The Next Right Move

A mystical leader doesn’t really have a plan. A vision, yes. A mission, yes. A direction, yes. Talents, yes. But not really a plan.

I like to describe the experience of mystical leadership as like being a seasoned whitewater rafter. You are responsible for what (and who) is in your boat. You know what direction you are going. But you also know you can not control the pace of the water, the obstacles, the hazards. Even if you’ve been down this river before, you know that no river is the same twice. There’s always something new. You are perpetually being propelled into the wild unknown.

From this concept comes the idea of Next Right Move.

Next Right Move is the very next important decision you need to make on your journey. It could be related to a relationship, your business/career, your personal growth. Again, this is not the next step of some grand plan you’ve crafted. If you are a mystical leadership, there is no plan. There’s just the unfolding experience.

But your mind will demand a plan. It will see the undefined, unknown nature of the path forward. This will create a fear response and it will try to seize control of the situation. The Next Right Move is how you free your mind to still be a resource, a tool — but not allow it to take control.

Next Right Moves have several indicators …

The primordial “Yes!” or “No!” This is a borrowed phrase from Thomas Merton. It is what your soul is telling you is the Next Right Move. When we trust the “yes” or the “no”, the next step is revealed. But if we try to make a primordial “no” into a “yes” or a primordial “yes” into a “no”, we deny this voice and its accuracy and efficacy. This often starts as a quiet, insistent voice that can only be heard in stillness and silence. But when the decision-moment comes, it will be a visceral reaction that you will feel in your body.

Emotional nudity required. A Next Right Move will make you feel naked, exposed, uncomfortable. It will feel risky and a little dangerous. It is why Brene Brown proclaimed that vulnerability is the greatest act of courage. So what is the most vulnerable thing you are being asked to do next? It could be to express a fear or a need. It could be to tell someone the truth. It could be to ask for help. It could be to show the world who…