The Power of Healing – Invictus
When I read William Henley’s poem, Invictus, I was struck with his indomitable spirit and inspiring perspective on the challenges he had faced. Through multiple operations and an amputation of his foot due to a tubercular infection of the bones, he had not lost hope. He endured illness, pain, and suffering that many people could never imagine. Yet, he still went on and claimed “I won’t give up, no matter what happens. I thank God for my unconquerable soul!” (Watson, 1951, pg. 85). It was from this place of pain and suffering that he brought forth one of the most famous poems of all time. I believe it is because it touches the depth of the pain of the human soul and resonates with all of us who experience pain of the body and heart, but cannot acknowledge it or move past it.
A key element of leadership that this brings to mind, is that of healing, which Northouse (2019) lists as one of the ten characteristics of servant leadership (pg. 229). He states that servant leaders not only work with followers in a professional setting, but that they are also concerned with their emotional well being and assist them in solving their personal problems. It intrigues me that he also states that “in helping followers become whole, servant leaders themselves are healed (italics added)” (pg. 229).
Others discuss this important element, which often is not a priority for other leadership theories. Spears (2010) identifies healing as an important element of servant leadership, recognizing that we all come to our roles carrying unaddressed hurt and pain, broken relationships and wounded spirits. His work is based on Greenleaf’s writings (1977/2002) stating that leaders and followers have an “understanding that the search for wholeness is something they share (italics added)” (p. 50). 9.
DeVries (2014) frames healing as an act of forgiveness. He states that leaders should be involved in the process of forgiveness, assisting followers to release their feelings of bitterness, resentment, anger and animosity so that they can be more empowered to be constructive, creative, and committed.
This characteristic of healing in a servant leader intrigues me, because it puts the leader in a vulnerable position; being open and transparent with their own personal hurts. Typically, this is not what one would expect of a leader. However, Henley’s poem affirms that as leaders, we need to be aware of our own pain, look at it, and overcome it in order to be an effective mentor to others. Before we can engage in the healing process with our followers, we must acknowledge and walk through our own dark valleys. In order to be able to truly facilitate forgiveness, we must also have had to repair our own broken relationships, by admitting fault and learning new relational patterns. The poem also communicates that we can lead and inspire others, even while we are broken ourselves.
Education is a very nurturing profession and I encounter this every day. Paired with ministry in our local church I am very familiar with this healing process. In a church setting, it is very natural to engage others in assisting them with their struggles and providing support while being transparent. However, in a professional setting, I do often wonder how much of this to engage in, without becoming too personal. I find that I spend most of my time listening to others’ challenges, and assisting them solve problems. Teachers find it easy to open up to me with their personal problems and having a ministry background certainly helps with learning the right questions to ask and how to be compassionate. I am very guarded, though, with how much I reveal about myself. I will tell relevant stories of my experience but very rarely go to an emotional level. I wonder if there is a way to achieve mastery of this characteristic without becoming unprofessional?
References:
deVries, M.F.R.K. (2014). The Art of Forgiveness: Differentiating Transformational Leaders [Abstract]. In: Mindful Leadership Coaching. INSEAD Business Press. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137382337_3.
Northouse, P. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice (8th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Spears, L. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.
Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.