Picture a mountain shelter on a long hike. It’s a simple space, four walls, a roof, maybe a bench. Yet in harsh weather or when darkness falls this basic refuge becomes a haven. In Scotland we call this a bothy, a traditional Scottish shelter that offers respite to travelers. 

I’ve been reflecting recently on the value of liminal spaces in leadership. Like a bothy, liminal space provides essential shelter in our leadership journey from the emotional and physical effects of the constant pressure to know, to do, to achieve.

What is Liminal Space?

Liminal space is the “in-between” that pause between what was and what will be. It’s the moment when you’ve stepped away from your familiar way of doing things or being but haven’t yet reached the new way. It’s the space between breaths, the moment between activation and response, the gap between questions and answers.

In leadership, these spaces often appear as:

-The uncertainty between organizational changes

– The quiet moment before making a significant decision

– The gap between ending one role and beginning another

– The pause between receiving information and responding

– The time between letting go of one way of being and embracing another

Why Many Fear This Space

For many, this in-between space feels threatening. In a world that values certainty, action, and clear direction, the void can feel like failure. We’re trained to move quickly, to have answers, to show the way. Our identities often become entwined with our ability to know and direct.

When we find ourselves in liminal space where the old answers don’t work and new ones haven’t emerged yet, it can feel the same as losing our footing when out on the hills. This is especially true when our sense of self is strongly tied to external markers of success or status.

The Hidden Power of the Void

Yet within this apparent emptiness lies powerful potential.

This potential is akin to hope but not quite the same, it’s more like the space between musical notes that gives rhythm it’s power, or the pause in conversation that allows meaning to emerge, this liminal space offers unique opportunities:

Clarity: When we step back from constant doing, we often see patterns and connections we hadn’t yet noticed, we see what’s really going on

Innovation: New ideas often emerge, not from continuous action, but from the rest spaces between the periods of intentional action

Authentic Leadership: In the pause between roles and actions, we can connect with our deeper leadership instincts, those unique skills that allow us to do things that only we can do

Organisational Wisdom: Companies that can hold liminal space make better decisions and navigate change more effectively, especially in times of crisis

Learning to Be in the Liminal Space

Like any skill, becoming comfortable with liminal space takes practice. Here are some ways to begin:

1. Start Small: Practice with brief pauses in your day. Before responding to an email, before entering a meeting, create a moment of conscious space.

2. Notice Without Judgment: When you find yourself in uncertain territory, practice observing your reaction without immediately trying to fix or change it.

3. Trust the Process: Remember that some of your best insights and decisions may come not from pushing harder, and working faster but from allowing space for emergence.

4. Create Containers: Design intentional pauses in your organisational processes, spaces for reflection before decision making, time for integration during change.

Beyond Individual Practice

As leaders, we have the opportunity and responsibility to create these spaces not just for ourselves but for our organisations. This might look like:

– Building reflection time into project schedules

– Allowing teams to sit with complex problems rather than rushing to solutions

– Creating physical and temporal spaces for unstructured thinking

– Acknowledging and normalizing the discomfort of not-knowing

The Paradox of Liminal Leadership

Here’s the beautiful paradox: by becoming comfortable with the void, we often find ourselves better equipped to act decisively when needed. By embracing the space of not-knowing, we create room for deeper knowing to emerge.

This isn’t about abandoning action or responsibility. Rather, it’s about finding a more sustainable, wisdom based approach to leadership one that recognizes the value of both doing and being, of both direction and space.

A Personal Invitation

Consider this: What might become possible in your leadership if you could find comfort and peace in the spaces between? 

What wisdom might emerge if you allowed yourself and your organisation to pause in the bothy of liminal space?

The journey of leadership isn’t just about reaching destinations it’s about how we travel, and sometimes, about the wisdom we find when we pause along the way.

Remember: The void isn’t empty – it’s full of possibility. Like a bothy in the wilderness, liminal space offers shelter for transformation, if we’re brave enough to slow down, enter and pause.