I have been deeply interested in the impact of leaders in people’s lives, performance and wellbeing. When I write leader, the image in my mind is one of an indigenous elder sitting in circle with his or her tribe, where everyone is willing to listen to wise words and guidance. Through dialogue and collaboration, the members of the tribe envision solutions for the problem at hand. This decision-making process embraces all living beings and the ecosystem they inhabit. When I see leaders today, in organizations of public or private sectors, I ask myself where have we, as human beings, lost access to our wise place of discernment and connection to others and the earth?
My professional exposure to global business leaders and their power to transform realities led me to write a case study. It explored the experience of a multinational senior leader, who stepped into a place of openness to the unknown and vulnerability, giving rise to a cultural shift. My research investigated through interviews and documents, what led him to this place of “not knowing”, the response of the leadership team including 75 leaders in 18 countries, and finally the effects on the organization and business.
Stepping out of the continuum of the past
When experiencing a challenging moment in the business and a strong calling for change, the senior leader felt powerless to solve things within the classic management model. He started envisioning a future with more empathy, connection between people and autonomy, with less hierarchy. Within this state of mind and heart, he invited the leadership team to journey together towards an unknown future. In a leadership conference, he expressed the need to change but admitted he didn’t know how or where the journey would lead them. At that moment, an open space was created, revealing access to never envisioned possibilities.
When the senior leader expanded his self-perception beyond mind and ego, it became possible to perceive himself and the organization as part of a greater whole. In the process he initiated an individual and collective transformation.
The collective transformative journey can be well illustrated by a canyon metaphor, because it suitably depicts the descending phase of abandoning old belief systems and arriving at the bottom, where a unique identity might be revealed.
It further shows the metamorphosis, an ascending path, where a new collective being is manifested. Additionally, the canyon reminds us of our living connection with the earth and nature, and consequently, our co-participation in the ecosystem.
The leadership dissolution journey and the emergence of “purpose teams”
Without a master plan, leaders came together to co-design the future. In the process, a self-discovery journey took place. They described the pain of dissolving their attachment to power and control, as well as their self-image based on status, position or hierarchy. They also experienced strengthening their self-perception and connection with other colleagues from a place beyond ego.
The leadership team had retreats designed for self-reflections, which opened the door to access deeper levels of awareness. Once the senior leader assumed a vulnerable place, showing his humanity beyond position, others also felt confident to follow this path. At the same time, in order to face ongoing business challenges, associates started co-creating temporary purpose teams. They assumed projects beyond their functional roles, without formal leadership, meeting the needs of the company and serving a common purpose
The organization’s soul encounter
Leaders started experiencing a novel inner and outer reality and felt more connected as a community, with professional roles no longer being the most relevant relational aspect. Also, associates felt psychologically safe to lead projects and relate from a place of deeper trust and freedom, which allowed them to co-create outside the boundaries of functional areas. Silos were dissolved, and the consequence was a feeling of interconnectedness, described as “We are one”.
This unique place of deep connection was considered a safe container for all members of the organization, allowing for the emergence of an actualized organizational culture. Associates perceived this in terms of: autonomy, human development, vulnerability, collaboration, purpose driven and empathy.
An integrated organizational culture
Through a metamorphosis process, the organization learned how to embody its revealed identity. This was realized when colleagues accessed their collective intelligence which led to more organic and collaborative decision-making processes. This allowed all voices to be heard, independent of roles, positions or areas of expertise.
Associates expressed engagement, satisfaction and happiness, whilst leaders felt a heavy burden was taken off of their shoulders. This was mainly because they opened the space for associates to assume a protagonist role, while they supported their development and removed possible barriers. Leaders finally believed in a greater intelligence that moved the organization towards its high performance. Business results show consistent growth since transformation was ignited.
The need to get lost to find new venues
The new culture of interconnectedness was revealed while never being searched or imposed. The senior leader had no expectation, but rather a clear intention of deeper connection that illuminated his path and the ones that journeyed together. Sometimes feeling lost is not only normal but necessary. Read the story of Georgia Wingfield-Hayes.
At the time of the journey, I was part of the leadership team in the role of human resources manager. The impact of this experience has led me to deconstruct my old personal and professional patterns allowing for new ways of being, relating and working.
The outcome was my decision to further explore the transpersonal view of life, supporting leaders to walk their authentic and unique path.
The transpersonal as a possible path to leadership
This case study gives hope and alternatives for the current leadership dilemma – how does one access new ways of knowing when the primary method of operation is to base decisions on past experiences? The invitation to co-create the emerging future allowed leaders to detach from old patterns giving birth to a unique collective self. This transformational journey suggested there is access to deeper structures of reality and direct knowing through connection with something beyond analytical and cognitive knowledge.
A further exploration would be how teams operating from higher levels of awareness embrace the needs of all beings and the ecosystem, as our ancestors, the indigenous tribes, once did.
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