The Leadership Liminal Space: Thriving Between What Was and What Will Be
There's a space between who you were and who you're becoming. Anthropologists call this "liminal space," the threshold between identities where transformation occurs. In leadership journeys, these liminal periods are both profoundly challenging and incredibly fertile.
Recognizing the Leadership Threshold
Leadership transitions create natural liminal spaces:
Moving from individual contributor to team leader
Shifting from manager to executive
Transitioning between organizations or industries
Navigating the space between corporate leadership and entrepreneurship
During these transitions, you're no longer fully who you were, but not yet completely who you'll become. You exist in the in-between. It is a place that can feel disorienting, yet it holds extraordinary potential for growth.
The Hidden Gifts of Liminality
While challenging, liminal spaces offer unique opportunities:
Heightened awareness: Between established identities, you see with fresh eyes. You notice patterns and possibilities that were invisible when you were fully immersed in your previous role.
Creative potential: Liminal spaces disrupt habitual thinking. When familiar pathways are unavailable, innovative solutions emerge.
Identity evolution: The question "Who am I becoming?" creates space to intentionally shape your evolving identity instead of passively adopting new roles.
Community reconfiguration: Transitions naturally reshape your professional community. They often bring unexpected allies and mentors into your journey.
Navigating the Threshold With Intention
Rather than rushing through leadership liminality, consider these approaches for navigating this space with purpose:
Embrace the discomfort: Resistance to the uncertainty of liminal space often prolongs it. Acknowledging the discomfort without trying to escape it actually facilitates movement through it.
Capture emerging insights: Liminal spaces offer a unique perspective. Document the insights that emerge when you're between established identities. These insights often contain the seeds of your most significant leadership contributions.
Create intentional rituals: Anthropologists note that rituals have always helped humans navigate liminal periods. You can create your own transition rituals to honor what is ending and to symbolically step toward what is beginning.
Find liminal companions: Seek others who understand threshold experiences. Those who have navigated similar transitions can normalize your experience and offer valuable wisdom.
Conclusion: Every significant leadership evolution requires passing through liminal space. The leaders who emerge most powerfully are not those who avoided the discomfort of the threshold. They are the ones who fully engage with its transformative potential.
To dive deeper into courageous leadership and create lasting impact, explore my keynote, "Courage as a Carry-On."
