Cancer.<\/p>\n
The very breath one takes before saying that word is often just as long as the silence that follows it. For those poor souls burdened with an affliction that strikes indiscriminately with murderous indifference; I ask, which process reveals itself as the true menace? The arbitrary nature of tissue destruction, or the fear that strikes the mind because of it? In the case of Mary Roberts Rinehart, a mid-twentieth century world-famous novelist who battled against cancer, it was the measure of courage and endurance \u201cto face your danger\u201d (Rinehart, 1951) ushering her successfully through a crisis which inspired countless others to refuse the all-too-natural response of fear, silence and delay.<\/p>\n
Rinehart\u2019s approach to this very personal challenge was to reject any power it held over her aligning with what Dan B. Allender (2006) calls in his book Leading with a Limp<\/em>, \u201ceffective responses\u201d, drawing upon courage or hope paired with depth (p. 10). Allender goes on to describe how fear is a \u201ccompletely understandable motivator\u201d in which leaders need to understand precisely how those fears keep us silent and trapped as it relates to our potential influence upon others (p. 5). Because Rinehart is demonstrating an approach that \u201chelps others explore and change their values\u201d (Northouse, 2016) especially in the midst of sudden change, this measure of adaptive leadership is relevant within my own leadership context when learning how to fight for perspective and opportunity in crises, versus letting it produce dysfunctional reactions (p. 258).<\/p>\n It is clear that a crisis like cancer is incomparable to anything I personally encounter in the context of my organizational duties and responsibilities; nevertheless, Rinehart\u2019s words of inspiration resonates just the same. Rinehart (1951) states that \u201cevery crucial experience can be a setback, or a new start\u201d; therefore, I believe this should be the quintessential choice before beginning to tackle issues (p. 103). Sharing your courage with others in choosing to adapt one\u2019s comfort level to a new boss, communicating workforce downsizing, or a handling a crisis like a major product recall are just some of the business examples where, with the acknowledgement of fears manipulations, time and contrast with other experiences, we should ask, is it as \u201csoul-shattering as people think?\u201d (Rinehart, 1951, p. 102).<\/p>\n Matt<\/p>\n Allender, D. B. (2006). Leading with a limp.<\/em> Colorado Springs, Colorado: Waterbrook Press.<\/p>\n Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: theory and practice<\/em> (Seventh ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.<\/p>\n Rinehart, M. R. (1951). Courage & the conquest of fear. In L. E. Watson, Light from Many Lamps<\/em> (pp. 100-103). New York: Simon & Schuster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cancer. The very breath one takes before saying that word is often just as long as the silence that follows it. For those poor souls burdened with an affliction that strikes indiscriminately with murderous indifference; I ask, which process reveals itself as the true menace? The arbitrary nature of tissue destruction, or the fear that … <\/p>\n