#He's a type who thrives within this sphere of energy. Wants to share it

[astrxlfinale]

HC; Experience/Touch.

Just to dive down into the science with Caelus and intimacy and sexual aligned matters, one thing I want noted is that he lives a life of pain. Built into his being, and proudly accepted as an undeniable fate for him to deal with. Whether it's from physical threats or by forces that intend to rend his very soul.

Now it doesn't mean to reverse things and have him treated gently, far from it. While welcomed it's a welcomed element, what it really dawned to Caelus is just how much being handled positively, handled with desire, and returning such sentiments actually digs pretty deep into him. From touches, actions and reactions, it almost becomes a determined need to see realized for him. Roughness also does account for the positive lens, being tugged as is his partner can't wait to just do something with him? How is that not flattering?

He wants to make the most of it, the delight of being savored and in kind, savoring his chosen as if they're the last touch of sweetness left on this plane.

Pain within his life has sure as hell made him appreciative. Those moments where he can thrive in good sensations, where he can be the very 'ruin' that makes his partners crumble/melt in delight, it's a visceral type of energy that draws into his insatiable factor. It's why he's often a lot more shameless, and favors those he can hold that appropriate thread of shameless with.

For Caelus it often feels like a waste to not see just how much of an affection/receptive desire that they conjure in one another. While time and place and well understood (even if these aspects will have the daring line flirted with), it's why in his new mindset with the return to reality, as someone who wants to embrace choices he knows he won't regret, handling things half-assed is also just a no go for him.

He's not someone you'll really see 'hold back' unless it's attuned to his partner's comfort zones, and even then, it'll be witnessed he tries to make the most of those fine lines.

[theoveldsman]

MASTER OF THE LEADERSHIP UNIVERSE

Travel Guide for Leadership Excellence in the newly emerging order

STOP-OVER 13: LIVEABILITY OF  A LEADERSHIP GALAXY 

In previous Stop-Overs the make-up and dynamics of the Leadership Universe were mapped. However, the Leadership Universe is not a static, given. 

Leadership constitute within the vast expanse of the Leadership Universe their own unique ‘Galaxy’ that equates to their Operating Arena with its commensurate complexity. The Operating Arena as uniquely constituted Galaxy represents leadership’s sphere of influence and action. 

The manner in which leadership create, engages with, and sustain their Galaxy - using the building blocks of the Leadership Universe - infuse the constituted Galaxy with a certain degree of liveability for all stakeholders, in particular Followers. 

The degree of livability determines the nature, features and magnitude of the shared dream and lasting, worthy legacy to be pursued, and likelihood of making a successful the journey towards its successful achievement, given the dynamics whilst journeying.

A Galaxy’s liveability is first and foremost established by leadership who act as a type of ‘chemical reagent’ through their manner of constituting and being engaged with their Galaxy, infusing it with a certain quality of life. The liveability can vary from flourishing/ thriving to toxic/ impoverished. 

Since the Leadership Universe, and the Galaxies within it, form a holistic ecosystem, the liveability of different Galaxies affect the overall livability of the total Leadership Universe.

LIVEABILITY OF A LEADERSHIP GALAXY

The liveability of a Galaxy within the Leadership Universe can be depicted as a three dimensional ‘Periodic Table’ expressed by the equation:

Liveability = f (Quality x Intelligence x Energy). 

In short hand: Liveability = f (Q x I x E).

Important to note the multiplicative, not additive, relationship between the ‘chemical’ elements of the Periodic Table – Q, I and E - making up the Liveability Index. When one or more elements is high (or low), it has a significant knock-on effect on the other elements.  

Each element of the Liveability Equation with its respective ingredients is discussed next.

QUALITY 

Quality (Q) refers to the level of excellence with which leadership are involved in the Leadership Universe, manifested  in the personal attributes leadership use to constitute, engage and maintain their Leadership Galaxy.

Five Qualities can be distinguished, the 5 C’s of liveability within the Galaxy: Character, Connected, Caring, Commitment and Competence (adapted and expanded from A. Wort).  

Character relates to leadership in relationship to Self (Leadership Universe Sphere 1); Connected and Caring to leadership in relationship to Others (Sphere 2); and Commitment and Competence to leadership in relationship to World (Sphere 3).

Character: Integrity

This Quality of Liveability pertains to the personal leadership attribute of integrity as manifested in ethical leadership. Ethical leadership embraces being good, doing good, and ensuring good. This provides the basis for the credibility and legitimacy of leadership in their Leadership Galaxy. 

Through this Quality of Livability, leadership infuse the Galaxy with what morally acceptable as the ‘Should do’; the ‘Ought to’, the ‘Right’ as opposed to the ‘Bad’ or ‘Wrong’.

It encompasses doing the right thing for the right reasons in the right way at the right time and place with the right person(s).  If any if these ‘rights’ are out of place, then the Galaxy turns unethical. The ultimate in unethical livability is when none of the ‘Rights’ or ‘Ought To’s’ are in place (See Stop-over 7 further in this regard)

Connected: Genuine, Deep Relationships  

This Quality of Liveability encompasses the personal leadership attribute of forming genuine, deep, lasting trust-based relationships, embedded in a culture and climate of closeness, with Others making up the Leadership Galaxy. This implies a healthy, constructive Leadership Process, consisting of seven critical actions, making up the leadership value chain. 

These seven actions are: Leaving a worthy legacy; Inspiring a shared vision; Embedding common values; Challenging the status quo; Enabling and empowering Others to act; Encouraging the heart; and Modeling the way. 

The actions making up the Leadership Process is the means through which leadership create and grow interpersonal value and social capital in their relationships with Followers, bringing about a certain degree of Connected Livability in the Leadership Galaxy.   

Leadership’s influencing acts throughout the Leadership Process require the twofold choice of an appropriate power base and key influencing levers (e.g., like leadership roles and style) in performing the critical actions making up the Leadership Process. To the extent that an appropriate power base have been chosen, and the right influencing levers are used and applied, the Connected Liveability of the Galaxy will be enhanced (see Stop-over 10 further in this regard).

Caring: A Servant Spirit and Attitude

This Quality of Liveability refers to the personal leadership attribute of putting the interests, needs, aspirations, ideals, and welfare of Followers first and foremost in leading. They are put above the personal, egocentric interests, needs, aspirations, and ideals, and welfare of leadership themselves. Leadership emphasise the ‘We’ instead of the ‘Me’. The Leadership Galaxy is imbued by a servant spirit and attitude.

Genuine caring necessitates visibly reaching out and meeting Followers not only physically (= their place), but especially psychologically (= their perceptions, interpretations thinking, feelings); socio-culturally (= their deeply wired cultural ways of thinking and doing); and spiritually (= their life meanings and purposes, worldviews). All of these facets of meeting in spacetime must converge synergistically in order to bring about genuine, deep caring.  

Within a multiple stakeholder setting, liveability further requires that leadership as a power broker must harmonise the wide-ranging, divergent interests and needs of a wide, diverse range of stakeholders - also their own - in a fair, equitable and even-handed manner. In this way,  they bring about shared, win-win solutions, permeated by a spirit of give-and-take whilst crafting them.

Commitment:  Leadership as Calling

This Quality of Liveability entails the personal leadership attribute of leadership unconditionally taking their leadership role up as a true calling with passion and dedication. They demonstrate the unquestioned will to and accountability in wanting to make a value-adding, lasting difference, in the present and future. This calling is accompanied by a humble attitude of service flowing from the trust placed in them by Followers.

This is in stark contrast to being a leader who is merely mechanistically fulfilling a leadership role, and being at best a bureaucratic functionary. The role he occupies is only a means to an end, and not an end in itself. The end could be career progression, a need for power and status, and/ or greater access to desirable resources. Without this upfront commitment to the calling of leadership, no genuine leadership will infuse the thinking, decisions and actions of leadership in the Leadership Galaxy, in turn affecting the Galaxy’s liveability.

If the baseline commitment of the leader is: ‘I commit to lead’, the second commitment is to be the best possible leader whatever it takes. This requires re-inventing oneself as a leader on an ongoing basis through continuous learning in order to remain future-fit. The Galaxy is a place of ongoing learning

Competence: Leadership Excellence

This Quality of Liveability entails the personal leadership attribute of being able to deal competently with the leadership challenges, demands and requirements of her Leadership Galaxy as Operating Arena, now and going into the future, and achieving outstanding results.  

This requires the competence to deal with the (i) visible part of his Operating Arena (the features of, and hence dynamics and trends within the Regions/ Countries in which he and his organisation are operating); as well as (ii) deep Global Cultural Orientation(s) that frame and inform the actions and conduct of persons in those Regions/ Countries, and the (iii) (consequential) Expected (=Desired) Leadership Attributes related to a Region/ Country (see Stop-over 11) .  

In summary: A Flourishing/ Thriving Leadership Galaxy with a high Quality Livability is infused into its very molecules by committed, competent, ethical leadership of integrity, embedded in genuine, caring relationships with Followers. 

In contrast, a Toxic/ Impoverished Leadership Galaxy with a low Liveability Quality is saturated by uncommitted, incompetent, unethical leadership, having superficial, exploitative, uncaring relationship with Followers.    

INTELLIGENCE 

Intelligence (I) refers to leadership who can observe, think, judge, act, learn and reflect with a growing understanding and insight as they engage – conceptually, emotionally and practically - with their Leadership Galaxy.  

This Intelligence enables leadership to transform Experiences into Information; Information into Knowledge; and Knowledge into Wisdom, and vice versa, at increasing deeper levels in his Leadership Galaxy. This is leadership who are becoming increasingly more intelligent all of the time because they act with deepening understanding and insight.

The total Intelligence (or meta-intelligence) of an excellent leader is made up of five, interdependent Intelligences Modes:  Intra- and Interpersonal; Systemic; Ideation; Action; and Contextual Intelligence. The higher these Intelligences, the more liveable the Leadership Galaxy.

Intra-personal and Interpersonal Intelligence: True Me

Self-insight is the crux of this leadership Intelligence. Intra-and interpersonal Intelligence (including emotional intelligence) centres around the degree to which my identity as a leader has crystalised, and I have become a person in my own right. I know who and what I am as a leader with my strengths and weaknesses. I know what I stand for. I understand my impact on others, and their impact on me. 

In addition, my identity must be authentic. Having an authentic identity is the highest form of this intelligence. It relates to having a sense of being true to myself as a leader, and being genuine in terms of my understanding and acceptance of who I am and wish to be as a person, the ‘real’ me. 

This gives my life as a leader meaning, and makes it meaningful. True authenticity permeates my crystalised identity with confidence, humility, integrity and empathy that in turn enhances the liveability of the Leadership Galaxy.

This Intelligence is the anchor and starting point for all of the other Intelligences.

Systemic Intelligence: ‘Big picture’ Patterns

Systemic (including cognitive) Intelligence entails leadership mastery at crafting real time, integrated and dynamic understanding of how the world works within the leadership’s Operating Arena, at both the rational and intuitive levels. 

It is having as leadership a 'working theory' of Operating Arena: which variables are critical; how are they interrelated; how do they influence each other; and in which likely direction are they moving with what probable consequences?

This theory is used by leadership as a 'Google map' to chart and travel in their Operating Arena. This understanding is constructed as a dynamic pattern of how the world functions, whether as a vicious or virtuous cycle(s). A limited set of underlying governance rules also have been uncovered that govern the pattern in force. 

High Systemic Intelligence implies that the leadership are able to generate new insights that enable them to change existing patterns or to bring new patterns into being.  Liveability with respect to this Intelligence means a navigable Galaxy because its make-up, dynamics and evolution are deeply understood.

Ideation Intelligence: Imagining

The crux of this Intelligence is imagining. Ideation (including spiritual) Intelligence encompasses the leadership mastery of having limitless and boundariless dreams about what the world can be, may be and should be, and to what end and purpose. It is about idealising a better future, and an enriched sense of ultimate purpose for all people by critically questioning the status quo.

This Intelligence entails leadership becoming masterful at dreaming in their search to make the world a better place for current and upcoming generations. This can range from how to make the existing better; to how to add something new; through to how to change what exists into something different and better; and, ultimately, how to bring the completely new into being. 

Liveability with respect to this Intelligence entails a Galaxy filled by a purposeful, meaningful, inspiring and shared dream and legacy.

Action Intelligence: Real, Lasting Change

The crux of this Intelligence is effective navigation into the future to make desired dreams and legacies a lasting reality. Action intelligence of high liveability encompasses the leadership mastery of bringing about lasting, meaningful change on a large scale. Desired futures resulting from imaging inspiring dreams is turned into action through affecting real, genuine change.

In the emerging world order change takes on pervasive, radical, fundamental and chaotic features; is non-linear in nature; and is highly unpredictable in its outcomes, intended and unintended. Under these conditions the Action Intelligent leadership need to adopt is a reflective, real time action learning process to effect lasting, meaningful change. This process is made up of the successive cycles of: exploration, discovery; application, and learning/ reflection.

Action Intelligent leadership furthermore leverages the navigation process from real time, in-time organisational intelligence to navigate successfully towards the desired end state. Simultaneously, they are  guided by action relevant expertise by applying their Systemic Intelligence masterfully during the unfolding change journey.

Contextual Intelligence: Right Set of Glasses

The crux of this Intelligence is contextual fit. Contextual (including cultural) Intelligence pertains to ensuring on an ongoing basis of a dynamic, optimal match between leadership and their context as delineated by her Operating Arena. 

On the one hand, this requires in depth insight into the leadership challenges and demands of their Operating Arena, currently and going into the future. On the other hand, the necessity of matching leadership contextual requirements and leadership profiles.

Critical to this fit is the adoption of an appropriate interpretive framework by leadership – the way of seeing and dealing with the world – in order to have a constructive contextual engagement with the world. 

Leadership with high Contextual Intelligence understand that they need the 'right set of glasses' to look at the context. This set of glasses is made up of:

an explicitly adopted worldview: the right understanding of the nature and working of the world they are engaging with;  

the decision-making framework used: how to recognise situations for what they are, and then to make the right decisions; and

the value orientation adopted: what is important, rightful and desirable.

In summary: A Flourishing/ Thriving Leadership Galaxy with a high Intelligence Liveability is infused into its very essence by leadership who have deep personal and interpersonal insight; see the big picture in the form of patterns; discover through creative destruction, new dreams and legacies with deeper meaning and purpose; bring about lasting, meaningful change on a large scale; and ensure continuously a good leadership-context fit.  

In contrast, a Toxic/ Impoverished Galaxy is imbued by low intelligence manifested in little personal and interpersonal insight; limited, fragmented, silo-ed pictures; status quo, more of the same, uninspiring dreams and legacies with little/ shallow meaning and purpose; change that does not stick or is only superficial with little, lasting effect; and ongoing leadership-context misfits.  

ENERGY 

Energy (E) entails the manner in which leadership gets Followers to move and act positively in his Leadership Galaxy. 

Five Energies can be distinguished metaphorically related to the Spirit, Heart, Head, Hands and Feet, and Backbone of Followers. Liveability necessitates Positive Energy, and not negative Energy. 

Positive Energies are all about building psychosocial capital in Followers (after Luthans,  Youssef & Avolio).

Spiritual Energy: Hope and Faith  

Spiritual Energy is about generating Hope and Faith in Followers(in contrast to Despair and Disbelief): ‘We have a meaningful future we can believe in and aspire to.’  

Heart: Passion and Dedication  

Heart Energy entails unlocking Passion for and a Dedication to (in contrast to Alienation and Disinterestedness) the shared dream, intended legacy and the journey to realise them in Followers: ‘We are excited and inspired by what we want to achieve. Let us get going.’  

Head Energy: Security and Clarity  

Head Energy embraces Security and Clarity (in contrast to Insecurity and Uncertainty): ‘We understand the how, where, when and who of what we want to achieve. Roles, contributions, resources, timings and priorities are clear.‘

Hands and Feet Energy: Confidence and Resilience  

Hands and Feet Energy is about triggering Confidence and Resilience in Followers (in contrast to   Doubt and Fatigue): ‘We can undertake and complete our journey to our dream with its legacy successfully regardless of the circumstances and odds.’

Backbone Energy: Courage and Perseverance

Backbone Energy encompasses the unlocking of Courage and Perseverance (in contrast to Cowardice and Half-heartedness) in Followers: ‘The odds against us do not frighten us. We will stick to what we are doing, regardless.’

In summary: A Flourising/ Thriving Leadership Galaxy with a high Energy Liveability triggers and sustains positive Spirit, Heart, Head, Hands and Feet, and Backbone Energies in Followers, like Hope, Passion, Security, Confidence. Its is rich in psychosocial capital. 

In contrast, a Toxic/ Impoverished Galaxy is flush with negative Energies, like Despair,  Alienation, Insecurity, Cowardice. This Galaxy is poor in psychosocial capital. 

THE OVERALL LIVABILITY INDEX OF A LEADERSHIP GALAXY 

Each of the sub-elements  of Quality, Intelligence and Energy can be rated on a 5 point scale (1=Poor/ Non-existent to 5=Excellent) that also have a multiplicative relationship. Thus the minimum score for an element, like Energy, is 5 and the maximum 3 125. 

The Overall Liveability Index, Q x I x E, can thus range between 125 = A highly Toxic/ Impoverished Galaxy, on the point of imploding/ disintegrating to 9 375 = A highly Flourishing, Thriving Galaxy.

The better the Quality, the higher the Intelligence, and the more the Energy, the better the Liveability of the Leadership Galaxy, and by implication its sustainability. 

But it is all in the hands of leadership as the ‘chemical reagent’ in constituting, engaging with and maintain their Galaxy.  

Travel Guidelines

Leadership constitute within the vast expanse of the Leadership Universe their own unique ‘Galaxy’ that equates to their Operating Arena with its commensurate complexity. 

The manner in which leadership create, engage with, and sustain their Galaxy - using the building blocks of the Leadership Universe - infuse the constituted Galaxy with a certain degree of livability for all stakeholders, in particular Followers. 

A Galaxy’s liveability is first and foremost established by leadership who act as a type of ‘chemical reagent’ through their manner of constituting and being engaged with their Galaxy, infusing it with a certain quality of life. The liveability can vary from flourishing/ thriving to toxic/ impoverished. 

The degree of livability determines the nature, features and magnitude of the shared dream and lasting, worthy legacy to be pursued, and likelihood of making a successful the journey towards their successful achievement, given the dynamics whilst journeying. 

The liveability of a Galaxy within the Leadership Universe can be depicted as a three dimensional ‘Periodic Table’ expressed by the equation: Liveability = f (Quality x Intelligence x Energy). In short hand: Liveability = f (Q x I x E). 

The better the Quality, the higher the Intelligence, and the more the Energy, the better the Liveability of the Leadership Galaxy, and by implication its sustainability.  

Next Stop-over in the Leadership Universe

Stop-over 14 – Leadership Culture and Climate