“If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to … there is nothing you cannot achieve.”
– Lao Tzu
Do you want to be a catalyst for change? The dictionary definition of catalyst is an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. It is one of the top 10% of words looked up on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary website. Being a catalyst sounds exciting. We love to read stories of heroes who create dramatic change for the better. We see this story line in super hero movies to biographical dramas.
However, being a catalyst is not easy. At its very root function, a catalyst creates a disturbance. Changing to something new requires a disturbance with the current status quo. For those of us who like routine and comfort, a catalyst can seem like an enemy.
A leader is a catalyst. They help ignite various combinations of people and resources to create something better. If you want to be a catalytic leader, then become an expert in disturbances.
Pay Attention to Disturbances
Often when a disturbance happens our first reaction is to see it as a problem. When we see it as a problem, we tend to ignore it or want to cover it up.
I have been working with an organization where disturbances were happening everywhere. Disturbances with the staff and finances were all pointing to a need for change. However, they stayed in status quo. It was not until the leadership board paid attention to the disturbances and then took action, that a change was made for the better. A new leader was hired and direction set. They are now in a time of great growth.
A catalytic leader points attention to disturbances. Don’t hide from disturbances. Pay attention, discuss them and embrace them. Maybe that disturbance is a sign for your next catalyst for growth?
Create a Disturbance
Sometimes a catalytic leader has to create a disturbance. This happens when a leader realizes that an organization or group is headed in the wrong direction, and knows that the right action for him is to disagree.
I was recently talking with a leader who was hired as a CEO of an organization. As he became more involved, it became evident that this organization’s priorities were not in alignment. He ended up bringing up issues that created a disturbance with the leadership board. However, the leadership board was not willing to change and the leader left the organization. This leader is now serving in another organization where he sees great potential.
Ultimately, being a catalytic leader means leading with disturbances from a place of right action. It is taking action for the right reasons, at the right time and with the right people. This takes a leader who is reflective, authentic, and self-aware. They are vulnerable and transparent with others who help them discern their motives with creating change. When they discern that it is the right action, they then take the risk to create a disturbance.
Embrace Disturbances as a Process
Catalytic leaders know that they cannot control the results from a disturbance, but instead pay attention to the results as an on-going part of the process of being a catalyst. We get lulled into comfort with the status quo because the future can seem predictable. However, with change the future is always unknown. Catalytic leaders face disturbances as a process and are not tied to an end result. We may have a result that we hope for, but sometimes that does not happen. In fact, sometimes a different result may even be better!
Are you a catalytic leader? Do you embrace disturbances or hide from them? Choose to pay attention to disturbances and use them as a process for growth. Develop your own leadership abilities to be reflective, aware and to discern clarity for taking the right action. Face disturbance as an opportunity as you remain grounded in faith and belief throughout the process.