The Artisan. Leadership by Poetry.

possibility set free.

Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

There is a gap where possibility sits quietly somewhere between stimulus and response.

Brought up as we are, though, to notions of performance, efficiency and “time is money”, the gap doesn’t get much of a look in. And even when it does, we are tempted to use the language of logic to describe it.

Possibility gives way to probability.

Capture it, fence it in, and tame it. Quickly and safely.

The gap, though, which often sits between science and belief, resonates not with logic but with our heart and soul. Choosing possibility over probability requires different words, cadence and delivery; to engage not just the hand and eye of the artist, but the expression of the poet.

We could say, “please consider and evaluate all the possibilities”

On the other hand, we could say:

Start close in,
dont take the second step
or the third, start with the first
thing
close in, 
the step 
you don't want to take"
Start Close in. David Whyte. (Essentials, p.13)

The first is instructive and detached, the second is intimate.

Which one would you listen to?

We could email the person in the next office or leave a handwritten note.

We could refer to a template or show an example of something that worked for us in a similarly difficult situation.

There’s a poet in each of us if we venture out of our organisation's enclosures.

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Passing

Ian Berry, who many of you know, left us yesterday. He lived well, left well, and leaves those who knew him grateful. A great example of a poetic leader.