In a letter to Robert Hooke in 1675, Isaac Newton made his most famous statement:
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”.
Your personal journey defines who you are as a leader. Significant experiences, people and events, either positive or negative, have helped shape your values, beliefs and behaviour. These have formed your secure-base.
Last week, we explored George Kohnrieser’s definition of a secure-base:
A person, place, goal or object, that provides a sense of protection, safety and caring and offers a source of inspiration and energy for daring, exploration, risk-taking and seeking challenge.
If you have grown up in a community where everyone supports each other, being part of a community may form part of your leadership secure-base. A practice of reflective journaling or daily exercise may form part of your secure-base. Mentally anchoring into a time of challenge, to feel into what got you through, can also provide a secure-base. An object, photo or piece of jewellery that when considered, or touched can provide a secure-base. It can also be strengthened by spending time with someone who supports you to be your best. A secure-base supports us to become “anchored into ourselves, with wings to fly”
This week, I invite you to consider what has built and supports your secure-base?
You could consider this under the following headings: people, places, events, experiences, goals, objects or other. It could also be helpful to reflect using Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā model.
- Note down the secure-bases you have in any/all of these areas.
- Look across them. Where are they strong? Where might they need support?
- How might you use your strengths to grow in other areas? Eg: Using the strength of family and friends to support you to develop a secure-base with your exercise habits.
Remember, we can’t fill from an empty cup.
As always thoughtful and beautiful reflection. At my stage in life, I am examining my foundation, the ancient questions of who am I and what I stand for? are question that have significant value in what I do and how I lead and relate to staff and students. Someone said to me once we are not human beings, we are human becomings – (the idea if we chose to) that we are both mysteries (self discovery) and from there grows wisdom, but we are also knowable (knowledge about ourselves). Our mystery and know they self are a dance, the complexity and simplicity are gifts within us but they are gifts to others because we live in communities
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