• How do we create highly driven teams and organisations?
• How do we create engaged cultures that are safe and make people want to stay?
• How do we encourage excellent execution that drives healthy results for all stakeholders?

Then, to top it all, how do we go home and still be a great husband and father?

“We become unwell because of the very things we are passionate and driven about.”

I have been involved with leaders long enough to know that your wellness as a leader matter because everything else depends on it. To win as leader, you need to produce extraordinary results, which can only come from a deep sense of wellness. Yes, it is true that the single most crucial factor influencing the growth of your business is how well you lead and how well you are. When you give time and attention to your health as a leader, you WILL see:

• Highly driven team members.
• A culture that makes team members want to stay.
• Intellectually and emotionally engaged teams.
• Team members working in their gifted areas and thrive.
• Excellent execution that drives healthy results.

Only this time these results come from a place of wellness instead of stress and anxiety. It becomes therefore obvious that successful leadership now requires an approach significantly different from previous lob-sided models and begin to focus on the internal qualities that form the roots of healthy leadership. The bottom line – Who you are drives what you do and that, in turn, determines your performance and that of others.

Healthy leadership awaits you on the other side of some crucial questions.

• How do I become and continue to feel physically healthy? Can I consider a personalised energy management plan that allows me to maintain my stamina and lead a balanced life?
• How do I feel emotionally stable? How do I make the most of encouraging, positive feelings and stop negative ones from hindering my ability to make decisions and act swiftly? How do I embrace the beauty and power of self-awareness and the ability to evolve?
• How do I stimulate my thinking yet do not feel over-stimulated? How do I maintain a sharp intellect and a deep sense of curiosity that allows me to innovate when needed? How do I keep being a learner and explore areas of interests which will both stimulate and help me to escape for a while?
• How do I build authentic relationships? More so, the ability to be true to myself and, in turn, nurture mutually rewarding relationships with others?
• How do I make sure I have a meaningful calling, to determine not only what matters to me, but to help others find their own purpose?
• How do I nurture my spiritual health and acknowledge a greater good; something bigger than myself? And how can this help me avoid the pursuit of petty goals and serve as an inspiration for others?

Lastly, always ask yourself the following questions:

• KEEP DOING – What is it that I have to KEEP doing because it has a positive impact on my life?
• STOP DOING – What is that I have to STOP doing because I have done it over and over again, yet it is not helping me?
• START DOING – What must I START doing that I have not done before, yet it will make a difference?

By Alistaire Lategan

Still not sure how to go about being a healthy leader? Want someone to guide you through it? Speak to us today so we can walk you through the process. To book a session with Alistaire Lategan contact us at info@mypocketcoach.co.za to connect.

The experience made me think of these words from the introduction of my book, The Leaders Inner Source:

What “inner source” does the leader go to for wisdom and guidance in making decisions on an unconscious level […]? […] Do we know how to tap into that latent source inside us when our analytical minds and strategic abilities fail us?

And how do we engage with those we lead – only with our heads or also at a deeper level? Can we engage with others from that special place inside ourselves and allow them the space to do the same?

Staring at a hot bed of coals and deciding whether you’re going to walk over them doesn’t make much sense to our analytical minds. You have to engage with a deeper level of yourself to decide how to respond.

Witnessing firewalking reminded me of the seven leadership dimensions that my PhD study uncovered and here I share the five leadership lessons that I took from the experience.

1. Be fully present

All the team members at the firewalking event were fully present in the moment. The exercise left us little other option but to be mindful, the first leadership dimension. Even I who didn’t participate was keenly aware of the sensations in my body, soul, and spirit.

Some people were clearly nervous, and their bodies were showing it. The adrenaline was pumping.

Even more interesting was what was happening in the realm of the soul (mind, emotions, and will) and spirit. Many people see firewalking as a mind-over-matter exercise. More accurately, it is an exercise of mind over emotions.

On the level of the body, heat doesn’t travel very well between coals and the soles of your feet, so if you walk over the coals fast enough, you’re unlikely to burn. However, to do that, you must win a battle of your soul: your mind must overcome strong emotions such as fear and uncertainty to muster up a strong will to complete this exercise.

When it comes to the spirit, some people experience firewalking as a spiritual event while others don’t. Historically, it was practiced as a religious exercise, but these days it isn’t, especially in western societies. As someone who believes that every person is essentially spiritual, I was keenly aware of the spiritual atmosphere during the firewalking exercise. However, my colleague who was with me and who shares many of my spiritual views didn’t experience the spiritual atmosphere the same way I did.

It reminded me that each of us needs to discern what is right for us and act accordingly. Part of this is to create the space for those who believe differently than we do to live true to their convictions.

That starts with being mindful of what we are experiencing in our body, soul and spirit.

2) Awaken to new potential and infinite possibilities

Several participants told me that firewalking reminded them that we are capable of more.

As one person put it:

I have been afraid of fire my whole life, and the idea of walking on fire petrified me.

Pushing through was a breakthrough in concurring my fear. The courage to walk on fire made me realise that I can accomplish anything that I set my mind to.

In the future, I will turn my fears into energy to accomplish my goals.

My colleague mentioned that the experience reminded him that we were made to do more than what we tend to settle for. What seems impossible now can become possible if we’re willing to expand our minds.

These takeaways speak to leadership dimensions of inspired creativity and creating infinite possibilities. As leaders, we should always challenge ourselves to see and believe more: in ourselves, the future, and others.

3) Act in line with your vision

If you decide you’re going to walk over that bed of coals, your best chance of not burning is to have clarity of direction, another leadership dimension I discuss in my book. You must know where you’re heading and not falter on the way.

Clarity of direction is also about inspiring your team.

The team leader who had organised the event had to conquer the same fear and uncertainty as everyone else to take his first step. The leader set the example and showed his team what is possible by going first.

As leaders, we not only cast the vision. We must go beyond words and inspire others with our example. Even if it’s hard and even if there’s fear, if you take the first step and continue in the journey, others will believe in you and your vision for the future. It’s your action that inspires people to follow along.

4) Create space for others

It’s not only the leader who gets to inspire others. The team also inspired each other.

Everyone was cheering each other on. Some people who at first did not want to participate became motivated to do it too.      

While this is a good example of non-hierarchical leadership at play, I believe there’s also another side of the coin to consider: to create space for others who don’t view things the same as we do.

All sixteen people on the team ended up participating in the firewalking event. If all of them did it because they felt it was the right thing for them to do, that is wonderful. However, we can never know whether that was the case. Did anyone possibly go home and regret the experience? They are unlikely to ever tell anyone on the team, especially not their leader.

In our organisations, we tend to value participation and people who “get” the vision. But do we create safe spaces for people who don’t?

According to the fifth leadership dimension, unconditional engagement, we should value people intrinsically because of who they are as human beings. Value and worth should not be based on people’s behaviour.

In an organisational context, it’s easy to do the opposite: to coerce adherence to the values and desires we want. Unfortunately for us, it doesn’t work in the long run. When people are coerced, they disengage, and productivity tanks.

As leaders, yes, we must inspire our people to be more. However, we must not delude ourselves into thinking that we can decide what that “more” is for another human being. Our role remains to inspire, not to force or coerce. Sometimes the line between inspiration and coercion can be very subtle, so it’s important that we remain aware of it.

5) Lean into becoming more

As humans and leaders, we’re often looking for ways to overcome our fears, stretch our limits and take our contribution to a next level. After witnessing firewalking, I can see why people experience it as something that helps them achieve this desire. However, firewalking is by no means the only means to get there.

Our souls (will, thinking and emotions) are an unlimited resource that we can tap into. However, our souls often get trapped in the challenges of daily life, and it struggles to rise above them.

This is where our spirits come into play. Our spirit connects us to a higher reality, and it thinks in terms of life and peace. When our souls get hung up in the distractions of life, our spirits can help us move beyond those trappings.

Witnessing firewalking made me think again about where I go to when I’ve reached the end of myself. It affirmed my conviction that spiritual awareness is the core leadership dimension that we can lean into to do and become more.

As I wrote before:

When we are brave enough to venture into the space of the spirit, the breakthroughs and insights are always tremendous.

The thing about firewalking is that you’ll at most do it a few times in your life. In contrast, growing in spiritual awareness is something you can benefit from every day.

By Dr Rean du Plessis

To book a session with Dr. Rean du Plessis contact us at info@mypocketcoach.co.za to connect.

1. Expertise and Flexibility
Gone are the days when leadership required technical proficiency – regarded as a baseline competence today. Leaders who may not have expertise in technology use their wisdom – known as Phronesis by the ancient Greeks – a combination of experience and wisdom to guide decisions. Use data and wisdom – flexibility to gain insights and knowledge from employees and customers to make appropriate decisions. Be flexible in your decision-making process and reverse wrong decisions if necessary, by always taking responsibility for the decision.

2. Transformational and Transactional leadership
Visionary leadership is essential. However, the roadmap for getting there may be a little opaque. Get around this by making sure your vision is realistic and communicated clearly to followers to allow for ownership of the vision. Focus on tangible first goals that can be expanded into other areas.

3. Active listening precedes decision making
Listening carefully to seek to understand before being understood is vital to allow for ownership. Empower others to achieve goals and hold them accountable. Once careful listening has happened, be decisive.

4. Intuition and Rational
Research has shown that EQ is a superior intelligence that processes information a hundred thousand times faster than the conscious brain – it can make 10 million connections in one second. However, in today’s digital world analytics data driven decision-making should precede any intuitive decision. However, once the data is provided and intuition is conflicting, look harder before informing any decision.

5. Speed and Perfection
Perfectionism is a long outdated concept. Better to fail fast than to risk missing the boat completely. However, find the balance between perfectionism with testing and consideration to avoid making premature decisions that could be disastrous

What to do:
Know thyself, wrote the ancient Greeks. Participating in a scientific EQ assessment will indicate your level of self-awareness that is critical. Knowing yourself so that you can deepen strengths and bridge growth areas is key in leadership today. Know that when you commit to continuous learning you grow. It’s not always comfortable. Listen more, we have two ears and one mouth and should use it in that proportion.
However, above all, believe in yourself.

By Gail Cameron

This point is backed up by research. A study that followed 52 men who were in prison at an early age found that these men did not all turn out as life-long criminals. The researchers concluded that not all children who start in adverse environments and exhibit antisocial and offending behaviour early in life continue that trajectory.

Living the truth that we are not our circumstances.
We are not our circumstances – neither our past nor our present. It is a comforting thought, particularly in the current global climate. However, it is not an easy truth to live. It means that when we deal with others, we can’t typify and label them – we’ll do them an injustice and rob ourselves of a better alternative. For ourselves, it also means that we need to challenge the way we view things. We have to open ourselves to new points of view. We have to challenge the status quo – especially in our own minds and in how we live.As Rosa Luxenberg said, “Those who do not move, do not notice their chains.”
We need to move our mental and spiritual perspective if we want to change our circumstances and create a better future for ourselves and others.

Thoughts to challenge our worldview
The foundation for change lies within ourselves – how we think of ourselves and the world, which determines how we act in it.

I discuss this topic in-depth in Chapter 2 of my book, The Leader’s Inner Source*.  It is titled “The leader’s self”. The six statements summarise some of the main points I make in the chapter.
1. The nature of reality is such that the world cannot be fully predicted, and it cannot be controlled.
2. Science provides a good foundation for the grounds of knowledge, but it is only a limited view. Knowledge can also be more subjective, spiritual or transcendental.
3. Humans have free will and can make free choices, but we are limited in our choices by our thinking and circumstances.
4. To change our viewpoints, we must understand why we think what we think.
5. A more subjective approach, which includes reflection, is required to consider our ‘inner source’.
6. Our construct of spirituality and whether we experience it or not is our choice.

These statements call us to reconsider how we view the world and our place in it. Especially important for us as leaders is the thought that our rational understanding of the world is limited.
In the book The Hidden Half, author Michael Blastland explains why we know much less than we think. As the book’s description puts it well (my emphasis added):
We humans are very clever creatures – but we’re idiots about how clever we really are. In this entertaining and ingenious book, Blastland reveals how in our quest to make the world more understandable, we lose sight of how unexplainable it often is. The result – from GDP figures to medicine – is that experts know a lot less than they think.

Where our rational knowledge ends, subjective, spiritual or transcendental knowledge can help to fill the gap.
We must understand that our freedom needs limits. Profit and power cannot come before people and the planet.
A very difficult concept for me, one that I do not live is: do the rich have the right to hold onto their wealth while the masses suffer? For example, some wealthy people do not feel that they have the right to hold onto their wealth when many others suffer. Think of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, for example, who have donated of their wealth.
The thing is, if we treat all people the same, in other words, as equal in value, something many of us believe is the right thing to do, we reject market logic.
The same if we believe a poor child has the same right to proper medical treatment, parental love and education as a rich child. The market does not care about the starving and the sick, fairness and justice, how hard people work or how kind they are.
But people care about these things. As Raoul Martinez argues in his book, Creating Freedom: Power, Control and the Fight for our Future, how people work and how kind they are is what ultimately matters. Instead of only focusing on money, we also need to return to the meaningfulness of work and of life in general.

As leaders, we have the power to change the so-called “constance” or the status quo. We can shift the balance to create a tipping point toward a better future.
The knock-on effect starts when we change our worldview.

Reflections for greater self-awareness
As we reflect on the past year and plan for the year ahead, let’s make room for changing and challenging how we view the world. Let’s open ourselves to growth.
In Chapter 2 of my book*, I offer six fundamental questions (see below) as points of reflection about who we are and what we believe.
1. What do you perceive reality to be?
2. What is a human being?
3. What happens to a person at death?
4. How is it possible to know things?
5. How do we know what is right or wrong?
6. What is the meaning of human history?
I can also summarise it with this one question:
How and where do you access creativity, genius and wisdom?
In defining who we are, I was recently reminded that in ancient Greece and Rome people did not believe creativity and genius came from within human beings. They believed it came from some divine spirit, source or entity outside the person.

The author Elizabeth Gilbert, named as one of Time’s top 100 most influential people in 2008, says the shift to say that creativity and genius are within the person is a big mistake. Humans do not have the capacity to deal with the pressure to take on all the responsibility of creativity. While writing a book that sold 12 million copies, she admits that she pleaded for assistance from outside herself.
Honestly asking questions of ourselves like the ones I mention above help us gain awareness of how we view the world. In turn, it makes us more aware and engaged leaders.
It’s not easy, but it is powerful – especially when we allow our worldviews to be challenged. It is one of the best ways I know of to change our past, redirect our present and create a better future for ourselves and others.
And as always, I love to hear your insights. If there is any way I can help you or your organisation grow, be sure to get in touch.

by Rean du Plessis
* The Leader’s Inner Source is available on Amazon or you can contact us at info@mypocketcoach.co.za to order.
To book a session with Rean contact us at bookings@mypocketcoach.co.za

So too, is this a time for leaders to instil hope.  The world is not broken. We live in the era of the ascendency of people-oriented leadership. The winds of change have already begun blowing up north in Zimbabwe, so too, will the pendulum, inevitably swing back for South Africa. More than ever, hope is the sine qua non – an indispensable condition of leadership.

Now is the time to reflect on effective ways in which to judge great leadership.  I am reminded of the words of Professor John Adair, the world’s first professor of leadership studies who said “We judge great leadership by three achievements:

• “Did they achieve the common task?”
• “Were they able to create harmony in their team?
• Were they able to meet individual requirements?”

If we explore the legacy of Nelson Mandela – we know he negotiated this country out of a revolution, he enabled our first democratic elections and the implementation of one of the most progressive constitutions in the world – he very much achieved his common task.  He created harmony in his team by encouraging the friendship that evolved between Roelf Meyer and Cyril Ramaphosa who negotiated our constitution and met individual requirements by bringing polarised elements of society together.

Now is the time to remember him, now is the time to look at his leadership impact and legacy and now is the time to instil hope for all.

For more details on our ‘Leadership in Uncertain times’ Webinar taking place 28 July 2020 at 09:00 contact Rienie@iegroup.co.za

Gail has 30 years of experience as an executive coach and is the founder of The Image Excellence Group – a 27 year old coaching company in Johannesburg – one of South Africa’s foremost leadership coaching businesses with a proven track record of mentoring and developing leaders in commerce, industry, sport, politics and the public sector. Gail published her book Authentic African Leadership in November 2013. Gail says ‘We’ve dedicated ourselves to improving the quality of leadership in modern South Africa. As we’ve done so, it’s become apparent to us that one of the biggest challenges facing these leaders is how to create an impactful personal presence that is aligned with company culture that truly releases the potential of management and staff”

For more information contact My Pocket Coach  https:https://www.mypocketcoachapp.com/ or call them on (011) 781-1444