Recharge and Rise: Why Wonder Fuels Leaders in Uncertain Times
Yearn to break free from the everyday grind? Discover why wonder fuels innovation, resilience and adaptation
By Suzie Thoraval
“Wisdom begins with wonder”
- Socrates
The importance of taking breaks is well known. But what are you doing in your break to refresh your mind and body? For me, it’s getting outside, looking up at the sky, noticing the birds and the flowers. It’s focusing on an ant who is, incredibly, carrying many times its own weight in an endless procession of ants with a mission. It’s listening to the running water in the fountain in my backyard, or even better, the rhythmic waves at the beach. It’s looking up at the moon and stars. These activities are cultivating wonder. They help me maintain a sense of awe for the world around me.
Wonder helps maintain adaptive stability
It’s not just what we do in our breaks. Having a healthy curiosity about how people think, what they know and what they have experienced helps to anchor us during uncertainty. Developing wonder is the practice of nurturing a sense of curiosity, awe and open-mindedness towards the world around us. Cultivating wonder helps leaders to maintain adaptive stability by continuously learning, sparking innovation, fostering resilience, encouraging collaboration, and enhancing emotional intelligence.
A sense of wonder promotes a learning and growth mindset that enables leaders to stay ahead of challenges and make informed decisions.
Research shows that experiencing wonder and awe can reduce worry and rumination, shifting our focus beyond ourselves. This broader perspective boosts creativity, collaboration, and energy while reducing stress by quieting mental chatter.
Recent studies demonstrated that workshop activities which helped participants explore moments of awe foster calm, humility, and a stronger desire to connect and work with others. People who experienced awe often reported greater life satisfaction, well-being, and openness to new ways of thinking.
Wonder supports leadership
Wonder fuels imagination and encourages out-of-the-box thinking. Leaders who cultivate wonder are more likely to foster innovation within their organisations by inspiring their team to explore new ideas, experiment, and find creative solutions to complex problems.
This flexibility and adaptability can encourage stability by enabling organisations to adapt to changes, technology and customer or stakeholder needs.
Harnessing wonder and curiosity in the face of setbacks, allows leaders and teams to develop greater resilience by seeing them as opportunities for growth and learning.
Cultivating wonder encourages empathy, understanding, and an appreciation for diverse perspectives. Leaders who have emotional intelligence can effectively manage and understand the needs, motivations, and reactions of their team members, fostering a harmonious and stable work environment.
Through nurturing wonder, leaders can better connect with their team members and build strong relationships rooted in trust and respect.
How do you stimulate a sense of awe and wonder in your everyday life?
Here are some ideas:
20 minutes away from your desk, leave your device behind, go outside and be curious about the everyday beauty you notice. Even if it is just in your garden or around the neighbourhood outside your office. Notice places and things you might typically rush past while looking at your phone.
Instead of looking at your phone the whole time you are on transport, look out the window. Look at the sky, the trees, other people coming in and out of the carriage.
Spend deliberate time in nature. Research shows that walks in nature, rather than urban environments, have a strong positive effect on our mood. Nature doesn’t worry, it is just there. It works around the variables it is given by the elements. It stays rooted to the ground. If it experiences a setback, say a severe storm, it finds a way to grow and thrive.
Watch an inspiring show, such as Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe, David Attenborough’s Planet Earth or Oscar winner, My Octopus Teacher.
Follow good news sites which report on inspirational and touching stories.
Start your Monday morning meeting with a question to your team: ‘what did you find inspiring last week?’ encouraging them to share their stories of wonder with each other. Respect all of the answers knowing that what inspires one person may not capture another, or may even generate anxiety, such as going skydiving. Enthusiasm for wonder will inspire and encourage your team members to explore beyond the every day.
Provide opportunities for exploration and learning such as attending conferences, taking courses or working with other teams that allow for the expansion of experience, knowledge and skills.
Embrace diversity and multiple perspectives by fostering an inclusive environment where diverse viewpoints and perspectives are welcomed and valued. Encourage collaboration and open discussions that allow for the exploration of different ideas, experiences and approaches.
Create a ‘wonder’ playlist of inspirational music. Here’s mine if you’d like some inspiration: Adaptive Stability Song Inspiration Playlist
Visit an art gallery and really study the paintings you find inspiring.
Watch a young child looking around. Everything is new and interesting to them.
If you have or know children, read them, Dr Suess’ book, ‘Oh the Thinks You Can Think!’ I loved reading that book to my kids for the free thinking and imagination it encouraged.
Cultivating wonder can ground us, give us energy, inspiration and resilience.
How might you create opportunities to experience awe and wonder in your everyday life?
What places, people, or activities inspire a sense of wonder in you?
What experiences or moments in your life have left you feeling a deep sense of awe?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
