From Mastering Leadership, Anderson & Adams
“The primary tension in life and leadership is the tension between purpose and safety, between the part of us that wants to be about something great, make a difference, and merits our deepest commitment and another part of us that simply is not up for that much risk.
. . . As we orient on what we most want, we face what we most fear. Always this energy smolders inside. Always the spark of our purpose and passion awaits our commitment. Always fear lurks inside cautioning us not to move toward the spark. It is too risky. However, if the spark remains unlit, if we do not move toward the spark, fan it, feed it kindling, and cultivate it, the body fills with dense smoke. When we do not live at the edge of our creativity and passion, we become toxic to ourselves and those around us. We either move through the fear toward our passion, or we slowly and inexorably fade.
. . . Most of us are looking for a safe path through, a safe place to be great. There isn’t one. There is no safe way to be great, and there is no great way to be safe. The safe paths have all been taken. The paths left to us require risk. Leadership is inherently risky. We either accept this and move to the edge, or we pull back in caution as the body fills with smoke.
. . . If we orient our lives on safety, we remain constantly insecure. If we choose the opposite and orient on our highest aspirations, we live the futures we were born to create, and that brings its own security. It is counterintuitive. Caution is not the safe path. In leadership positions, more people get fired for their caution than for their courage. If we play for purpose, we accept the inherent risk of leading, of living full-out, and that brings with it an inherent sense of security. This security is not rooted in powers outside of ourselves, upon which our future seems to depend. It is rooted in our capacity to create the future to which we aspire. To lead is to live at the edge. There is no safe path. That’s the deal.
How we resolve this choice determines from which operating system we live. If we orient primarily on safety, we live and lead reactively. If we orient on the pull of purpose and vision and accept the inherent risks, we evolve Creative Mind and leadership.
The core of the Reactive operating system is a play-not-to-lose game. We react, reflexively, toward safety without even realizing it. Thus, the Reactive operating system is based on fear—designed to react to fear and reduce it. That is why it is called Reactive.
The core of the Creative operating system is a play-on-purpose game based on love. In this game, we orient on what we love enough to risk for. It is designed to create the future to which we aspire. That is why it is called Creative.”