Did you know that one of the enduring qualities of an Edgewalker is the tendency towards risk-taking? It’s true! Let’s test out the theory. Think about a time over the past year when you have stepped out of your comfort zone to try something new. It could be at work or home. It could be a decision you made.
Do you have an example?
Now let’s go a little deeper into our memory.
- What compelled you to step out of your comfort zone?
- Did you follow your instincts?
- How did you measure the risk of failure? Cost/benefit analysis? Likelihood/impact?
- Was there a chance you would be marginalized because of your decision?
For years, I have carried a desire to re-energize and revitalize the community of practitioners that existed in previous days of the National Managers’ Community. Along the way, I recognized that there is a larger community of like-minded people, Edgewalkers, who could join in, making the old new and stronger than before. Actually starting Edgewalkers.ca has been an intimidating thought, and I often found myself wondering if I had the ability to succeed.
In the summer of 2020, amidst shut-downs and work-from-home orders due to the pandemic, I received a call from Shauna, one of our core-community members. From my early days with this community, Shauna has been the one consistent person always calling me up to say, “Dono, I have an idea.” We would take her idea, and make it a reality. Part of Shauna’s method is to throw me the idea and then say, “Okay, go!” Then she steps back and lets me run with the idea, dream, create.
That small table in a deserted coffee shop served as a launch pad for Edgewalkers.ca. Shauna encouraged me, telling me that now is the time for me to step up, take the risk and hang my shingle as a consultant who knows a thing or two. I also saw the potential to become a lamppost under which our community can once again gather.
So began the development of Edgewalkers.ca. Along the way, I needed to answer all the questions that I asked above. Answering these questions is difficult, but not as difficult as not taking the risk and then living with regret of an opportunity lost by not following my passion.
The truth of the matter is, risk-taking is one of the stages of development for Edgewalkers. We have an unfailing and fearless ability to try what has not yet been tried, trust our instincts, and break new ground. We embody courage and inspiration to step beyond what we know, and even do things that we do not think we have the skills, knowledge or abilities to do. One of the fascinating things about this quality in us, is that we walk it out with a sense of calm assurance when others around us, those who follow us either because they are attracted to our leadership, or because they think that we are about to become a train wreck and don’t want to miss it (or both). They are mesmerized by our passion and belief that something good is going to happen. I can say with confidence that I have appeased both kinds of follower.
I have been handed and accepted opportunities by others when I least expected it or believed I could do what was asked of me. I have taken chances when they have presented themselves. I have stepped forward toward a vision of the future knowing that there were risks, even with the possibility that I could fail. These are all more than possible outcomes for Edgewalkers. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I fail. The difference for Edgewalkers is that we have a different way of responding to risk and setbacks, even failures. As Judi Neal says, “We are able to stay in the flow of unfolding events and see failure as a temporary setback, as a lesson to be learned. They are able to stay centered in the midst of the difficulty because of their contemplative or spiritual practices.”[1]
What of these contemplative or spiritual practices? I believe that at our core, Edgewalkers are idealists, mystics who are often driven by feelings instead of logic. We are intuitive empaths who walk in two worlds. We walk a plain between reality and possibility, and follow this spiritual energy with the faith that it will lead us to success. We laugh in the face of risk because to us, the glass is always half-full and getting fuller, and we seek what lies beyond the visible realities.
If you hang around with me long enough, you will hear me say that who I am is more important than what I do. On my way to this foundational belief, I had to deal with the existential crisis of who I really am. I had to decide if I was going to live out what my employers and significant people in my life thought I should be or to shed this skin and embrace who I was created to be. These are often two different things.
Once I figured out the difference, I broke into a world of spiritual existence that is not dictated by religion or systems. There is a mystical, spiritual hum that exists above all of the religions of the world, beyond the reach of policies, procedures, ministerial referrals and funding proposals, beyond the reach of logic. At its core lies the truth, peace and understanding of the world that Edgewalkers tap into. We may not be religious, but we share a deep spiritual understanding of how the world works.
In past roles, I have often organized rooms of decision makers who are responsible for the success of their respective organizations. They all come to the table with the interests of their organizations in mind, but they also collectively embrace and appreciate that they are part of something bigger than themselves. They understand that the “we” is stronger and better than the “me.” It is common in these scenarios for the potential for chaos to show up. In fact, chaos was often at the door, waiting to walk in at a moment’s notice. Participants in these rooms frequently voice their appreciation that as long as I was there, they knew that somehow everything would be okay.
On one of these occasions, a senior leader who was nearby looked at me quite squarely, with a respect that I have come to appreciate. She asked me, “Do you know why they say that? Do you know why they feel this way? It’s because you are a man of faith.” She was not talking about a religious faith. She was talking about this spiritual nature. It is this spirituality that allows Edgewalkers to rest in the midst of chaos, and reassure others that all is well.
Let me illustrate this idea in a different way. “Two painters were once asked to paint a picture illustrating [their] own idea of rest. The first chose for his scene a quiet, lonely lake, nestled among mountains far away. The second, using swift, broad strokes on [the] canvas, painted a thundering waterfall. Beneath the falls grew a fragile birch tree, bending over the foam. On its branches, nearly wet with the spray from the falls, sat a robin on its nest. The first painting was simply a picture of stagnation and inactivity. The second, however, depicted rest”.[2] We are called to be the robin in the nest, to be at peace in the midst of the threats, chaos, risks, around us. We are just robins, doing robin things. Is it not wonderful that not only can we find rest and peace in such a place, but we are attracted to these places too!
It is this same faith, spirituality, calm assurance with which we step forward to take the risks presented before us. But how does stepping out in faith work in the practical world where spiritual paths are not appreciated?
I get risky ideas. At least, they seem risky to others. I try things that are at their core good ideas, but they sometimes don’t work out. I have learned that this normally happens when I have stepped too far. Instead of being an Edgewalker, I have gone over the edge. I went ahead of the curve to the point that others didn’t get it – they didn’t get me. I have learned that in order to prevent this from happening, I need to work hard at putting my ideas into a language that others in the organization can understand and value as important.
The necessary cost of being an Edgewalker is that we often feel like we don’t fit in. We may end up alone with our ideas, which leaves us feeling alone, forgotten and not valued. It is wise for us to observe and understand what is happening in our organizations. When we do this, we often feel the crisis of wanting to belong, but also feeling disconnected. As Neal suggests, we have some level of detachment from the organization, but are also passionate about our vision of the future and what is possible.[3]
The necessary cost of being an Edgewalker is that we often feel like we don’t fit in. We may end up alone with our ideas, which leaves us feeling alone, forgotten and not valued.
I have experienced more than one workplace where my skillset and risk-taking have not been appreciated or even welcomed. In these cases, I have often been marginalized, dismissed or even pressed to move along, forced out altogether. In these cases, the risk-averse organizations could not handle my ideas or innovations. These organizations were top-heavy with risk-averters whose voices of experience imposed upon others the lyrics of the well-known song, “We have always done it this way.” When I have chosen to leave such organizations, I have done so with a feeling of gratitude that they made it easy for me to move along and apply my skills someplace else where I was a better fit.
I have facilitated strategic planning for many years, for many organizations. The challenge is often the same – planners underemphasize the importance of accounting for risks and mitigations. Then, they wonder why their measurements fall short of the goals or don’t even measure the right things in the first place. Our job as Edgewalkers is to walk the paths where risks lie in wait, and point them out to others who might be caught unprepared. We may not always be the subject matter experts, but we understand the importance of trusting the process.
Accounting for risks is a necessary part of success. Risks do not show up because we are doing a bad job, or because our ideas are outlandish. Risks show up because they are a natural part of existing. For those risk-averters who choose to support stagnation, risk is encountered on a daily basis. For those who want to move forward, risk is a part of their path too. The difference for Edgewalkers is that we pay attention to the risks, call them out and beg for our organizations to take stock. We are best at offering alternative possibilities, but the possibilities typically require that the decision makers let go of their current state in order to embrace that which is not yet in focus.
Edgewalkers, take courage! We are not alone. We are mighty as a community. We are good listeners to that which is heard and that which is felt. These are the same to us. We hear the wisdom of those around us, and we hear the fear of those who are scared of taking risks. Above and through it all, we hear the spiritual hum calling us to trust the processes, trust the mystic energy that we all share in common and connects us. When we walk this path, we see clearly where the risks are, and how to navigate them.
This is the path we walk together. This is the path of the Edgewalker.
Donovan Mutschler, MA
For more information on this or other topics of interest contact Donovan Mutschler at donovan@edgewalkers.ca.
[1] Neal, Judi. (2006). Edgewalkers: People and Organizations That Take Risks, Build Bridges, and Break New Ground. P.71.
[2] Cowman, L.B. (1997). Streams in the Dessert.
[3] Neal, Judi. (2006). p.101.
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