Direction
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” — Henry Ford
With 7oo definitions of leadership identified by Curtin (2022), Rost (1991) liked it to a relationship. It includes attention to common goals.
Leadership is the attention to common goals; it involves the influence of a group of individuals who have a common purpose, skills in persuasion, ability to present and deliver. The goal achieved, the best succeeded, and to be a part of a shared purpose was insightful.
In my thoughts and process of introspection, following the academy I was inspired to act after all ‘all growth starts at the end or your comfort zone’. I discovered a new perspective, that there was more leadership than what appeared on the surface.
Heath identifying critical features of a problem is also the ability to take leaps of imagination, a promise that can offer an unexpected breakthrough but also the probability of failure (Heath & Heath, 2013, p. 81).
Dunbar found that through collective comparison of similar scientific experiments, insight can overcome a problem by using analogies to extract the crucial features of the current problem is key (Heath & Heath, 2013).
How does one know when we are succeeding, Heath (2021) describes the upstream effort as ‘those intended to prevent problems before they happen or systematically as reduce the harm caused by those problems ‘(p. 6). Conversely, downstream a reactive narrow response, both provide solution. Interplay between the two exists as downstream rescue leads to upstream improvement. With the foresight of a limitless timeline of direction, not destination.
At what point is intervention, to travel further upstream with an even keel at the cost of more complexity, can accomplish sustainability, co production and equity by acknowledgment of the risk factors that are not in our control.
Ahead of the struggle, to anticipate the ripple effects of our work, as every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets. Systems are the source of probabilities, to culminate in systems change direction its’s about upstream work for me, to mitigate what is out of our control and to deliver action alongside, a graded approach through simulation can promote confidence and enable resilience in the face of failure.
References
Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2013). Decisive: how to make better choices in life and work. Random House.
Heath, D. (2020). Upstream: How to solve problems before they happen. Bantam Press.
Swansea University Student Leadership Academy 