I’ve been thinking about two things that I value highly: hope and agency.
I’m fortunate to have both, but I’ve also been through periods where I’ve taken them for granted. To lose sight of the value of hope and agency is to cripple them because both need to be fuelled by energy in order to be of value.
Most business people are ‘Sheepwalking’: being swept up in a flow that doesn’t serve them, not acknowledging their ability to change it, and accepting of the numbness that accompanies it. Maybe you are too, but certainly, the vast majority of people in the business world are Sheepwalking.
This is different to Sleepwalking, which could be put down to simply being unaware.
Sheepwalking is recognised: a conscious acceptance of a state that is KNOWN not to serve you. And, given the known nature of Sheepwalking, the self-loathing is even greater.
Some truths about the business era you’re living in:
- There is a wave of change to be taken advantage of
- It has never been easier to access personal and professional development
- Increasing numbers of businesses globally have broken from the pack for you to model your business after
- Depletion is rife across businesses globally and it’s easy to fall into
- There is a clear line between old ways of being a CEO that don’t work and new ways that do work
Taken in aggregate, there is no reason for any CEO to Sheepwalk through their career. If Sheepwalking is in play, then it’s been chosen by that CEO and the hope and agency they naturally have has been given away.
There have been many times in my personal journey where I’ve had to face hard truths. Sometimes I was able to take them on, sometimes I wasn’t. But I’ve always ended up being highly appreciative of these truths in the end. I needed to hear them.
Maybe this letter hits you hard by mirroring your Sheepwalking. So be it. It’s less about the letter and more about your response.
Come alive again to the utter privilege of being a CEO.