The well is a gathering place for a community, a source where a pilgrim can draw nourishing water. Because of the value to the community, people often congregate. All the neighbors draw their vital life force from this source. No one remembers how deep the well is, no one remembers who built the well, and the well’s bottom has never been plumbed within recent memory. Peering down, one gazes into a mysterious depth, which is dark and contains unknown elements.

Where do leaders get their vision and experience? Look down the well.  Do you see your reflection?

Drinking deeply, the leader remembers teams hired and fired, business plans funded and discarded, the thrill of a bold new venture, and the voices of people in pain. A leader somewhere launched a new computer, led a rescue team in Central America, and built a hospital in Africa. The leader’s previous life is the well. Pull deep. A leader may be able to draw lessons about change and people from the lives of other leaders in his teaching lineage.

Rita was a nurse, a mother, and a skilled businessperson; she inspired me.  She is my well. She taught me how to appreciate differences in people, showed me how to have patience with others, and always affirmed my special contribution to our work. I found confidence in her treatment of me. When I am not sure how to proceed, part of me asks, “What would Rita do?” Even though she has been deceased for two decades, her inspiring words remain with me as I act.

The well is more than a conscience. It is a source of experience. If you have worked with a mentor, been influenced by a great man or woman, or been stirred by the actions of Ghandi or Martin Luther King Jr., you have a well that you can draw upon. Have a moment of doubt?  Pause and refresh.  Draw from the well. Reflect on what you might learn from personal experience or the lives of others.

I prepare my well in quiet moments, respecting the insight that I know is available to me. As a leader, I know that my spirit will be tried. When I pause to meditate, when I seek new energy from my center, I find that my well is available to me throughout the day. I like to think I have activated a flow of sustenance that keeps me refreshed even while the frustration with the world drags me down. My well offers me reassurance that I am worthy, that I have many talents, that I am capable of meeting new challenges.

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Call me if you would like to explore your inner leader.

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