The Particles of Leadership
This thing happens with many of my coaching clients. They did something, and it seemed pretty benign to them, but felt monumental to their employees. And they just don’t get why it had so much impact.
Let’s just say you could peel back a curtain of reality, and see your team on a multi-dimensional grid. When one person makes even the tiniest move, it’s impossible for that move not to affect the grid and everyone on it.
Now, layer reality back on top of the grid, and put the curtain back into place. Things look “normal”, but energetically and literally, even the tiniest of moves has an effect on the whole. And as a leader, that impact is amplified. Yes, every part is necessary for the whole. But parts of that whole (I’m looking at you, Founder or C-level Exec) inherently have more impact.
Quantum entanglement is a physical phenomenon which occurs when multiple particles interact in such a way that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently of the state of the other(s) (even when the particles are very far away from each other.)
So what does leadership have to do with Quantum physics?
A lot. Teams are systems. As a leader, you don’t just live in the world of I/Me/Mine. You also live in a world of We/Us/Ours. Every decision you make, word you say, and particle of energy you infuse into your company impacts the entire system.
Everything matters. No pressure.
- If you’re anxious, your company will be anxious
- If you walk the talk, the company will walk the talk
- If you state a goal, along with possible solutions, your team will likely limit themselves to only those possible solutions
Let’s go one step deeper into quantum-physics-land. Most people have heard of the Schrödinger’s cat experiment which essentially asserts that all outcomes are concurrently “reality” until observed and measured. Opening the box and observing what’s inside determines the fate of the cat.
The observation of a thing directly impacts the existence and result of the thing. If that is true, what if a leader goes beyond mere observation into action mode?
If your team is capable of infinite outcomes, but you walk in the door one day in a grumpy mood and issue an edict about what you want done and how you want it done, you’re drastically impacting the potential results. You’re limiting your team from the infinite to finite. Your squashing innovation and problem solving. Re-imagine you and your team on that behind-the-curtain grid — you might observe that you’re on one edge of the grid, but sucking up way more than your share of the grid’s surface, leaving a constricted, unbalanced remain for your team.
What works better?
- First off, as a leader, simply be aware that the impact you have on your team is disproportionately larger than the other way around.
- Know that your interjection as an observer (or more) will impact results (whether positively or negatively). Also know when you need to take a look inside the box, regardless of what happens to the cat. Sometimes you have to step in.
- Become self-aware, learn about EQ, become conscious about the way you carry yourself around the office, how you communicate and make sure you’re walking your own talk. Be intentional about the actions you take and the words you speak. Rinse/Repeat.
- Instead of issuing edicts, ask questions:
o I’d like us to increase our revenue by 10% this year. What are some ideas you have to help us achieve that?
o How can we align to our mission in even greater ways?
o What are the different ways we can solve this problem?
- Model the types of behaviors you want amplified through the entangled particles of your organization. If you model positive, positive will reverberate throughout the grid.
Martin Luther King Jr. put it so well: “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.”
That can be a daunting statement. But it’s also an extraordinary opportunity. The tiniest shift in your energy, actions and words can have an incredibly positive impact. How will you steward your particles of leadership?
