The voice of Nana-Efue Lawson
Let us tap into our inner wisdom and stop our separate minds from overthinking
This interview was taken in English by Cécile Masson, leadership coach, host and writer of Rose, letters of love to life
Nana is an Occupational Psychologist specialised in Leadership and Cultural Change based in the UK with an extended international experience specialised in Leadership and Team Coaching. Leadership development and women in leadership have her particular passion and so has minorities in leadership and inclusiveness in leadership in the corporate and public sector.
From a more philosophical perspective she is interested in evolutionary leadership, how we evolve as humans, how humans evolve within organisation and how organisations are lead in a more sustainable and responsible way for the planet and for humanity. Important to her is bringing humanity into organisations on a deeper way.
As this crisis deepens she really notices the good, the bad and the ugly.
· The good being the great sense of community and caring spirit of so many people around in her own community and else where.
· The bad is that some leaders do not seem to realise how interconnected we are on a global scale and how fragile the systems are we have comfort in and thought that were waterproof. Brexit, no Brexit speaks to separateness. In the US it has become so blatantly clear how much disparity and inequality is present in world. We should be all ashamed of it.
We are in a space where we need to be humble enough not to speak in terms of separation but rather connectedness.
· The ugly in the greed of some that do not take into consideration the weaker personas who do not have the same financial or physical means as they have.
If this invisible virus does not show how interconnected we are as humanity and with the planet what does?
There is an opportunity not to forget the key workers like the bin collectors, the cleaners of streets and hospitals, the importance of teachers and nurses, the supermarket suppliers and bus drivers. There is an opportunity to reward them properly for the great contribution they are making to society. It is these people who are keeping us going. The NHS has for many years been underfunded and we should be careful that other things that appear to be more urgent should not take priority again in decision-making.
A paradigm shift is needed in the way we operate and reward people not to go back to business as usual. We could, but will we?
Leaders should really check and double-check their assumptions.
The challenge will be to keep the human and their health right at the centre of the conversation.
From an evolutionary perspective people at the top do not have all the answers so different structures could be put in place with more trust right in the middle of them.
We are humanized again in this crisis. The gift is that we are one person that informs the private and the professional sphere and the perception of being a separate entity when at work or in our homes is being smashed as others witness the cat or children barging in.
Authentically, consciously, and transparently present and leading with purpose is key. We have the knowledge of the universe within us. Let us tap into that wisdom in us. Let us stop our separate minds from overthinking. Do some mindfulness practices journaling. Going for a walk connects to nature and the planet… and help to go away from our ‘brilliant’ head.
We have all our stories yet are not our stories. We are not any of these things, but can integrate them into what we want to contribute to the world and when you feel comfortable giving other people access to it.
Just stripping away the burden of the mask that we tend to carry around. When you show a little more beyond the mask naturally empathy will follow. Naturally you care for the person and deeper relationships are formed and therefor you are having more honest conversations as you get a sense of the intention of that person rather than sitting in our own believes, our own assumptions.
The gift for Nana is that she realises yet again how positive and strong her nature is and how she can use it to help others that are in a less fortunate position than she is in.