Elements – Discovering your second E
Time and time again we are reminded that there is no one right way of leading. What’s in the books might not be for you, and what’s deemed as the ‘correct’ way is too often turning women away from leading. It not just about a set of guidelines follow, it’s about who you are and finding a way to lead that works for you
The Women Emerging methodology guides you to discover and define what leading means to you regardless of how you may have thought of it or observed it done. The map, developed in 2022 by 24 women from diverse backgrounds and captured in Julia Middleton’s book “If that’s leading, I’m in”, includes 4E’s: Essence, Elements, Expression and Energy.
Essence, the first E, defines us and shapes how we lead. It is the centre circle in our map, as it fundamentally shapes how we approach leading, and it roots the Energy generated. For more details on Essence, read this.
In this blog, we are going to describe the second E in our map: Elements. Elements is how your Essence shows up in how you are leading. While your Essence will frame who you are, your Elements will show how your Essence unfolds when you lead. For example, if Motherness is a part of your Essence it could show up in 2 Elements; nurturing and fierceness.
During the First Expedition, explorers uncovered four groups of Elements:
Jettison: Consciously discarding unhelpful Elements. Examples from Julia Middleton’s book “If that’s leading, I’m in” include ignoring self, minimizing oneself, the ‘good girl’ mindset, seeking a seat at the table, falling for flattery, and feeling "enough."
Reframe: Changing how you view certain traits. For example, instead of seeing imposter syndrome as negative, consider how it might keep you grounded and open to feedback.
Find: This is about the most crucial Element of all, purpose. It’s an Element that should never be jettisoned and if it is to be reframed, it should be done so only with extreme care. You must be clear on why you are leading in order to lead in the best possible way.
Combine: Integrating different Elements to enhance each other, rather than balancing them as trade-offs. For example, humble and visible. Both seemingly opposites and contradictory, but success lies in their combining.
The first action to take is jettison.
Elements that get in the way of your leading they are unhelpful are the first ones that you know you must jettison. The dictionary meaning of jettison is to throw or drop something (from an aircraft) and that’s what the Women Emerging asks you to do with Elements that you don’t need. For example one Element that everyone in the first expedition agreed upon jettisoning, was ‘the sense of not being enough.’ How many times have you added the word enough unnecessarily at the end of a sentence? Is this good... enough? Am I thin... enough? Sweet enough? Polite enough? Strong enough? Ambitious enough? But what is it to be ‘enough’ and who defines it? Elements like enough don’t contribute positively to our being or to our leading. The sooner we recognize them and discard them, the better it becomes for our leadership.
Julia’s book, “If that’s leading, I’m in”, describes various Elements that explorers from the First Expedition identified to be jettisoned. However, these Elements can be different for different women and something that explorers discover when they go on an expedition.
The second action to take with your Elements, is ‘reframe.’ Reframing, simply put, is to change or shift your perspective on how you have considered a certain Element. Maybe there is one that you have always been told was negative but maybe it isn't. Let’s take the example of imposter syndrome. Thousands of women, feel the imposter syndrome. Do they belong where they are? Can they lead in an area without being hesitant? What if they don’t know enough! Imposter syndrome has always been coined as a bad thing. But the explorers on the First Expedition began to peel off the many layers of imposter syndrome only to realise that it isn’t all that bad. They discovered that when you reframe imposter syndrome it brings humility in your leading, allowing you to be open to own up the space where you are leading and yet keep you grounded.
Reframing might require pushing back on certain social norms and expectations, but that’s where the transformative work of the expedition comes in!
Combing Elements
Let’s come to the final step of sorting Elements: combining.
Combining is one of the more time consuming and complex actions, especially compared to jettisoning, for example. As mentioned above, there is emphasis on combining and it does not equate to balancing. There is no this versus that – both qualities appear at the same time, but their amounts may vary. It’s a unique take as the Elements seem to clash or are often incompatible. Let’s take a closer look at two of the Elements the explorers from the First Expedition chose to combine.
Empathy and Distance
Empathy: Empathy is crucial for understanding and relating to others' experiences and emotions. It's essential in addressing trauma and building meaningful connections.
Distance: While empathy fosters connection, distance is necessary to maintain objectivity and make tough decisions. Distance helps leaders manage their own emotional responses and focus on what’s best for the team or cause, even if it means facing unpopularity.
Combining the two: The key to effectively leading lies in p combination of these two Elements. Empathy should guide interactions and decision-making, while distance ensures they remain objective and focused on long-term goals. It requires regular self-assessment, sensitivity to others' needs, and a willingness to make difficult choices when necessary.
Folawe, in her podcast, shares her journey as a leader who wanted to love and be loved to one who learned to balance empathy with the need for distance in decision-making.
There are many dimensions to how Elements manifest in leadership. Julia’s book explores these intricacies, showing how each Element, like empathy and distance, has both its strengths and potential pitfalls.
Understanding and mastering your Elements involves more than just recognising them; it requires jettisoning the ones that are not helping you, reframing the Elements that you have perceived as being negative, combining opposite Elements and most importantly finding your purpose to lead. Women Emerging provides a structured approach to this through its expeditions. Over a 7-month period, explorers participate in conversation, self-reflection, and group discussions, gaining insights into how to uncover their 4E’s, i.e. Essence, Elements, Expression and Energy.
These expeditions will help you to evolve as you grow as a leader. Women Emerging supports this journey with resources like curated audio snippets, podcast episodes, and written resources to help you explore and refine your Elements.
For those seeking a more individualised experience, Women Emerging will soon offer solo expeditions. This expedition option provides a flexible and personal path for those who prefer to explore their Elements, and the rest of their 4Es, at their own pace.
In our next blog, we will explore the third E i.e. Expression. If you have questions about the 4Es or if you would like to join an expedition, click here.