Imagine if you were holding a rope in your right hand. The end of that rope is being pulled hard by history, tradition, culture. Now imagine at the same time you are holding a different rope with your left hand. The end of that rope is being pulled hard by possibility, innovation, opportunity. Your job is to firmly hold the tension between those two ropes.
I’ve used this tension scenario on multiple occasions with both individual and organizational leaders to help them grasp an understanding of this valuable aspect of their role and responsibility. The learning is when we choose to lean too far to the right we can easily get stuck in nostalgia and romanticism, losing sight of creative possibilities for growth and innovation. On the other hand when we choose to lean too hard to the left we can lose sight of the importance history and culture plays within an organization and in our own life.
Increasing our capacity to hold tension is not just a learned skill but a real discipline. The reality is it is much easier to be pulled in one direction rather than living in a space of ‘both and’. Leadership expert Ron Heifetz writes this about the tension of both and, “Holding Environment – at the heart of this strategy is an affirmation of holding differences in creative tension.”
Embracing tension not as inherently negative, but rather a space that has the potential not just for creativity but actual transformation. A space that is often described as liminality. As theologian Richard Rohr describes, “Liminality is a form of holding the tension between one space and another. It is in these transitional moments of our lives that authentic transformation can happen.”
It often takes courage to embrace the tension that arises from what often feels like opposing forces. Yet when we recognize that it is through the interplay of contrasting ideas and perspectives we may not only gain new insight but it may in fact be a catalyst for transformation.