On being a hungry caterpillar

The biggest challenge for any leader is the person they confront in the mirror each morning. People are a combination of emotions, experiences, and skills bound up in a bag of flesh that wants to survive another day. Those with leadership responsibility have the additional burden of helping others achieve those goals on their journey. A servant leader must continuously show maturity and emotional intelligence while dealing with the challenges that crop up daily in the global economy. I continue to struggle with myself and the burdens of leadership. Today, I would like to talk about that conflict.

Two theories exist about leadership. The first posits that leaders are born and that their skills cannot be taught. The opposing theory asserts that leadership is a skill that can be taught to anyone and can improve over time. I fall in the middle of this continuum, acknowledging that some people are better than others at the initial leadership training and development skills. Everyone has the potential to be a leader with enough time and practice.

People are like the characters in the children's book "The Vey Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. We begin small and vulnerable with a tremendous appetite. Full of potential, we gorge ourselves with knowledge and ambition. The hunger drives us and dominates everything we see or do. Inevitably, we work with others who go through a transformation where they either become magnificent butterflies who can lead others or malignant parasites who will consume others for their selfish desire. I have worked with both, and I prefer the company of moths and butterflies to parasitic wasps.

As a worker or employee, you experience the transformation of others and wonder when it will be your turn. That moment of metamorphosis becomes the sole focus as you continue to feed your insatiable hunger. In truth, humans are more complicated than insects. We do not molt or transform. Instead, we change, growing and developing into different versions of ourselves. The radical shift from one state to the other rarely happens. When this realization occurs to you, it is when you stop gorging yourself like a hungry caterpillar.

After binging on ambition for a lifetime, you must stop and rest sooner or later. In Carle's book, this is when the hungry caterpillar finds a leaf and begins their transformation into a butterfly. In the business world, we are often forced to follow this diet of ambition and achievement and cannot rest. The next challenge must be overcome, or we will fail to meet the subsequent growth figures. Over time, it takes a toll on people, particularly when they toil and receive little in return.

I am like that hungry caterpillar. I have been chasing ambition for years, and I am bloated and tired. Nothing would be better than to find a leaf and cocoon until something changes. The reality is that a caterpillar forms a cocoon because it acts like a mold for its transformation. The creature then dissolves its body into a soup of cells and rearranges itself into its new form. I understand humans are not insects, but I am going through a similar process. I am breaking down and rearranging myself to address the challenges of the changing job market and economy. 

The agile gold rush is moving to a different phase. The profiteers are moving on to other pastures, and in their wake, some committed professionals want to make work better. If successful, we will institute lasting change in the business world. This hungry caterpillar is resting, and it might be the smartest thing I have done in a while.

Until next time.