Leadership is often thought of as a serious, high-stakes endeavor. It’s about making decisions, leading teams, and achieving goals. But M Teresa Lawrence offers a fresh perspective—one that balances courage, creativity, and imagination as essential elements for successful leadership. Her insights challenge the conventional wisdom around leadership, showing how embracing vulnerability, creativity, and playfulness can drive meaningful change, both personally and professionally.
Facing Fear: The First Step to True Leadership
Fear is an emotion that everyone experiences, but it often holds people back from taking risks or stepping up in leadership roles. In her chapter, The Leadership of Play, in The Power of Leadership, Teresa shares a personal story from her own life to illustrate how leadership can begin with facing one’s fears head-on.
She recounts a traumatic experience from early in her career when she was held at gunpoint in an elevator. Instead of succumbing to fear, Teresa used the experience as an opportunity to grow. She made a conscious decision to confront her fear by riding the same elevator each day, gradually desensitizing herself to the anxiety that had once overwhelmed her. Over time, this act of confronting fear allowed her to regain control of her emotions and take charge of the situation.
This experience serves as a powerful lesson in leadership. Teresa points out that leadership isn’t about being fearless but about being able to act even in the face of fear. It’s about managing those emotions and not letting them dictate our actions. Leaders, she argues, need to be comfortable with discomfort, as it’s often in these moments that we learn the most about ourselves. True leadership is built on the foundation of emotional resilience, and that begins with confronting the fears that hold us back.
By sharing her story, Teresa illustrates that leadership involves more than just strategic thinking or technical expertise—it’s about having the courage to take action when faced with the unknown. By taking small, intentional steps to face fears, leaders can build confidence and lead with authenticity and strength.
Creativity and Play: An Unconventional Leadership Strategy
While many view leadership as a process of serious decision-making, Teresa argues that creativity and play are essential ingredients for effective leadership. Creativity in leadership doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel or starting something entirely new—it means approaching challenges with an open mind and a willingness to explore different possibilities.
Teresa’s emphasis on creativity is rooted in the idea that play is an important tool in solving problems and generating ideas. She encourages leaders to reconnect with their sense of curiosity and creativity, much like children who approach the world with a sense of wonder and possibility. In her chapter, she highlights the importance of allowing ourselves to explore, make mistakes, and learn from them without fear of failure.
In her career, Teresa has applied this philosophy of play in various ways. One example is her venture into publishing a lifestyle magazine called CURIO. Though the magazine ultimately didn’t succeed in the way she had hoped, Teresa found value in the creative process itself. It wasn’t about the end product but about embracing the journey of experimentation and creation. For Teresa, the act of launching the magazine—taking risks, trying new ideas, and seeing what would work—was in itself a leadership exercise.
By adopting a mindset of creativity and play, leaders can foster an environment of innovation and collaboration. Leaders who are open to creative problem-solving are more likely to discover new solutions and build teams that feel empowered to share their own ideas. This approach doesn’t just benefit the organization—it also makes leadership more engaging and fulfilling for the leader themselves.
Creativity and play also create space for leaders to step outside their comfort zones. When leaders aren’t afraid to experiment or try new things, they model resilience and adaptability for their teams. This leads to a culture of continuous learning and growth—both for the leader and the people they lead.
Imagination: Seeing Possibilities Beyond the Ordinary
Another key theme in Teresa’s approach to leadership is the power of imagination. Leaders need to be able to see possibilities beyond what is immediately visible. Imagination allows individuals to envision new paths and explore alternatives that others might overlook. Teresa believes that imagination is not just for artists or dreamers—it’s a critical tool for anyone who wants to lead with purpose and vision.
She shares how she often asks people about their dreams, particularly how they experience the act of flying. Each response is different, yet each person’s answer highlights the unique and individual nature of leadership. Just as everyone has their own personal vision of what it means to fly, every leader has their own vision for the future. Teresa suggests that leaders need to develop their own unique leadership style, one that aligns with their values, goals, and capabilities.
Imagination allows leaders to look beyond the status quo and consider what could be, rather than what currently is. Teresa sees imagination as a driving force for innovation and progress. By fostering a culture where imagination is encouraged, leaders can inspire their teams to think creatively and take calculated risks. It’s through this process that new solutions emerge and opportunities are created.
A key element of imagination in leadership is belief. Teresa emphasizes that strong leadership is not just about envisioning a better future but also believing in the ability to bring that future to life. Leaders who have a clear vision, coupled with the belief that it can be realized, inspire confidence in others. This belief fuels action, and as Teresa shows in her own career, it’s this combination of imagination and belief that leads to transformative leadership.
Final thoughts
M Teresa Lawrence’s perspective on leadership offers a refreshing take on what it means to lead. By focusing on fear, creativity, and imagination, she shows that leadership doesn’t have to be about authority or rigid control—it can be about personal growth, embracing uncertainty, and encouraging others to think outside the box. Through her own experiences, she demonstrates that effective leadership starts with understanding and managing our own emotions, encouraging creativity, and believing in the potential for positive change.
Teresa’s insights remind us that leadership is not just about achieving goals; it’s about how we approach the process and the mindset we bring to it. By facing fear, embracing creativity, and nurturing imagination, leaders can create environments where people feel empowered to innovate, collaborate, and lead with authenticity. In doing so, they inspire others to step into leadership roles themselves, creating a cycle of growth and positive change that can ripple through organizations, communities, and beyond.
