Leadership Above the Fog

Vancouver sunrise above the fog

In January 2009, an icy blanket of fog rolled in over the city of Vancouver B.C. But this was no ordinary fog. Instead of burning off throughout day, the fog languished on for 20 days. Despite the haze, Vancouverites quickly adapted and got on with the business of living. No one gave much thought to what was above the fog. That is until a number of photographers decided to shake off their foggy comfort, brave the early morning cold, and venture up an icy mountain to show the rest of us what we couldn’t otherwise see.

Our business climate is in a perpetual state of fog. Over time, people start to believe that they’re able to make clear decisions from within the fog. This over-confidence persists until accidents increase, people get hurt and eventually the costs and damages escalate to a point of crisis.

There are many things we don’t yet know about the causes of the current economic crisis and some things we may never know. The question is, will we be able to get up above the fog to fix this crisis and avoid a new rash of economic, environmental and social crises in the future? I believe that companies that invest in a higher quality of leadership will soon be able to answer that question with a resounding, yes.

I can’t help but think of Einstein’s admonition that, “The problems that exist in the world today, can’t be solved by the level of thinking that created them.” The current economic crisis is evidence that we’re still trying to solve our most pressing challenges on the same level of thinking we created them on–from deep within the fog. But what if we could raise our leadership visibility to a level above the fog? And what if instead of looking to iconic leaders, everyone in our communities and organizations had the ability to see above the fog and the power to lead on this new level?”