Welcome to the meditation leading your team into the unknown.
Use this meditation to see a clear path through the murky ambiguity of the present towards the known vision of the future.
Let's begin by taking a tall upright seated position and place both feet on the floor.
Lift up from your seat,
Moving the crown of your head towards the sky.
Exhale,
Release the air from your lungs and sip in fresh oxygen through your nostrils to inhale deeply and then release breath slowly,
Letting your shoulders relax down your back.
Imagine yourself as a leader who has been asked to guide a group of people through mountainous terrain in the great outdoors.
In preparation,
You have studied maps,
Sought out useful information,
And even gained some direct experience in this type of adventure.
However,
There are many unknowns such as weather,
Wildlife,
And human dynamics like personalities and health conditions.
Yet you all share a common vision to witness an extraordinary summit known to permanently alter your perspective of the world.
No one in the group,
Including yourself,
Has been here before and the path to get there is one of many.
As the leader,
You want to foster healthy relations among the group to ensure everyone stays on track and accomplishes the mission safely.
There is a lot of work to get done across the group.
How will you utilize each person's strengths?
How will you work as a team?
How will you maintain peace and order as chaos inevitably arises?
The path forward is not clear,
But you know that aligning everyone to one vision will serve as the greatest catalyst to move everyone up the rocky terrain.
Each day presents obstacles,
Lessons,
And learnings for you to gain more concrete ground.
Your confidence and energy also climbs with each turn up the mountain.
The earth beneath your feet provides stability and the sunshine on your face provides nourishment.
Fresh air moves through your lungs and active movement invigorates your body.
You pause to rest and reflect upon how supported you feel in this moment.
Keeping steady focus on the north star of your travels and acknowledge your progress towards that common vision.
How would you describe the color and texture of your journey?
Are you present enough to notice?
Do you communicate the risks you see on the trail ahead?
Steep inclines,
Big rocks,
Dangerous edges.
To help your team move with awareness of what's coming next.
Do you trust your team to carry the load?
How do you assist those lagging behind?
Above all,
Do you embrace and appreciate the mystery that unfolds moment by moment?
With each step as messy or unsteady as it may feel,
Everyone progresses through the fog towards the pinnacle of that common vision.
Accept the discomfort of ambiguity and focus on the clear vision ahead.
The summit view will be more spectacular and glorious than imagined.
Now reflect upon the qualities of leadership from this meditation.
Moment to vision,
Teamwork,
Trust,
Presence,
Reflection,
And appreciation.
Take this mindset into your day-to-day work to lead your team through ambiguity with more confidence and grace.
