Inside-Out Transformation

We are all familiar with the shocking statistics around increasing levels of depression, anxiety and work-related stress, heartbreaking rates of suicide, and the global epidemic of burnout.

The thing that upsets me the most about the tremendous amount of human suffering and psychological injuries occurring in workplaces around the world every day is that so much of it could be avoided if only we knew how to treat ourselves and each other with more kindness, compassion, understanding, curiosity, patience and care.

While the health, wellbeing and psychological safety initiatives organisations are investing in are well-meaning, too many remain ineffective.

In a nutshell, most organisations are attempting to solve complex problems with simplistic solutions.

The co-creation of thriving organisations, where employees can honestly say they are happier and healthier because of where and how they work, requires deep business transformation and cultural regeneration.

The biggest challenge with most organisational change programs is that they leapfrog the core change catalyst – transforming the inner experiences of leaders.

Workplaces transform only if leaders find the courage to transform their inner experiences. Only if individual leaders find the courage to understand and overcome the things that are getting in the way of being caring, brave, curious, playful, connected, open, kind, patient and creative.

Without access to these innate qualities, leaders are simply not equipped to sense, learn and respond their way through the complex, messy, collaborate work of business transformation and cultural regeneration.

It is my belief that figuring out how to be true to ourselves, as leaders, is what will enable us to navigate our way through the challenges we are facing – together.

And that being true to ourselves when our inner and outer worlds are in turmoil requires a precise, effective and committed practice.

BEING TRUE PROGRAM

I facilitated my first BEING TRUE workshop for 2023 last week. Here is some of the feedback I received from the leaders who participated when I asked them “What was most valuable for you today?”

• Creating a ‘brave space’ to open and invite willingness to explore what it means to be true to ourselves
• Starting to reflect on what makes it hard to be true to myself
• Giving importance to ‘being true to yourself’ and finding that ‘healing space’
• We are usually so busy with work expectations and then responsibilities at home that we don’t give time to think about where we are leading ourselves. It is so valuable for me to understand what my ‘true self’ is.
• Learning about Internal Family Systems and starting the process of checking in with my core ‘self’.
• I loved the self-discovery meditation we did at the end – I usually find meditations difficult, but with context from your book and the session, I discovered a lot.

Learn more about my programs for teams here.

DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?

Now that there over 600 copies of BEING TRUE out in the world, and my next print is underway – the fun starts. I’m going to have 100 conversations with 100 big-hearted leaders across the world about what it means to be true to ourselves at work.

Of course, I will be sharing the gems that emerge from these conversations here on my blog and on LinkedIn.

So, if you’re a big-hearted leader who believes in the power of being true to ourselves at work, I would love to talk to you.

The conversation will focus on sharing your perspective on 3 things:

What does ‘being true to yourself’ mean to you?

Why is it important that leaders are true to themselves?

What makes it hard to be true to yourself at work?

Please reach out me if you might be willing to share your perspective on these questions – [email protected]