If we were more open to the lessons of life, would that feel better, worse, or no different?
If we allow ourselves to look beyond the usual sources, beyond our wall, screens, and books, we might notice that the natural world is slowing down. The trees are paused between bearing fruit and re-birth. The seedlings are waiting for the warmth of the sun. The puddles have appeared and the lakes have stilled or frozen. And gradually, day by day, the sun is appearing for just a little longer as the tide of life gradually turns.
Whether you call it Betwixtmas, Solstice, or something else, the turning of the year is a time of natural rest and transition, a liminal space, and the signs are all around us if we take the time to notice. They invite us to pause as we move from one year to the next, to let in the warmth to nurture our growth, to reflect naturally and look in a different way, and to let in the light a little more each day.
If we are looking for influences, maybe they have always been with us. After all, we are a part of nature, not apart from nature.
Are you working with the current or against?
When I consider the teams and leaders I work with, I’m noticing the same things: change, transition, scaling, evolving roles and relationships, and merging teams and organisations. The current of changes seems to ebb and flow like the tide on the beach or the wind in the trees. People seem to be taking stock as they move and change and slowly readying themselves, unconsciously in tune with the natural rhythms. 2026 seems to have a slow beginning with a sense of energy and also risk.
Facing into this, some people slow down, pause, reflect and work with the intrinsic energy and flow of the systems they belong in, and the larger systems of life – tending, nurturing, guiding, and encouraging. Others try to force things and really feel the extra work that is asked of them, the additional effort and emotional cost for themselves and their leadership teams as they coerce, cajole, and control to bend reality to their will.
How might your perspective open possibilities?
Working systemically, we invite people to see more, to understand and become aware on the level of a bigger sense of flow. We notice and include who or what we might have left out, we tend to where the relationships are out of balance, and we work with respect for the past and with an eye to the future. Accepting this invitation feels like coming home, standing in the truth without judgement and letting go of our old stories and judgements. This is where we loose our hold on the smaller beliefs of one particular group, and stand in a larger truth able to respond to the questions that are being asked of us with greater resource and a more holistic, and less personal perspective.
From here, we can feel the right size, without the need to over-inflate ourselves or to make ourselves too small so that we fit in.
From here we can lead in a way that feels in tune with our hearts, our heads, and those we lead.
This doesn’t mean that everything becomes easy, but just that we can work with the real truth in a way that enables us to feel in flow and connected with the emerging reality as it evolves around us rather than our vision of reality as we wish it was.
At Agile Principles, we are experts in supporting leaders to listen to the systems shaping their results on deeper levels, so that they too create transformative results.
Founder, Exec & Transformation Coach