The old visionary Azure Blue leader faces a major challenge at this point. At times, this dispensable visionary leader must step aside for the new vision—given that they have finished the task and await a period of rest and reflection back on what has been achieved. At other times, old visionary leaders can become the new visionary leader. They find renewed energy and commitment while collaborating with others in the formulation of the new vision.
As in the case of the old, wise Golden Yellow leader and the war-weary Ruby Red warrior who has spent many years battling an ancient foe, visionary Azure Blue leaders and their followers must decide when “enough-is-enough” and when the mantle of leadership must be passed on to the next generation. This is perhaps the most important decision that the formal leader of an organization, community or country can make – whether wise, courageous, or visionary: When do I move on and how do I help the next generation succeed?
A Map of Collaboration and Integration: The Rainbow Response
There is a fourth map of leadership and strategy. It integrates the three other maps and leads to a process not only of inter-response integration but also interpersonal and team collaboration. Called the Rainbow Map (because it brings together red, blue, and yellow), this fourth map focuses on interaction. While the three other maps, in their extreme form, lead to isolation and individual actions, the Rainbow response is about interpersonal collaboration—and the many challenges associated with this collaboration. I will be turning specifically to the COVID-19 challenge in describing this fourth response—for this map can easily become ethereal if it is not grounded in the real world of policy formulation and action.
In presenting this fourth map I pose a key question, as I have done regarding the other three maps: Can we formulate a set of contingency plans regarding the virus that balances careful consideration (yellow) with caring compassion (blue) and decisive action (red)? This plan must account for (but should not rely on) the potential of curative or preventative breakthroughs during the coming year or two in confronting the COVIUD-19 virus. Slow and systemic thinking must be in place regarding the virus for this fourth map to be engaged successfully. It is not an easy path to take and requires that we become rational, caring, engaged and collaborative citizens while being quite anxious and prone to disillusionment when facing the virus.
