In this episode, we explore the idea that we are currently in a systemic chrysalis.
What this means is that we have to stop trying to control external outcomes and holding on to what we know.
Instead, we need to understand the three-part dynamic process of the chrysalis: stabilising, transforming and creating.
We Are Off-Piste
Right now we are in times of uncertainty - facing the deep unknown and experiencing increasingly unstable external circumstances.
Many leaders are responding by trying to control the uncontrollable - attempting to get back to where they have always been or trying to engineer stability where it has already disappeared.
But that misses the point.
We are not in business as usual anymore. We are in a time of transition. We have moved from skiing on-piste down existing tracks to skiing off-piste - where uncertainty, the unknown and the unstable are the norm.
And you do not ski off-piste the same way you ski on-piste.
This is why we need a different conversation about how to navigate these times. And where the chrysalis is a useful analogy.
We are no longer in a time of relative stability where we could follow existing tracks and make predictable progress.
We have shifted into a time of uncertainty, deep unknowns and increasingly unstable external circumstances. Yet many leaders are still trying to respond by controlling the uncontrollable or by trying to get back to where they were before.
But is not going to work.
We are not skiing on-piste anymore. We are skiing off-piste, and that requires a different way of navigating.
One way to understand what is happening is to see it as a chrysalis.
You enter the chrysalis as a happy caterpillar and get pummelled in ways you could never have imagined. Before eventually emerging as the butterfly you did not even know you could be.
This process is happening both personally and collectively. It asks us to evolve beyond what we can currently imagine rather than pushing harder on linear plans, objectives or KPIs.
The chrysalis is not a linear process.
The chrysalis is a dynamic process where three things are happening at the same time. Certain things are ending. Others are shape-shifting and transforming. And others are beginning anew.
Understanding this dynamic helps us recognise what is actually happening. Instead of assuming that everything should simply continue working as before.
Because this is a system shift, many of the endings we are experiencing are foundational. Certain structures, ways of working and assumptions we took for granted are collapsing. This process is often chaotic rather than orderly.
We are not gently ushering endings with intention. We are experiencing random destruction.
Stability does not come from controlling the external environment. It comes from accepting what is ending. Becoming intentional about what you are leaving behind and what is actually remaining.
Alongside the endings, certain things will remain. They may not be the things you expected. It is important to notice what is weathering the storm.
Once you recognise what is remaining, you can stabilise by focusing your energy there. Instead of repeatedly trying to revive what is not meant to come with you.
Not everything disappears. Some aspects will come with you but in a different form.
They transform so they can serve the next phase of what is emerging.
In my own work, the themes of leadership, change-making and pivotal moments remained. But they shifted context.
Instead of focusing on change within the existing system, they moved toward supporting the collective transition between systems and the creation of a new future.
The third aspect of the chrysalis is creation.
It is about seeding and birthing what does not yet exist.
One reason this period feels so unsettling is that there are no maps for where we are or where we are going. We have to make them.
This moment asks us to retrieve our capacity to create. And to use our imagination in new ways instead of simply continuing along the tracks we have always followed.
The reason the chrysalis metaphor matters is that the caterpillar inside it feels like it is being destroyed.
It feels like chaos and collapse. But in reality, something new is being formed.
The caterpillar could never imagine that it could become a butterfly.
In the same way, this moment may feel destabilising, but it is also an opportunity to evolve and create something that we have yet to imagine.
“We are not in business as usual anymore. We are in a time of transition.”
“We have shifted from skiing on-piste down existing tracks to skiing off-piste - where uncertainty, the unknown and the unstable are the norm.”
“You don’t ski off-piste the same way you ski on-piste.”
“Many leaders are trying to control the uncontrollable or get back to where they have always been. And that misses the point.”
'“In the chrysalis, three things are happening at once. Certain things are ending, others are shape-shifting, and others are beginning anew.”
“We are not gently ushering endings with intention; we are experiencing random destruction.”
“Instead of trying to control the external circumstances, the first step is accepting and becoming intentional about what you are leaving behind.”
“Because this is a system shift, this is not surface change or cosmetic adjustment. It is a fundamental restructuring of our foundations.
“Some things will come with you, but not in the form they had before. In my case the themes remained. But they shape-shifted so they could serve this larger collective transition.”
“There are no maps for where we are or for where we are going. We have to make our own.”
“The caterpillar in the chrysalis thinks it is dying, but it is actually being reborn.”
“This is a moment to retrieve our capacity to create - to seed and bring to life what does not yet exist.”
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