The Essence of Leadership
Leadership
When you think of leadership, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s a charismatic figure delivering inspiring speeches, impeccably dressed and commanding the attention of a large crowd. Or perhaps it’s the modern image of a laid-back entrepreneur, in casual attire, effortlessly running a startup from a trendy co-working space. Regardless of the setting or attire, we often view leadership as a destination at the top. In most workplaces, the titles that include "leadership" are reserved for those who have climbed the ladder. Throughout the stages of your career, you’re usually labeled a junior, specialist, manager, director, and so on, only reaching the title of leadership when you’re at the top. This implies that leadership is something you earn after years of dedication and experience.
But there’s something fundamentally flawed about this perspective. It suggests that only through accumulating knowledge and experience do we become leaders. What about the inner work?
Throughout my career, I’ve seen corporate leaders leading from places of fear, ignorance, and deeply limiting beliefs despite their well-meaning intentions. This isn’t a critique of those leaders; the role of a leader in today’s workplace is undoubtedly challenging. This is a call to redefine what leadership truly is. True leadership isn’t confined to a title or a position at the top. It’s something much deeper and more personal.
A leader emerges when someone has the courage to look inward and the commitment to bring their inner truth outward. Everyone has the potential to be a leader because leadership is part of the human journey. It’s not about power or followers. Instead, it’s a deeply personal act of self-love, trust, and commitment.
What is the inner work?
The inner work is different for everyone. But it starts with creating the space in your life to reflect and look inward. From there, your inner wisdom will guide you on what requires your focus and attention. Should you choose to follow this guidance, it can open the door to profound healing and growth. The magic happens when you have the courage and vulnerability to bring your inner truth into the world. For many of you, this will sound familiar because you’re already walking this path and can recall times in your life when your inner knowing required deep faith in yourself to let go, have courage, and embrace change. The journey of a leader is not linear; it is a spiral.
No matter where you are on your journey, it can be fraught with conditioning and challenges that distract you. Society often pressures us to conform to certain standards, which can cause us to question our inner truth. But ultimately, leadership is not an act of doing but a state of being—being your healed and authentic self and contributing to the world from that place.
Your contributions might look like letting go of a life you’ve built, to bagging groceries at your job, to picking up a paintbrush for the first time in 10 years. You might lead a team of two or two hundred. Regardless of the context, leadership is an inside job that radiates outward.
This inner work, the real work, is the greatest form of leadership that has ever existed and will ever exist. To those of you here, in the process of your own leadership journey, I honour you and am so happy you’re here.
"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek." — Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey