Amid Oaks

Amid Oaks

Over the last three months, I’ve been writing on the concept of multi-resting and how to have a quiet mind, a calm heart, and still hands. These three elements help you show up fully as a human. To be fully present to lead yourself, present in your relationships with others, and present as you shepherd the organization you lead.

During one of these months, our family went to one of our favorite places along the Michigan lakeshore. We fell in love with this small town a few years back, one of the many villages that dot the west coach of Michigan. It was a bit of a journey down memory lane and also created a space for my wife and me to consider the season of transition in front of us. 

One particular nuance of the cottage we rented is that it is situated amid a cluster of oak trees. These oak trees are very tall, firmly rooted, and under whose shade the cottage sits. They provide shelter from heavy rains and a buffer the cottage from the stiff winds that often blow up off Lake Michigan. 

As I sat out on the deck drawing the picture below (remember I'm not the artist in my family), I considered “What are the oak trees in my life that help me frame my leadership and guide my journey ahead?” I sat with that question for a long time, journaling and trying to answer it well.

Please take a moment to consider this question for yourself. 

What are the oak trees in my life that help me frame my leadership and guide my journey ahead?

Get curious about the oak trees in your leadership journey. Take your time to think this through; listen to the words that come to your mind. What does your gut tell you that your oak trees are? 

Being a multi-rested leader means that we can approach this question from a place of reflection (a quiet mind), with love (a calm heart), and with patience (with still hands.) The journey of leadership is about asking questions, of yourself, and those around you. Questions that help you become a better CEO of yourself, of the organization your guide, and the team you support.

Below is the result of my journaling that afternoon. The center triad called skills to develop, is adapted from Ginger Lapid-Bodga's work found in What Type of Leader Are You? An excellent resource for your journey. The outer ring are my oak trees. For those that know me, I trust they will ring true in your experience.

As we close this series of blogs, I’d like to thank my colleague and fellow partner at Design Group International Noele Stith who first introduced me to the writings of Tricia Hersey. Tricia's perspective on rest and how it can help provide resistance to the harms of white supremacy and extractive capitalism has been invaluable to me. Her writings have impacted my leadership in numerous ways, and I strongly encourage you to reflect on them as well. 

Mind how you go,

Lon

Lon L. Swartzentruber

Design Group International
CEO & Managing Partner

PS: If you would like to talk with me about your leadership journey, please give me a call me at 616.516.9870, or schedule a 30-minute discovery call , or simply email me at lons@designgroupintl.com.