"As we delved into the inner work it became clear that our focus was not going to be on how to be a leader, but rather why do we choose to lead? Why do you do what you do, is a fundamental question for leaders to consider. The process of inner work gave me a vocabulary, a framework, and more importantly, the permission to explore an important aspect of my leadership.  It's crucially important that leaders allow themselves the permission and space for an honest inner conversation. I find that individuals and organizations too often hold themselves back from this deeper exploration of leadership. There is almost a cultural prohibition against going into the deeper realm of understanding oneself in the context of our organizational work.  The program and process gave me permission to do the work I truly longed to explore." Randy Bruns, CEO, Cheyenne LEADS

INTRODUCTION:

For over twenty years Ki ThoughtBridge has been guiding and coaching individuals and leadership teams as they engage in thoughtful conversations about what it means to lead. This process of exploration has been based on our Integrated Model for Leadership Development^©.  One of the key tenets of the model is the importance of inner work, which we define simply as "the capacity to engage in deep inner explorationand reflection that leads to increased self-awareness, empathy, insight, and self-mastery".

Our process of inner work involves leaders in an in depth experience of self-discovery and awareness; inviting them to discern their true leadership gifts and talents, affirm their personal mission and calling, and claim their inner authority to serve and to lead with integrity and authenticity. This fall we continue our work with the publication of the third edition of the manual: The Integrated Work of Leadership: A Journey of Transformation^©.

Read the complete article to find out more about the process of Inner Work.

Join the experts at Ki ThoughtBridge for A Four Part Advanced Negotiation Webinar Series

$65.00 per session.
Register for 2 or more and receive a 10% discount

SESSION I: Managing the Emotional Components Of High Stakes Negotiations: - September 30, 2009  

SESSION II: Managing Recurring Negotiation Headaches: - October 21, 2009

SESSION III: Managing Difficult, Complex, Multi-Party Negotiations: - November 19, 2009

SESSION IV: A Strategic Approach to Influence: December 9, 2009 

Quotes

"Listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?"
 - Mary Oliver

"Bigger Shoes" 
"When I was young, I used to wear my father's shoes & stomp around, making the world a better place for us all & today I see I'm not the only one who did that & those shoes aren't anywhere big enough for who we are now."
 - Brian Andreas

"I think as senior leaders not only should we be able to, but we must, do our inner work. If we are going to put ourselves out there in leadership roles, to be seen in the formal position of leadership, then we owe it to those who trust us in those positions to have done our own work.  We need to know ourselves well before we accept such responsibility to lead others."
 - Barbara Braided Hair

News: Announcing a New Resource for Adaptive Leadership Formation

Ki ThoughtBridge has just published the third edition of our inner work of the leader curriculum titled: The Integrated Work of Leadership: A Journey of Transformation^©. Below is an excerpt from the introduction to the manual by its author, Katherine Tyler Scott, Ki ThoughtBridge Managing Partner.  For information about integrating this training curriculum into your organizational and leadership development initiatives or programs, please contact us at www.kithoughtbridge.com or call 317-822-8205.

There are dozens of models about dealing with change, but none can be effective without capable leaders who are in touch with who they are at their core. The personhood of the leader is a critical component at all levels. The capacity to see the individual within an organization, within a community, is the ability to simultaneously see the whole and the parts. This is "systems" thinking. It helps leadership scholars, practitioners, and educators to be aware of the environment in which they operate, of the need for ongoing interpretation of the internal and external realms of reality, and of the need for consistent, dynamic internal and external adaptation. This contextual view of leadership requires working with and mediating between multiple--often conflicting, and competing -- claims, perspectives, and interests in order to accurately read and change reality. We are all part of a thick web of connectedness in which who and how we are affects our interaction and relationships with others.

Read the complete excerpt to find out more The Integrated Work of Leadership^©.

Suggested Readings:

Bolman, Lee G. and Deal, Terrance E., Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit, John Wiley and Sons, San Francisco, 2001 

Morris, Tom, If Aristotle Ran General Motors: The New Soul of Business, Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1997

Tyler Scott, Katherine, Character: The Care of Authentic Leadership, eBridge, November 2007

Here's What You Will Find in the October Issue of eBridge:

In our next installment of eBridge we shall continue to share powerful stories of transformative leadership. We will explore how the process of the leader's individual inner work shapes the culture of the organizations and communities where they serve. Join us in October for Journeys Toward Transformation Part II.