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Fear of visibility – of being seen, judged, and possibly found lacking.Fear of inadequacy – the worry that he simply did not have what it takes.Fear of risk – the anxiety of making wrong decisions and failing the company, its employees, and their families.Fear of mistrust – the fear that others could not be relied upon.
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Crossing the Threshold of Leadership: Bernie’s Ceremony
Case: Daring to Lead the Family Business — Florence, Italy, Oct 2025
Facilitator: Ylva Björnberg
Participants: 5
Occasion: Bernie (fictitious name) asked for support in the process of taking over the family business, a factory business located in the south of Germany.
Theme: The Ghosts of Leadership Apocalypse: Witnessing and Dialoguing Directly with Four Fears of Leadership.
Context
When Bernie was preparing to take over his family’s manufacturing company, he faced an invisible wall. The transition had been planned for years, yet he felt unready. With no background in management, he doubted his capacity to lead.
This “transitioning into leadership ceremony”, a ritual process, was designed to help him encounter and integrate his fears before stepping into his new role.
Act I: Naming the Fears
The work begins with a conversation about what, exactly, he is afraid of. In a gentle interview, Bernie identifies four distinct fears that shape his view of leadership:
Simply naming these fears brought a tangible sense of relief for Bernie. “For the first time,” he said, “I could see what I was fighting against.”
Act II: Meeting the Ghosts
The second act takes place outdoors, in a quiet natural setting in an expansive garden between forest and sky, next to a tree. There is a threshold made from a large piece of silk cloth, laid on the ground. On one side lies the familiar world where his fears are ruling; on the other, the unknown realm of leadership.
Other participants are invited to embody his fears — The Four Ghosts of Leadership Apocalypse. Each ghost represents one of the named fears. The ghosts place themselves next to the threshold, as though guarding the threshold to the realm of leadership. Accompanied by a coach who acts as a gentle voice of support, Bernie is invited to approach them one by one.
He asks each:
One ghost warns him of recklessness; another whispers about trust and control. Supported by encouraging questions from the coach, Bernie begins to realise that each fear has the purpose of protecting him, and that he needs an open conversation with each of them, not pretending they are not there. The shift has begun: Are the ghosts transforming into allies, not enemies?
Between Act II and III, the ghosts cross the threshold, placing themselves inside the realm of leadership.
Act III: The Crossing
When all four dialogues are complete, Bernie stands alone before the threshold. He takes a breath and says aloud:
“I see you, my fears. I acknowledge your presence. I honor the ways you have tried to protect me. And I dare to lead, knowing you are part of the realm of leadership.”
Then he steps across the threshold, followed by his coach. The gesture is simple yet potent.
To close, Bernie wraps himself in the same fabric that had marked the threshold, marking a symbol of integration, the visible line between hesitation and embodiment now transformed into something that holds him.
Outcome reflections
In the hours that followed, Bernie began to speak differently, about his team, his responsibilities, and the future of the company. The tone was calmer, steadier, and strangely light.
He later said:
“The fears are still there,” he admitted, “but now they’re not overwhelming anymore. They remind me to stay awake.”
Reflections
This ceremony illustrates how ritual can support leadership transformation. By turning fears into embodied dialogues and using symbolic action - naming, acknowledging, allowing, crossing - it allowed Bernie to move from thinking and analysis to embodied integration.
The process is neither therapy nor training. It is a designed passage and a lived experience to engage mind, body, and imagination simultaneously. The natural environment offers both containment and perspective; the ceremonial frame provides meaning and safety.
For leaders like Bernie, ceremony can become a way to step consciously into responsibility, transforming fear into a companion and leadership into a living practice.
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