Leadership Luck During a Major Cycle Transition — Changes in Leadership Over a 10-Year Flow

Major cycle transitions, which mark the shift of a 10-year flow, involve changes in environment and roles, impacting how leadership is expressed. During these times, new approaches may be needed in how you lead people, the burdens your followers feel, and the process of delegating tasks. This period can serve as an opportunity to examine your leadership style and seek change.

When leadership luck, which involves leading people and driving projects, encounters a transition point where the major 10-year flow changes, unique patterns can emerge. At this time, changes in the surrounding environment or roles can cause existing leadership methods to yield unexpected results, or necessitate new approaches. It can be seen as a time to rediscover yourself as a leader and attempt change, much like venturing onto a new path away from a familiar one.

Major Cycle Transition, Simply Put

A major cycle transition refers to the period where the major life flows, which change every 10 years, intersect. This period gradually approaches and passes over about 2 to 3 years before and after, and you naturally face changes as if seasons are changing. During this phase, you frequently experience changes in your daily environment, social roles, and the people around you. Therefore, even with the same effort, you might achieve different results than before, or unexpected new opportunities may arise. Sometimes, situations requiring important decisions can pile up, so if it's a major choice that's difficult to reverse, it's best to make it cautiously after the new flow has stabilized somewhat. It's common to easily divide major cycle transitions into good and bad flows, but understanding it as a natural process of moving to a position or situation that better suits your current self is closer to reality.

Manifestations in Leadership Luck

When leadership luck manifests during the special period of a major cycle transition, your way of leading people might appear different from usual. For example, people who previously followed you naturally might suddenly seem burdened by your instructions or question them. Conversely, team members who were usually difficult or had differing opinions might actively listen to your new proposals and show enthusiastic cooperation. Furthermore, you might experience different difficulties than before in the process of delegating tasks yourself, or conversely, meet someone with whom you can delegate tasks much more smoothly. These changes provide important clues about how your role and influence as a leader are being perceived and how you should move forward with people in the future.

When It Acts Strongly · When It Acts Weakly

When It Acts Strongly

• The power to lead team members by clearly presenting your vision and goals strongly emerges. You can demonstrate the ability to drive projects with momentum and sometimes achieve desired results by overcoming surrounding opposition or difficulties.
• You take the initiative to propose new ideas, drive change, and energize the organization or team. You can seek creative solutions beyond conventional methods, thereby promoting the growth of the entire team.
• You show decisiveness in making important decisions and taking responsibility. You faithfully fulfill your role as a leader without wavering even in difficult situations, providing trust and a sense of security to team members. However, it's important to note that sometimes, excessive drive might lead to not fully listening to surrounding opinions or making unilateral decisions.

When It Acts Weakly

• Rather than proactively leading the team, you might find yourself dedicating more energy to listening to and coordinating the opinions of team members. This creates an opportunity to exercise a softer leadership style that respects team members' autonomy and fosters cooperation.
• Instead of strongly pushing towards a grand goal, you might focus more on managing tasks stably by being faithful to your current role. You can show strengths in maintaining team order and rules, and creating an environment where members can work comfortably.
• There might be a tendency to pursue stability by maintaining existing methods rather than driving new changes. Sometimes, the burden of change might cause hesitation towards new challenges, or you might find it difficult to elicit active participation from team members. However, even in such situations, you can exercise leadership by forming deep bonds with team members and becoming a reliable supporter for each other.

Aspects That Change With the Timing

A major cycle transition is a time when the major 10-year flow changes, and the transition typically begins gradually over about 2 to 3 years before and after. During this period, the surrounding environment, your role, and the people you are with often change, leading to different results than before even with the same effort. Therefore, it is advisable to make major, irreversible decisions in life after this flow has stabilized somewhat. While some people may simply categorize this period into good and bad flows, understanding it as a natural process for moving to a more suitable position is more helpful. Specifically regarding leadership luck, the way people follow you during this transition, the burden they feel in the process, and the difficulty of entrusting tasks to others may manifest differently than before. For instance, you may feel the need to re-evaluate your leadership style while adapting to a new environment.

Common Misunderstandings

• A major cycle transition is not simply a period of improving or worsening luck, but a turning point where the major flow of life changes. It is a natural process, like the changing of seasons, and the next 10 years can differ depending on how you navigate this period. Therefore, when facing this time, it is important to focus on exploring new opportunities and developing yourself, rather than solely concentrating on negative changes. Approaching it positively with anticipation for new roles or environments can help you successfully navigate the transition.
• Having strong leadership luck does not mean you must always lead others coercively. Rather, during this time, it is important to objectively assess your strengths and weaknesses and exercise flexible leadership appropriate to the situation. A style that involves listening to members' opinions, communicating together, and moving towards goals can create greater synergy than pushing forward with strong charisma. Sometimes, admitting your own shortcomings and seeking expert help is also the mark of a wise leader.
• When you find it difficult to lead people, instead of simply blaming your leadership for being insufficient, it is worth examining changes in the surrounding environment or your own role. These may be natural difficulties arising from adapting to a new environment, and in such cases, it is better to take time to explore yourself and your surroundings rather than rushing. Furthermore, practicing role division with trustworthy people, rather than trying to bear too much alone, will help develop your leadership in the long run.

Applying It Directly to Leadership Luck

• Today, reflect on your leadership style and ask yourself: ‘In what ways do I give instructions and communicate with people?’ It is good to take time to objectively assess whether you are unknowingly giving coercive or one-sided instructions, or making too many decisions alone. Through this, you can discover areas for improvement in your leadership.
• If you are currently having difficulty delegating tasks to team members or colleagues, start practicing by delegating small tasks one by one today. Although it may feel somewhat (unsettling) at first, if you share clear goals, expected outcomes, and necessary information while delegating, they can often handle it better than expected. Through successful experiences, you can gain confidence and naturally foster the capabilities of your colleagues.
• Start practicing listening to and incorporating the opinions of those around you more actively starting today. By giving more opportunities to speak during meetings or by providing open feedback on proposed ideas, you can make team members feel respected. This will greatly help in building trust as a leader and fostering positive teamwork.
• Carefully seek advice from someone you can get honest feedback on your leadership from. It is important to ask trusted colleagues or mentors about your strengths and areas for improvement, and to listen with a humble attitude. Based on the feedback received, you can develop a leadership style that suits you.