In today's high-pressure world of work, leaders often find themselves struggling to stay afloat amidst the chaos. Enter the "window of tolerance"—a concept that can help you navigate the turbulent waters of leadership. In this post, we'll dive deep into what the window of tolerance is, why it matters, and how you can harness its power to elevate your leadership.
This is getting to the heart of what "leadership" is. I think many of us have a worn-out old fashioned picture in our head when we hear the word "Leader." We think about things like top-down, control, and prestige. But actually, leaders invite in. Leaders allow others to see the way forward (or in, or up). In my mind, the only thing distinguishing a true leader from the rest of the pack is that that when things get hard, scary, weird, or even exciting, fruitful - they are present. They can identify what is actually happening and they can work with it. Through their actions they demonstrate what it means to engage even without knowing answers, without knowing if it is "right." None of this is easy to do. When it is done well, it looks simple- it is invisible, actually. But the leader knows the work that goes into being present, and those around the leader know the feeling of being empowered to enter.
This is getting to the heart of what "leadership" is. I think many of us have a worn-out old fashioned picture in our head when we hear the word "Leader." We think about things like top-down, control, and prestige. But actually, leaders invite in. Leaders allow others to see the way forward (or in, or up). In my mind, the only thing distinguishing a true leader from the rest of the pack is that that when things get hard, scary, weird, or even exciting, fruitful - they are present. They can identify what is actually happening and they can work with it. Through their actions they demonstrate what it means to engage even without knowing answers, without knowing if it is "right." None of this is easy to do. When it is done well, it looks simple- it is invisible, actually. But the leader knows the work that goes into being present, and those around the leader know the feeling of being empowered to enter.