Noticing

. 21

In our world today noticing seems to be a lost art. Noticing a single teardrop, noticing the needs of our families, noticing how the snow really falls, and noticing another’s eyes. What is it that we are so busy “doing” that we are not able to notice the “being?”

Leadership is a concept that has been written about and researched deeply. We notice the leader and what the leader does. We notice the follower and what the follower does. But do we notice the space between the leader and follower? Here are some observations about the leader-follower relationship and what causes connection and disconnection.

The interaction and space between people is bridged over distance when we admire and respect leaders far away from us. What draws us to them to make us feel so close? When a respected leader is close to us physically what makes us feel invisible, in awe or insignificant in their presence? When we cast our eyes around the world today we can quickly name hundreds of individuals who are celebrated and known to us. People that have done magnificent work and contributed much- research scientists, presidents, religious leaders, or even a young child who starts a fund to save other children. These diverse leaders rise up to do good things and we notice them. We pay attention. We watch. We try to learn from them.

We are all followers and all leaders. Sometimes we just do not know this. There are times we lead and times we follow, like a gentle flowing dance. The space between leaders and followers takes many forms. It may be a physical space, a spiritual space, an intellectual space, or an emotional space. We continually try to close the gaps, to bridge the distance, to make connections, to get closer to leaders. We do this everywhere in our workplace, our homes and our communities. Two children playing a game in a backyard- one leads and one follows- always. However, the shifting back and forth, the exchange and sharing of leadership is what gives friendships and relationships great strength.

I notice that people focus mostly on what we think is real, what is tangible, what we can touch or see. Try a few of these exercises.

1. Open up a book. Look at the words on the page. Now look at the white space on the page. Notice the patterns of the white space, the margins, and the relationship of the white space to the words. What would a page look like without any white space?
2. Listen to music or talk to a musician. Listen carefully to the notes. Now listen for the pauses, the space between the notes. What would the music be like without the silence?
3. Go to a shopping mall. Notice all the people rushing by. Pay attention to where they go and what they do. Then stop and look at all the spaces in between them. Without space what would it look like?
4. The internet is full of information that connects us to each other. We built the threads. We do not control the threads, they just link us wherever we want to go and every path is different.
5. Think about the path you have traced in your life. Really think. Think about it this way. Every single step you have taken is your life leaves a breadcrumb. Look at the breadcrumbs. See how they cross with all the other breadcrumbs from all the other people. See the breadcrumbs from people who have died.
6. Listen to the noise in our world. Sounds of all sorts. Outside it is loud. We sometimes try to go somewhere to be quiet like a walk in the forest, or a retreat to the beach. Aren’t you glad it is quiet on the inside? Try listening to the inside of yourself.
7. We often measure things. How big they are, how much they weigh, how fast we can go, how fast we can produce work, or how much things cost. We compare things to one another to measure value. Trying to get something better. Instead try adding them together. The richness is in the whole of who we are, collectively in our society. Working towards collaboration for the betterment of all.

Do you see something a little differently now?

Try sometimes to see what is not present, to see the void, to see the gaps. This helps us understand the whole of relationships.