Leader As Clown

The typical image of the leader is of one who is strong, certain, and commanding. There are times, though, when certainty and seriousness must be disrupted if there is to be growth beyond what is. It is during such times that who is needed is the leader as clown.

The clown and trickster figures in mythology break through taboos, create chaos and disorder, disrupt the fixed and staid. The trickster initiates change and becoming. They shatter boundaries. In Paleolithic times, trickster was the archetype of the hero, the teacher of mankind.

In Carol Pearson’s model of development, the Fool is the most advanced stage. She describes the fool as at the root of our sense of vitality and aliveness. The Fool is also irreverent. When the Fool is active in our lives, we are motivated by curiosity and want to explore and experiment with life. When there is too little Fool in our lives, we become priggish, repressed, uptight, anorexic, tired, bored, depressed or lacking in curiosity. The contribution of the Fool to our lives is resilience.

According to William Torbert’s hierarchy of development, Clown is the next to highest stage. Individuals at this stage of development do not find their identity in a particular mindset or structure. Those at this stage embrace a reframing spirit that continually overcomes itself and divests itself of its own presuppositions, seeking the “common sense” and motivating challenge of each situation. Unpredictability and uniqueness characterize much of their work and play.

Henri Nouwen praised clowns for evoking in us a smile and awakening our hope. They live out the part of our being that wants to play, dance, smile, and other such “useless” things. Clowns remind us that what really counts is something other than the spectacular and sensational. They show us that many of our preoccupations, worries, tensions, and anxieties need a smile. In other words, they help us to lighten up.

Those who come to master any practice often come across as fools because they no longer adhere to the rules. They don’t fit the norm. They shed their self-consciousness and dare to express the fullness of who they are.

It takes courage for a leader to embrace the Clown. The Fool is willing to go beyond the proven, the safe, the expected. The Clown dares to play and experiment. Sometimes a leader must lighten up and recognize the absurdity within a situation, thereby fostering a fresh perspective. As the ancient philosopher Anacharsis said, “Play so that you may be serious.”