Chiaroscuro of Leadership

One of the things I've grown to understand over decades of studying leadership is that recognizing the chiaroscuro of leadership is essential. It may seem odd to use the term chiaroscuro but it captures the problem beautifully. Chiaroscuro involves highlighting contrasts of light and dark, a technique used by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio. At an earlier point in studying leadership, I was inclined to see only positive engagement (bringing light) as leadership and attributed examples of negative engagement (bringing darkness) to the destructive imposition of authority and power. Years later I came to accept both the dark and light of leadership and the necessity to accept that both exist and that some acts of leadership can actually involve both. Further, the reality of our world is that the darkness of humanity frequently is what calls forth light-giving leadership.

Six quotes that might be useful in exploring the importance of chiaroscuro in leadership:

• "Our community will work toward change that will result in this tragedy being a 'distant and unimaginable past'" - Boulder, Colorado, mayor's statement after mass murder, March 23, 2021.
• "We will lead not by the example of power but by the power of our examples" - Joseph R. Biden Presidential Inaugural Address, January 20, 2021.
• "Muddied water left to stand becomes clear" - non attributable.
• "May your heart be pure and your will firm" - Jamil Karam, Eid greeting, 2021.
• "Hallelujah, whatever" - Van Jones, Juneteenth coverage, 2023.
• "Faith is not bound by what I don't know but what I do know" - Van Jones' guest during Juneteenth coverage, 2023.

How do these fit together to inform our understanding of both negative and positive in leadership? In the first example from the Boulder mass murder at a grocery store, the mayor proclaimed to the community that they had been challenged, and must respond to, the heinous act by working together to address all sources of potential violence - creating a distant and unimaginable past. In the second example, following the incredible January 6 attack on the Capital of the United States and all is institutions and safeguards, President Biden declared that wielding power remedies little but that acting in faithful and concerted unity can restore when all else seems to have collapsed. The unattributable quote reflects that easily discernible solutions to complex problems are elusive (muddied waters) but that left to settle, pathways toward resolution can emerge. The fourth quote was offered as an Eid greeting by a former Qatar colleague and admonishes that we can make a difference when our hearts (e.g. motivation, intent, purpose) are examined and clarified, which then allows for the will to remain resolute. During discussion on air covering the 2023 Juneteenth celebrations around the U.S., Van Jones characterized the day as confirming a common African American belief - "Hallelujah, whatever!" The meaning here was that, although the journey of African Americans across generations of enslavement to Jim Crow to the present has been extraordinarily difficult, celebration of the journey and progress that has been made is essential. And, finally, an artist Van Jones was interviewing described his ambivalence regarding faith over his lifetime by saying that "Faith is not bound by what I don't know but what I do know." This last quotation guides me to confirm the faith I have, letting go of doubts that will surely persist throughout life, as well as leaning into what we know about light-giving leadership instead of being confounded by what we don't know.

Purposeful and courageous response to trauma, perseverance in the face of significant problems, examination of one's own purposes, celebrating all gains as they are achieved, and relying on what we know rather than what we question - these seem to cover some essential elements in the chiaroscuro of leadership.