Of Shadows and Light.

I recall an incident that happened many years ago. I was probably 6 or 7 years old. It was evening, and my younger siblings and I took our washed clothes from the laundry line outside, in to the room. Due to a power cut ( NEPA effect for Nigerians), this room was lit by a candle. As we got in, we looked at the wall and screamed, seeing what looked like the shadow of an old man with a walking stick! We ran out in fear.
Our elder brother had to come with us after some beckoning to help us. Luckily just at that moment the power was restored and switching on the light, we realised it was my younger brother’s water bottle on the table that had cast a shadow on the wall, which to our fear-filled young minds, was image of an old man!

You see, shadows are created as a result of an obstruction on the path of light.
The absence of light more than the presence of darkness is what leaves many people feeling uneasy, anxious, and afraid.

In our corporate organisations, we have colleagues experiencing those seasons of “shadows” from time to time : performance reviews, promotions, organisational restructuring, right sizing, etc.
As leaders, how much light do we cast on these processes? Have we put structures or people in place that would rather become the objects distorting the light travel path, hence creating “shadows ” at the mercy of people’s imaginations?

How effective are our channels of communication? What feedback mechanisms do we have to assess these? Are our actions & behaviours contributing to the “shadows” lurking in the minds of our team members?

Remember, there was an old man’s image, which was revealed to be a harmless water bottle when the whole room was properly illuminated.

My basic science also reminds me that not all objects cast shadows. Transparent objects don’t as light passes through them.

How TRANSPARENT are we when we engage and communicate? Is this transparency consistent across the board? Let’s remember that as long as this is missing, people are left to the mercy of shadows.

Often times these “shadows ” when left unattended feed rumours, myths, mistrust, and disengagement.

Let there be Light!