Over the years, I’ve worked with leaders in many parts of the world, helping them resolve challenging opportunities to move people and organizations through the churning waters of change with confidence and authenticity. 

When I look at the cynicism evident today toward people in leadership positions, it is easy to realize that an open and unapologetically ‘human’ leader is a rare commodity.  Because so many of the old rules are breaking down, top leaders now have to “feel what’s real,” and rely on their inner compass even while they are being challenged to operate at their peak performance levels.

While working with the Hawaii Leadership Center in Honolulu recently, I was a part of the leadership program looking at leadership through the Eastern, Western, and indigenous cultural lenses.  What I came to see is that we can use those lenses, not to understand others, but to really be more in touch with our own inner global village. 

If I’m struggling to ‘control’ and ‘manage’ change (a more Western approach) and it isn’t working, what other options do I have in how I understand what is happening?  Maybe I can ‘detach’ myself and observe it without being so attached to the outcome (a more Eastern perspective).  Or maybe I would be more effective if I had the choice to ‘flow’ with it, with ease and appreciation of the natural forces at work as indigenous people do.  Having choices in perspective and behavior can only increase leadership effectiveness (and reduce stress) in an ever more complex world of work.

Consequently, I’m arriving at a more refined understanding about human nature and the nature of change.  Awareness of energy, ours and others, as well as collective forces, allow us as leaders to influence in a more positive way and utilize our hidden talents with more awareness.  I’m convinced that understanding the influence of ‘energy’ is critical; intention, attention, and resonance are the movers and shakers underneath the appearance of tasks and people.  That’s why I love using traditional assessment tools in interesting new ways, so that we bring up unconscious patterns of interference and new opportunities for ourselves to grow.

I’ve recently turned to working one-on-one with gifted leaders who are at a crossroads in their life and career. They often feel stuck because they need to develop a new understanding of who they really are from the inside out, what their gifts and talents are, and what they have to offer others in today’s shifting economic and cultural marketplace.  I have found that using an integral (multi-perspective, mind/body/spirit) approach to create coherence, internally and externally, is quite effective for helping others create change as open and responsive leaders.

2010

"Becoming an authentic leader takes dedication to your development and growth, as there will be many temptations to pull you off the course of your True North. Maintaining your authenticity along the way may be the greatest challenge you ever face."

Bill George, True North, 2007