What the Sonoran Desert Can Teach Leaders (besides “carry water”)
The Sonoran desert, where I live, is unlike any wilderness on the planet.
Austere and beautiful, the landscape looks like it has been professionally manicured. It is spotted with prickly pear, organ pipe cactus and palo verde trees in bloom.
Unique to this desert are old saguaros – those iconic tall green cacti with arms. The whole landscape looks like something out of an old Western.
It can also be a harsh and unforgiving place.
During the summer, temperatures soar to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) and you need 2 gallons of water a day just to survive.
Many travelers, not used to travel in the desert, would die from thirst and heat exhaustion on the road... leaving their bleached skulls and makeshift graves as subtle reminders for newer travelers to, like... maybe use a different route?
Sometimes I like to bring clients into the desert, because it can be a place of quiet transformation… although I pick the less deadly parts, for client retention purposes.
One of my clients, a middle aged high-powered CEO of a mid-sized tech company, stands next to me.
Before us is an arrangement of small stones, laid out in a path of concentric circles on the ground about 25 meters in diameter.
I motion for him to enter and walk the labyrinth, an ancient maze designed as a physical metaphor for the path of transformation he is on.
Nearby, I hear the buzz of hedge clippers. A gardener is pruning a tree. At first it seems a distraction from the sacred work my client is undertaking... like eating popcorn at a funeral.
But then I remember something. This desert is full of wisdom that comes from unseen places.
As my client slowly walks the concentric circles winding back and forth towards the center of the maze, I’m aware the hedge pruning is merely making external what he is experiencing internally in this moment.
He recently decided to move from CEO to the Chairman role. That’s what drew him to attend one of my private one-to-one 3-day retreats.
He’s not sure what’s next in life. For a man accustomed to setting the vision and leading the charge, the world he’s stepping into is unnerving for him… just like the desert can be for people who are new to it.
Over the course of the three days, he woke up to the reality it was time to move on from his current position.
He could see how he had been distracting himself by staying busy, much like the gardener’s hedge clippers stole his attention away from focusing on the labyrinth walk.
With his new clarity, we mapped out the critical next steps that would chart a new course.
Now, not every client walks away with a conviction to leave their work.
But here’s the deal: it’s nearly impossible to do the hard work of transformation when you are embroiled in the constant reminder of daily leadership demands.
When my clients are serious about change, evolving, and growth, I invite them here… in the desert. Somehow, this place offers a kind of guidance and support that’s difficult to explain.
The combination of the power of this place and specific wayfinding practices I use creates a kind of magic.
Maybe you feel you’re in a place of transition right now? Maybe you’ve got an itch you can’t seem to scratch? Or perhaps something is telling you it’s time to get serious about sorting out your vision for what’s next?
If that’s you and you want to explore that further, apply for a free strategy session with me. We’ll map out what’s going on and I’ll offer my recommendation for the best way forward.
Don’t worry. I’ll supply the water.
