Great leadership starts within
Ghandi said, “If you want to change the world, start with yourself”.
This sentiment applies to changing the world on a grand scale, as well as to changing the world through the ripple effects our own inner work creates in our communities, organizations and interpersonal relationships.
Arborvida is founded on the principle that great leadership starts from within. It’s in the deep inner work and personal growth where we find the greatest opportunity for impact in the leadership development space.
This is especially the case in a world where we’re operating within increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts. During these times, leaders are being called upon to gracefully hold greater levels of complexity, compassion and adaptability within their own beings.
“If you want to change the world, start with yourself.”
There are many facets of leadership development. Acquiring new skills and tools can be helpful and necessary, but transformational leadership potential is unleashed only when a leader grows as a human. This is why Arborvida’s offerings focus on enhancing leader self-awareness, presence and growth through coaching, self-reflective practices and mindfulness. We find our niche in the area of inner growth and personal transformation, which is sometimes referred to as vertical leadership development.
You may be thinking, “this all sounds lovely, but how do you know this approach works?”.
This is where the work of the Leadership Circle comes in. Through studying 360-degree evaluations of over 200,000 leaders, researchers gathered strong evidence to demonstrate that leadership effectiveness is enhanced at higher levels of consciousness. Their work shows that leaders who spend less time in Reactive states (sometimes referred to as "below the line", "lower self", "threat / fear", "drama" or "ego") and more time in Creative states (“above the line”, “higher self”, “trust”, “aligned with purpose”) are more effective.
This enhanced effectiveness is quantified through evaluations by colleagues, and shows up in their businesses' performance.
Their research also suggests that 70% - 80% of leaders operate predominantly from Reactive states. This points to a massive opportunity in the leadership development space.
Self-reflection and mindfulness are powerful practices that can support the shift from Reactive to Creative Leadership. Every leader need not become a daily meditator, but should have some form of intentional self reflective practice to cultivate their awareness and presence.
There is no one-size-fits all. Each leaders’ journey to greater self awareness will be unique and may include working with a professional coach, journalling, spending time in nature, adopting a movement practice or meditating. The most important thing is for the leader to find approaches that work for them; practices that help them feel connected, calm and present so they can spend more time leading from a place of trust.
Ghandi was certainly on to something: If you want to change the world (or your organization), start with your own inner work.
If you’d like to obtain some further guidance to support you along your conscious leadership journey, I’m offering a free workshop on February 22nd. Click the button below to sign up.