Leading With A Growing Reed
When leaders have specific goals to aim for, those serve as a guiding “fixed point,” helping everyone stay accountable and aligned. One of the things we discuss a lot in education is making sure we don’t keep moving those targets so leaders truly have fixed points. I loved the metaphor G. K. Chesterton used in Heretics. He said, “A man might measure heaven and earth with a reed, but not with a growing reed.” Think about how hard it would be to measure against a reed that is growing and changing. Impossible to get a true reading, right?
The paradox, however, in the image of a growing reed that is constantly changing and flexible is that it highlights the importance of adaptability in the face of shifting circumstances. While we must have clear targets that are constant a target to work against and valuable for accountability, there’s also a need to remain open-minded and ready to adjust when new information, opportunities, or challenges arise.
We can use this paradox to our advantage to remember to balance having clear objectives (to ensure accountability) with the agility and flexibility to adapt those targets as situations evolve. As leaders we need to remember we all work in dynamic environments.
Byron's Babbles 
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