Last week my husband Steve came back home after exactly 6 months away. It was a looooong time!
He initially went to spend time with his mum, and that trip was delayed due to the huge flooding we had here which meant all roads out were impassable. He made it to England only to find his mum frailer and needing more care than he had anticipated. This soon turned into a diagnosis that called for 24/7 palliative care, which Steve lovingly and willingly gave, tending to his mum as she slept in the loungeroom of her small cottage. She has now passed away, and Steve is returned to us, brimming with the fullness of transformation and love that such an experience confers.
While he was gone I coped ok, mainly because I only did the things that I had to do on the property (we live on 85 acres in a subtropical rainforest area) – and not the things that were nice to have.
I did make it a priority to tune into my own feelings about his absence – intellectually I knew why he was away and that was ok, but emotionally I sometimes felt lonely and really missed him. (As I shared previously, I was even occasionally – and unreasonably – annoyed!)
I knew enough though, to be able to hold and honour these two dichotomies: just because we understand why something is happening doesn’t invalidate or negate the feelings we might have about it. Both need to be heard and listened to.
Many leaders subjugate their humanity to their intellect, and while this is necessary sometimes, you can’t be in it for the long haul if you continue to squash down so-called ‘negative’ feelings – of frustration, loss, despair. They are part of the picture. Learning to hold the emotional/feeling part of us – even if it doesn’t seem to make sense to our rational self – attunes us to be more wholehearted, human, centred and courageous in our leadership.
Speaking of this kind of awake and high-level leadership, I’ve been running the one-day Leader’s Mindset Masterclasses around the country. This photo is from a recent one I did for the LT of a mission focused, incredible organisation.
The Leader’s Mindset Masterclass is for teams who are up to stuff, and have a lot going on. It offers a new way to lead and achieve with less stress and more awareness. You’ll be introduced to mindsets, work on some of the ones holding you back, and delve into default leading styles that seem to get you results but aren’t optimal. It’s a fun, expansive day that will leave you and your team with clearer focus, more space and bandwidth, and a deeper connection to each other.
I have a couple spaces for a in-person Masterclasses this year in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. Please hit me up if you want to know more. (They can absolutely be done online too, with more availability for that.)
Last bit of news – I have a video page up on my website! If you ‘d like a pop of inspiration and insight, or see me talk about some juicy leadership stuff, COME HERE and check it out.
Till next week,
Much love,
Cathy
