“Live in the now to provide for the future”
Exquisite. I love distilled beauty in writing, and gosh how much I love anything that can relate to leadership and business. This hits the mark on all levels for me!
People are my library, and today I am most thankful for learning this from longtime friend and client, Morgan Da Costa, who coined this phrase.
#OpenLeadership is about many things, but in summary is about BEING a Leader, not DOING leadership.
The more the Leader knows themselves and can then bring presence to every moment, the more powerful the opportunity for them to support their team as a leader.
Now, Morgan leads a family business that he is leading through brave transformation. This has been going on for several years and much has been going on within the business, like a caterpillar in a chrysalis readying to fly. Now the business is flying and all new areas and opportunities to lead are happening as revenues accelerate.
It would be so easy for Morgan to jump from one thing to the next as such rapid growth occurs, yet he has coined this phrase to anchor him.
“Live in the now to provide for the future”
So, rather than focus on the present and what could be a never-ceasing “To Do” list, instead he brings a different BEING to this, he stays in the present and, while being in each present situation and interaction, he is always considering how this can be an opportunity to provide for the future.
What does this look like in practice?
Well, another “Morganism” explains it beautifully.
Morgan used to say he liked to spend time using the practice of “MBWA”, which you may recognise. “Management by walking around”.
Now he has shifted that. The team he leads are clear on their roles and responsibilities, they all know their contribution. So, as happens when things grow and change, sometimes “balls get dropped” and, basically, things do not go according to plan.
These days, then instead of MBWA, Morgan has shifted to what he calls CBWA.
CBWA – Coaching by Walking Around
Walk around the business, asking the team “what can I support you with”, and sometimes that is to coach them around what they can do in a situation or event, what their responsibilities are, what the approach the business takes is etc etc.
