The Leadership Blog by Ann Vanino

President Obama has asked for huge change as we convert to a green economy. In my work promoting green workforce development, I am realizing that we are asking organizations and individuals to change in fundamental ways. So, our work is not only to create the green workforce of today and tomorrow, but also to help transform our institutions so they can be responsive to the needs of the green economy. What are these needs: to act with speed, to bring environmental considerations into our analysis of the nation’s economic health and viability, to work collaboratively in order to assure 360 degree thinking, to be comfortable with risk and to think creatively in ways have not been supported in the past. Along with the speed required, we must have patience, so that change is accepted and people and organizations have what they need to make it happen.

Someone once said to me that power lies in the tension between light and dark. What does that mean? I think of a caterpillar in a cocoon just before it metamorphoses into a butterfly. There is both death and rebirth. There is pain and new creation. The tension created releases the old, as it brings new life.

I think we are in a time now where the tension of old and new, of fear and hope is creating a strong wind that is affecting us all. There is polarity, failing societal structures, new ideas, clinging to old ways, frustration with obstacles to change and uncertainty of what is to come. Put all of it in the mix and this wind sets us off balance.

What can you do to stay upright in this wind? Accept that change is occurring and do not cling to the past. Stay grounded. Keep your center and your perspective. Look at yourself as a wind sculpture. Use this wind to your advantage. As a leader, help others stay upright, too. See the beauty in this strong wind and how you can use it to create the life you want to live.

Faith is a positive word – “have faith, it will all work out”. What about the interim space, when nothing is clear? In that space, blind trust is required and it is not easy. What do you hold on to? In all honesty, you are in the unknown. There, you fool yourself if you predict an outcome. What is gained by blind trust? I’m not sure. I might say you gain courage, an ability to weather change, strength or confidence. But there is still an element of mystery to it all.

I must learn to ride the rapids. There is a speed in my life that I have never encountered before. When demands on my time speed up, I sometimes hit overwhelm but push through it and try to keep excellence in my work. These rapids have full force now, but they are intermittent. I am realizing that I have to develop the skill to speed when it is required and when not required, to find ways to restore. For many years, I have worked on maintaining balance. It is a dynamic process. However, now I find the intensity of speed and its stop and go nature is requiring me to build new muscles. If I go with the flow, fast or slow, it is easier to maintain balance and stay centered.

On the path you walk
Sometimes the road is not seen
Trust is required