Liminality comes from the Latin root limen, which points to a threshold, border or beginning. 

And while liminality does imply change, it’s more than that. Moving through a liminal space has the power to transform us, provided we recognize the opportunity.

So, what does it look like to lead through a liminal time? How can we bring out the best in ourselves and our teams while we find new ways to get work done?

Dr. Deb Loftus is the Founder and President at Liminal Solutions, a consulting firm that provides customized solutions for individual leadership development, team effectiveness and organizational improvement.

Dr. Loftus has a PhD in Clinical and Personality Psychology from Northwestern University and currently serves as adjunct faculty at her alma mater, teaching leadership courses at the graduate level.

On this episode of Workplace Forward, Dr. Loftus joins me to explain the idea of liminal space and explore how liminality is playing out for individuals, teams and organizations through the pandemic.

She describes how to turn liminality into opportunity, challenging leaders to bring a spirit of inquiry to the process and be attuned to the bright spots that emerge.

Listen in for insight around the hard conversations Dr. Loftus is having with leaders right now and learn how to guide yourself and others through this period of great liminality. 

Themes explored in this week’s episode:

• How Dr. Loftus defines liminal space and why it’s important
• The 3 stages of liminality an individual, team or organization moves through as their identity shifts
• How the concept of liminal space is playing out through the pandemic
• What leaders recognize about the importance of fostering meaningful connection at work 
• What questions to ask if you feel trapped in a repeat cycle of falling back into liminal space
• How to turn liminality into opportunity by identifying the bright spots
• What’s emerging from the hard conversations Dr. Loftus is having with leaders right now
• Dr. Loftus’ insight on the blurred boundaries between work and home life (and what to do about it)
• How leaders can guide themselves and others through this period of great liminality

Resources from this episode: 

• Learn more about Dr. Loftus’ work at liminalsolutions.com
• Follow Dr. Loftus on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/deb-loftus-ph-d-68aa62/ 
• Access Dr. Loftus’ LinkedIn article, ‘Leading Through Liminal Space’ 
• Look into ‘Leadership in Liminal Times’ in the Harvard Business Review
• Explore Meg Wheatley’s work at margaretwheatley.com  
• Read Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip & Dan Heath

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