A weekly thought for leaders with the courage to introspect.
Juggling. How many balls can you really keep in the air?
The world record for juggling is 12 balls.
Twelve. And that for only one minute.
When I read that, I thought it was little.
Until I thought about life itself.
Because life is one big circus.
Harm Jan, his name is different, is someone who is seen as a superhero by those around him.
He has a family.
Is active in the cycling club.
Treasurer at the korfball club.
Chairman of the parent council.
Member of the welfare committee.
And oh yes: CEO of a company with European offices.
Sounds good?
Maybe.
But Harm Jan feels bad.
Physically and mentally.
Too many balls in the air.
I told him, “You have to go back to five balls. You can’t sustain more than that.”
His answer: “Impossible.”
He was already in a cramp. Arms crossed.
“I am indispensable.”
Aha.
Harm Jan had made himself indispensable.
And that is a risk.
Because in 'indispensability' lies worn-out durability.
The more you guard your position, the less valuable you really are.
Organizations don't need people to hold everything down.
Organizations need people who can let go.
Making room for new ideas, new people, new energy.
No one lasts forever.
No performance without resignation.
And the more you hold on, the greater the chaos when you have to stop unexpectedly.
The truth is simple:
People like Harm Jan hinder growth.
They block natural attrition.
Gray must become green again.
That's the cycle of life.
What should you do then?
Juggling with five balls.
Five life balls that you consciously keep in the air.
These are:
Family or reflection
Work, task or mission
Health
Friends or social life
Integrity or reality
Sense of reality.
Authenticity.
Knowing what is really important.
Everything outside of that? Letting go. Transferring. Making space.
Because being valuable is not the same as being indispensable.
To be valuable is to dare to be dispensable.
That makes life – just like a juggling ball – beautifully round.
The space between the words is where insight arises.
Until next week when our thoughts touch again.
Hans Ruinemans, Boardroom Monk ☯️