Liminal space: why you need it, and how to create it

I’m in some liminal space right now!

I transitioned into my exciting new role as Chief Research Office at PA Consulting, I’m having exciting brainstorming meetings where big, exciting ideas are being born.

It’s very, very tempting to rush forward. Excitement and newness are exhilarating.

But I know from experience that I need to go slow to move fast. Even if I’m eager to create and activate initiatives, there’s always some uncertainty involved. During transitions like this, I embrace liminal space.

Liminal space, or the “in between,” gives meaning and structure to the change, which helps manage the uncertainty.

I’ve learned to treasure liminal spaces and treat them with respect. Unfortunately, I see very little liminal space being intentionally created within organizations.

Disruptive leaders are tasked with creating huge amounts of change. And there’s pressure to lead people through the change as quickly as possible because, frankly, it can be disconcerting to be in transition!

But creating and holding a sacred liminal space allows you and your team to move peacefully through uncertainty and welcome a new state with open arms.

So how can you as a leader harness liminal space to support transition and change in your organization?

• Prepare with open eyes. Embrace the fact that you’re going through a change and be clear on what that change is. And make sure you say goodbye — to your old office building, to a process, to a position. Give yourself and your team plenty of time to tie up loose ends. If you don’t separate from the past, you can’t let it go.

• Structure and guide the change. Communicate what the transition will be like. Anticipate roadblocks and how you and your team can address them. Provide just enough guideposts so that people don’t lose their way but still provides plenty of room for creativity. Successful organizations put someone in charge of guiding this process — like a “master of ceremonies” who provides reassurance and serves as a beacon of continuity during times of change.

• Give permission to explore. The beautiful part of liminal space is you are no longer tethered to the status quo but haven’t yet arrived at the future. It’s a time to try new things, experiment, and see what is possible. Your team members will be very uncomfortable with this at first and your job as their leader is to instill confidence – not that they will be right and successful. But rather, that they will be OK no matter what the outcome. Check in regularly with your employees to learn how things are working for them and acknowledge any dissonance or conflict while fighting the urge to “fix things”.

Embracing liminal space is a completely different mindset from the usual always-forward attitude we see in business. But in my experience, not embracing liminal space leads to confusion, overwhelm, and burnout as we force a change that the team isn’t ready to embrace..]

I’d love to hear how you create liminal space for yourself. Hit reply and share your ideas!

My Latest: (pull from Content Library)

• If you want to be a leader of high-functioning teams, you MUST know yourself – and that includes your strengths. I share how to leverage your strengths every day in Leading Disruption!

• The best leader is NOT the person with the craziest ideas. Join me live on LinkedIn this Tuesday, May 17th, at 9 am PT, to learn the characteristics of a GREAT disruptive leader (hint: it’s not what you think!).

Good Things: (Charlene to supply or skip)

• Reads: My friend David Meerman Scott just published the 8th edition of The New Rules of Marketing and PR. This classic is updated with chapters on AI/ML as new approaches like fanocracy and newsjacking. I’ve been benefiting from DMS’ expertise for decades – and you should too - so get this book for yourself and your marketing team.

• Thinking: The Atlantic article “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid” by Jonathan Haid is a long read and well worth the effort. Jonathan lays out how social media corrupted our lives and offers three remedies at the end. So if you’ve ever wondered how we got to where we are today, read this article.

• Resource: I’m hiking in the Nevada high desert this weekend and the Gaia GPS is my must-have app. It uses the built-in GPS in smartphones to provide your location when you’re out of cellular range. A big bonus are the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Maps - highly detailed maps that guarantee you won’t get lost (or will help you get un-lost).