The 3 C’s of courageous leadership: how to connect to your body, connect to your creativity, connect to your inner revolutionary
| Date | 01 April 2020 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-04-2020-177 |
| Pages | 81-83 |
| Published date | 01 April 2020 |
| Author | Diana Theodores |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Editorial
Diana Theodores
The 3 C’s of courageous leadership: how to connect to your body, connect to your
creativity, connect to your inner revolutionary, Connect to your body
In all that you do, in all the environmentsyou operate in, your “first environment” is your body,
the source of balancein all the flux and complexity around you. Connecting to yourself before
stepping into actionis key to your well-being and therefore key to your performance.
How can you possibly connect with the world–the external environments and the people in
them–before you have connectedwith the immediate environment of you? Here is a mantra I
want you to make your best friend: Stop. Breathe. Take a moment. Connect. Stopping and
taking a breath and tuning into your breathing is one of the most powerful tools for self-
mastery and it is utterly portableand accessible at all times.
You may play many different roles in your work, but you have only one body, and it is the
gateway to all your experience. Your mindset, your power, your beliefs, your decision-
making, your risk-taking, your acts of courage,your vision, your presence–this extraordinary
palette of expressionof you–is located in your body. You do not have a body; you are a body.
The more you take thetime to listen to your body, the more you can maintainyour centre, and
feel present and grounded, the more effective choices you have for responding versus
reacting. Ever noticewhat is happening in your body when you feel under pressure?Perhaps
your jaw clenches, yourshoulders tense or your arms cross tightly when you feel defensive or
resistant. Perhaps you slumpor lean to one side when you feel defeated, bored or resigned.
Whatever the challenge orpressure you are feeling, your body itself takes on an attitude. It is
speaking to you! When younotice it, you can shift it and feel the difference immediately.One
small moment of physical awareness and response can shift you into a much more effective
state. As a corporate athlete, your fitness and well-being are critical to your performance so
please connectto your body, listen to your body and take care of your body.
Starting right now Stop! Breathe! Take a momentto get clear and connected, to go towards
your agendas with intention. Or you can continue to rush past, rush over or rush headlong
through your days as one meeting leaks into another,draining your energy and back-footing
your effectiveness. You become what you practise. Your energy is your “response-ability”.
Enough said.
Connect to your creativity
In the everyday performance of your job and responsibilities, you can easily forget parts of
yourself. Most often it is the creative part of yourself that can go dormant: the piano not
touched for a decade,favourite poems not read again since school,the voice that once loved
to sing now damped down into workplace jargon or hiding behind power point. The
sketchbook replacedby spread sheets.
But when you do connect to your creativity–inwhatever form that takes–you capture a state of
joy, of power and flow. When you connect to your creativity you open your body, mind, heart
and senses. You are spontaneousand agile. You tap into your imagination and your intuition.
You are physically and energetically released, liberated, unlocked and focussed. You are
warmed up to yourself. It is time to connect to your creativity again, to stoke that fire. Your
creativity, whatever it may be, isa profoundly powerful resource for connecting to your best
DOI 10.1108/SHR-04-2020-177 VOL. 19 NO. 2 2020, pp. 81-83, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jPAGE 81
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