Personal transition
Our crisis-prone economy, disruptive inequality, geopolitical chaos, global warming,… force us to let go of individual thinking and action and act more from a sense of collectivity. The realization is gradually sinking in that, as autonomous individuals, we cannot exist apart from a collectivity. That humanity as a whole cannot exist apart from planet Earth. That we can no longer continue to act out of self-interest, but with full responsibility for people and nature. Otto Sharmer (Theory U) calls this ‘from ego system awareness to eco system awareness’.
Social transitions therefore also need personal transition. Jan Rotmans says this too. In his book ‘Embrace the Chaos’, he talks about the social transition domains of energy, raw materials, the economy (circular transition), agriculture, the financial sector, education, care,… In some domains, things are moving at lightning speed, such as the energy transition or digitalization and AI. Other domains are stuck in old systems, lobbies and power, cumbersome decision-making, a lack of courage, or they simply want to maintain themselves.
Rudy Vandamme, independent researcher and founder of the Deep Evolvement movement, goes one step further and advocates personal transition as a fully-fledged transition domain. According to Vandamme, the way people engage with themselves and their lifestyle is a domain in which a paradigm shift must also take place.
“Too often, society still educates people to become successful individuals who steer themselves from their heads. They exploit their body and mind with the same pattern as the way we use nature; as a thing.” – Rudy Vandamme
Daring to do things differently
We need (self-)aware leaders. Leaders who operate from head, heart and gut. Who dare to do things differently, challenge the status quo and at the same time show their own limitations. That they sometimes don’t know either. Sometimes they too are discouraged, in doubt. Sometimes they simply feel lonely, or misunderstood. Or they too sometimes lose themselves in anger or disappointment.
As a leader, this first and foremost asks of you that you are willing to examine which patterns you then react and act from. Do you react instinctively and, from a survival mode, fight, flee or freeze? Do you react unconsciously from holding on to position and power? Do you find emotions troublesome and therefore cling to hierarchy and distance? Do you react from frustration, compensation? From your desire for personal success? From fear of personal failure or rejection?
This asks of you as a leader that you discover your core patterns. That you are willing to acknowledge the patterns from which you operate.
Leadership is a process
With Strategies and Leaders, we want to help achieve the tipping point of positive impact. We believe that leadership is a necessary lever for this.
We need leaders who are willing to embark on the journey of inner development. From the openness to look with fresh eyes and the courage to set foot on unknown terrain. And in this way, step by step, to develop the ability to navigate together with different stakeholders and help guide the group you lead towards a hopeful future.
An invitation
Within the Strategies and Leaders team, we drew up this invitation to remind ourselves and one another of the importance of personal leadership development. As a team, we try to support and challenge one another in this. We are happy to share it with you too.
- Ask yourself what is truly important to you.
- Clarify and act according to what you know to be true for you.
- Honor a sense of self-worth that is not based on performance.
- Feel and acknowledge your mutual connectedness with others and the world.
- Reflect on the limits of your personal beliefs and ideologies.
The path of inner development can sometimes be difficult. There is not one single path, and the ideal path certainly does not exist. Many paths exist, and yours will unfold along the journey. You only have to dare to walk it. But you do not have to walk it alone.
Would you like more information? View our offering here.
Would you like an exploratory conversation? Send a message to Aurélie.
