Why Leaders Need to Molt Like Lobsters

People change when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.

Failure has a way of initiating a process of change similar to what lobsters experience throughout their lifetime. In order to grow, lobsters rid themselves of their hard protective shells in order to grow new shells. This process is called molting.

Lobsters will molt about twenty five times in the first five years of their life and then once a year thereafter. It is a messy, exhausting, and painfully slow process. Under pressure, the shell cracks. The lobster will lie on its side, flex the muscles in its entire body, and abandon the old shell - leaving itself vulnerable.

Though the process of molting leavees lobsters exposed and susceptible to attack among the ocean's predators, they are incapable of growth without it.

Failure and vulnerability provide leaders (and all humans, really) with rich opportunities for growth and maturity through spiritual molting. When we are molting, we are keenly aware of our risk and exposure to the harsh elements. But without molting we will remain the size of our current shell forever. Without it, our growth is stunted.

Check out this video of a rare blue lobster molting.

So, consider this: In what ways have you molted and how has that led to growth in your life? And how are failure and vulnerability inviting you to molt in this season of your leadership?