INTEGRAL LEADERSHIP: LEADING FROM A PLACE OF WHOLE-NESS

Marion Giddy - 24 February 2021

There is no such thing as leadership.

Only leading.  Listening to ourselves, listening to the context, and then responding to what is true.

Let’s explore it.. We’re told about leadership types, we can learn about leadership styles and traits, and read about what leaders ‘should’ do.

When we say leadership what do we mean? 

Most often, it’s a memory reference, based on an experience of a past leader, or an imaginary you, your projection formed that you hope to live up to.  Either of these reference points for leadership are static, stuck either in the past, or the future, and unable to be responsive.  With these held in mind, the gap between where you currently are, and the story you hold about leadership can create a chasm of judgement, or feared failure.  These stories are unresourceful caricatures that prevent us from responding truthfully in the moment, as they take us away into the meaning we’ve created inside our minds, where as we listen to that - we cannot listen to what is true.

If leadership doesn’t exist? What does?

If we aren’t guided by a portrait of a leader, what can we move towards? 

There are two presuppositions within the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming, that we can use to explore the activity of leading.



Firstly,

Energy flows where attention goes, as guided by intention.  

Let’s view the act of leading through this frame, as we explore applying questions in these three elements to a situation recently where you felt leadership was required.

Intention: What is my agenda?  What values or priorities do I have in this situation?  What am I hoping to bring forth, or achieve?  Check if this is remaining aligned with the most useful outcome, the vision or direction for this moment.
 

Attention: Where is my attention?  Where isn’t it? What am I not attending to in this situation?  Am I thinking broadly, globally, in broad brush strokes, or am I focusing on details and specifics?   Am I putting focus on people, tasks to be done, things in the environment, the information that I have or need or am I focusing mostly on time, how much does or doesn’t seem to be available? 

How many perspectives am I integrating into the whole picture? Just my own? Also that of others? Am I considering what action is required, or bringing also the whole system at large into view?

We all have individual preferences for the types of information that we pay attention to within a situation.  Noticing where your attention is, and where it isn’t, will allow you to seek out the missing elements, and form a more integral, or holistic view.

Action: What are you actually doing from an outside observer’s perspective?  What are your current, or required, actions & words, and are they in alignment with what is most true or needed by the moment?

Secondly,

Personal power and congruence come from “applying to self” first.

As you dive into authenticity, with courage and begin to develop self awareness you find the capacity to gently begin to release the preconceptions that may be held onto about your ‘self’ as a leader.  You can then begin to move beyond the limiting beliefs about leadership, perfection, failure, or judgements you may be holding about yourself in relation to your role.

This awareness, and release, makes room for you to step into your highest potential to engage in more and more leading behaviors, responsively rather than reactively.  Allowing you to let go of the constant measurement against an unrealistic ideal that couldn’t ever come close to representing the impact you are actually capable of in your highest expression of truth and care. 

Which brings us to the act of moment by moment, leading, in response to context.

Not an imaginary story. Or a narrative about what a leader ‘should’ be, or what you are’ or ‘aren’t or couldn’t be, or wasn’t last time.  Letting go of all of these myths.

Leadership is not a role, or an aspiration. It’s our ongoing emergent capacity to listen inwardly, read the situational context from a wider, more integral perspective.

Then with this, lead ourselves in relation to the situation by taking agency over what we can say, or do, that is most true to that moment.