They trust, harvest and act from their own wisdom, what I call their Integral Wisdom^​™​

What it’s not

For much of our lives, particularly early in our careers, we are taking in the important principles of how to lead, how to operate in organizations and in life – from the outside. Some are lucky or blessed to find an inner voice that they listen to, but many of us have relied on the externals to set an operating framework: what are the norms, what’s the company culture, what does my boss want, what do the leadership gurus say, what’s “right”, what’s ‘wrong”? All good guardrails to absorb, and…this is knowledge, not wisdom. For true leadership to emerge, it takes moving beyond the expected, tapping into an inner wisdom that is always there but not often heard, recognized or trusted.

What is wisdom?

I use the lower case “w”, as I am talking about every-day, practical wisdom that we use at work, in our lives, to create new solutions, to make a difference. The sages over the years have given us much Wisdom, from which we can all learn. Let’s find what works for us as leaders, for our work and personal contributions. Wisdom is the alchemy of learning from what we’ve done, metabolizing it, finding meaning and transformation. Chip Conley says, “It’s not just winning, but learning, opening all possibilities”. It’s leaning in with deep curiosity that allows us to absorb and pivot. It’s having a “growth mindset”, per Carol Dweck. Dilip Jeste, in Wiser, his important book on the science of wisdom, outlines his key attributes of wisdom: compassion, self-reflection, humor, curiosity and spirituality.

How do we cultivate our wisdom?

I liken it to a “gathering” process, as in weaving a rug or tapestry, pulling a selection of “threads” of different hues and textures and threading them into a vibrant pattern, into a rich, unique whole. These threads come out of our experience, our failures, our gifts and talents, our purpose, our vision, our worthy goals, our intuition, and our own awareness of the impact we wish to have. A Gathering of Wisdom^​™​.

What is Integral Wisdom^​™​ ?

We tap into all aspects of ourselves: mind, heart, gut, spirit. We learn to fully draw on these spheres to inform our decisions and actions, to enhance our perspective beyond thought and analysis. It’s thinking about the long-term that is possible. We come to embody what we’ve learned is true, as our North Star. We listen to our heart and body wisdom as much (sometimes more than) our head. We find inspiration and act on it.

Why is it needed at work, in leadership?

Kevin Cashman tells us that “leadership is an inside job”. In other words, how we lead is an expression of who we are, not just something we do; It is “authentic self-expression that creates value.” At the heart of who we are is our own, hard-won wisdom. To find, trust and give it voice is vital, particularly in this complex and fast-moving world today, where constant change is the norm and a new ‘wayfinding” is needed to accomplish what we want.

How does in work in coaching?

We take a multi-phase approach, which can include:

• Begin with introspection, tapping into the 4 spheres (mind, heart, body, spirit) and how they show up in your leadership.
• Mine your work and life learnings, and work with your strengths, purpose.
• Explore how intuition works, what mentors you’ve admired and why, what others say your particular wisdom might be.
• Experiment with practices that can enhance your recognizing, trusting and listening to the wise voice.
• Look at how you can cultivate more curiosity, equanimity, resilience and a wider vision.

And we have fun, finding the energy and resonance that working more from your own wisdom can bring.