, sombre observer.
The dark of the sky was rapidly giving way to the golden glow of the morning sun.. inviting me to seek out experiences that challenge my worldview.
Maybe a contrarian book…maybe a contrarian movie..
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