In this reflective blog, Karen Hands – an Associate and Oasis-sponsored participant at this year’s Windsor Leadership Dialogue – shares her experience, touching on the personal, global, and what ‘change’ might mean an interconnected, complex world.
“It was and it wasn’t quite what I expected.” That’s how I opened my reflective journal on the way back into London after the event. Those of you who have attended in previous years might recognise this uncertainty on stepping back into the real world. I’m still coming back to images and impressions left by the event as I encounter situations in my work that resonate. In this article, I’d like to share some of those impressions, since we’re all present in this ‘never normal’ of repeated shocks and deep systemic change. As Nick put it so wisely at the start: “these are conditions we might shape over time – not problems to be solved”.
Let me conjure in words some of the images that linger, to offer you some sense of themes emerging for me through the event.
If I’m a compartment in a honeycomb,
am I prepared for the disruption to those close to me if I break free of my walls?
Are they?
Standing on the precipice,
wondering if I’ve got what I need in my backpack.
Offering something frictionless for others isn’t the answer –
don’t be the ‘curling parent’ sweeping the ice for flow to be unimpeded –
they also need to learn.
It’s good to express thoughts
without having to go into planning and action.
What spells can I weave to counter the black magic?
What spirit accompanies me?
How do I connect with it when I need my superpower?
Helter skelter – so easy to spiral downwards
but it’s more fun to climb back up.
Don’t be so focussed – there may be other options.
Can we knock this wall down rather than seeing it as an obstacle – is there a door?
Can we invite people to step through this door?
Even if I feel positive about change, gloom is all around.
Listen to understand people.
The butterfly effect – small steps can have a ripple effect.
You might never know the impact you had on someone.
A sound track:
Arundel Cathedral singing Lead, Kindly Light
Leonard Cohen singing The Light Gets In
Consensus: there is a lot of light in this world.
Imagine a scene of chaos in front of you – and now step in and engage with it.
Chris Taylor opened the event with W B Yeat’s poem, The Second Coming, and one phrase bore frequent repetition across the event:
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre”
The line describes a falcon’s flight – a gyre is both a circle and the turn into a new aeon.
This feels like where we are.
11-02-26
If you’re interested to learn more about the Windsor Leadership Dialogue, please reach out to us: wld@oasishumanrelations.org.uk
We are particularly keen to hear from younger leaders from a diverse range of backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our dialogue.
