I’m pretty lit up these days after launching my first-ever LEAP program – Conflict Mastery for Collaborative Leaders. It’s been a dream of mine for years and it’s been through the nurturing of the dream, and the good energy of many people, that this dream is alive and realized today.
We are only part way-through this 3-month journey as I write this newsletter, so I don’t know yet what the highlights and pitfalls might be. What is emerging for me today, which I hope you will also find helpful, inspiring, and expanding – is the importance of identifying as a Tempered Radical.
The 9 people joining me are, to me, all Tempered Radicals. Through them, I am seeing that you need to be a Tempered Radical to unleash and grow your potential as a Collaborative Leader.
The concept is a great vision for oneself and I want to offer it to you as a way to make deeper meaning of where you are in your life at the moment.
I first came across the idea years ago, when I was teaching in the Masters program in Conflict Analysis & Management at Royal Roads University. I had shared a paper Debra Meyerson had co-written on Tempered Radicals. Meyerson’s a tenured Stanford professor studying organizations, and she went on to write a whole book on the subject: Tempered Radicals: How People Use Difference to Inspire Change at Work.
The leaders in the Masters program loved the idea then and it’s why I wanted to share it with the leaders in the LEAP program. It’s also why I want to share it with you!
For a definition of what a Tempered Radical is, I’m going to defer to the introduction written for the original paper. As you read this quote, if you don’t work for an organization, think of any group, team, or community you are part of (could be a musical band!).
To me, this is the true definition of a collaborative leader. As a new friend, Natasha told me this morning “Without conflict, there is no change.”
If you are reading this newsletter, I believe you are a Tempered Radical! We certainly share the values of caring for people, wanting to be collaborative and to navigate our lives in a way that leaves a positive impact.
That desire does require us to dare to use our voice, even in those situations which might be fraught with risk. We need to weight the risks and the benefits and see if we can create a North Star to guide us.
Once we align with what is most alive in us, and express it, it doesn’t mean it’s easy. That’s the radical part of Tempered Radical. You need to persevere. Chances are high you will not be successful the first conversation. There is a culture in every group we belong to – the overt and covert values, norms, unspoken way things are done around here.
And if you are not the leader, your voice is even more important as you are also bringing values to the whole. I believe it is our responsibility to find a way to have our voice heard to contribute to a more enriched culture. You matter. Your voice matters.
Yes, it’s an arduous task, but – as Miley Cyrus tells us – it’s about The Climb. We are here to contribute and seeing ourselves as Tempered Radicals can give fuel to the mission. Keep on!
The Tempered part is important as well. The Tempered part means we endeavour to remain connected in relationship and in harmony with the others in community while at the same time working to change that very community.
That is what holding the value of collaboration means to me.
We all need to learn how to affect change in a measured, effective way, that influences those we want to influence. This capacity to “speak truth to power” is vital. Without the courage and skill to be a Tempered Radical, well…. bad things happen.
That can range from missing your chance to be the voice of change, to letting yourself down, squashing your own values and integrity, to administrative evil itself. Administrative evil is when an employee does not share their voice, either wilfully or they don’t know how to do so, and destructiveness is the result. The impact has been identified in fatal accidents, reported in health care and aviation, where it’s been found that people knew of a danger that could happen, but didn’t have the courage or confidence to speak up.
I believe in my heart that we need to speak up.
Yet, we also have an emotional brain and a reptile brain (to put it very simply). Part of us doesn’t want to bother:
- It’s too hard to take this on.
- I tried already to say something and they don’t want it; they don’t get it.
- I don’t really care; it’s not a big deal; it shouldn’t be me speaking up.
Taking on the identity of being a Tempered Radical means you can grow, challenge yourself, live more dynamically. so we can also subconsciously sabotage a good thing when we taste something GREAT – whether that’s a great promotion, a great relationship or a great new career move and more.So, I’m going to leave you with Hendricks “Ultimate Success Formula” that he uses daily himself to stave off the tendency we all have to stop ourselves.
He recites:“I expand in abundance, success, and love every day, as I inspire those around me to do the same.”
I hope you can find the confidence and courage required to have that conversation and to be the Tempered Radical I know you have the capacity to be. So, commit to that tricky conversation that you know will take courage to have.
As Walter Gretzky said: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Any amount of preparation will help you strengthen your confidence.
If you need help preparing, check out the 8 step Difficult Conversations model and use it as a checklist to help you think through the different aspects of what can help you feel and be more prepared. Let it be your guide.
Now go make the world a better place!
Kind regards!
