start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
– By: David Whyte, From: “Start Close In”, David Whyte Essentials, Langley: Many Rivers Press, 2020, page 13.
To be clear, the first step is always inward, the question is whether you are able to access that wisdom “in the moment”… or not.
For some leaders, “the second step or the third” is…
- Settling into a comfortable silence.
- Scanning for a problem to fix.
- Comparing what is happening to your own knowledge/experience.
How comfortable are you with allowing time and space to “start close in” – checking in on your own tendency to “stand by”, “fix”, or “know/empathize” with whatever is happening around you?
How might the “step you don’t want to take” be standing in the way of your leadership vision and values?
InsideOutAgile 