LEADING WITH PRESENCE
Beyond the Fear of Uncertainty through Inner Knowing
Residential Retreat 24- 29 June 2019
Scotland (Location to be confirmed)
What is holding you back as a leader?
What gets in the way of your effectiveness?
How are you with uncertainty and not knowing?
I'm inviting you to join me for a one week retreat in the beautiful Scottish Highlands to boost your leadership effectiveness, your capacity to work with the unknown (and the unknowable!), and to lead with confidence and Presence in a constantly changing world.
I have worked with people from all over the world in organisations across numerous sectors and throughout all levels of hierarchy. And yet in conversation, all of the apparent differences that separate all those people dissolve. Because ultimately, every person we’ve worked with is a human being, with hopes, dreams, fears, worries. And almost all of them with the fundamentally human fear of the unknown and of uncertainty.
So much of our decision-making and our actions are driven by fear, which clouds our judgement, blinds us to certain crucial information, and inhibits our relational abilities (like asking for help or getting alternative perspectives). The quality of our decision-making is based on the quality of the information we have to hand. And one of the major contributors (or obstacles) to the quality of information is our own mind - how we see the world around us and our tolerance for being present to its realities, including fear, uncertainty, extreme volatility, ambiguity, and all the rest. We all know people (including ourselves) who just don't want to face facts, who pick and choose only the data that supports their point of view, and who avoid anything that doesn't fit with what they already believe. It happens in business too. It happened in Blackberry and Nokia... In small and big ways it's happening all the time.
What's fascinating is that, what scares us most is not the consequences of a poor decision or an action, it's actually that we don't feel we're capable of dealing with the consequences. Think about it. If we feel we're capable of dealing with whatever comes up, it frees us up to be bolder in seeking out information, data, perspectives, and in taking decisions and actions. Being fully present to ourselves and to the world around us gives us the tools to deal with whatever is. It allows us to manage our fears, to integrate strong emotions by recognising them as important data points, to be open and receptive, and to be agile and resilient in the face of tough decisions - in emergencies and in strategic planning.
I have faced numerous leadership challenges in my professional life. And over the years I have lived the transformative experience of being present to what is and the expanded capacity to create from it. And this is what I want to share with you.
What you'll experience on the retreat is how to:
-
cultivate mindful presence to open yourself to a wider range of information for effective decision-making
-
work intimately with others to deepen your understanding of who you are as a leader at this time
-
live the dynamic flowing exchange between people that amplifies and opens what is possible
-
explore the source of Inner Knowing and how immediately incisive and grounding it can be
-
be fully present to what IS here and now and knowing how to engage and create from that
-
access the resilience and flexibility needed to face life's challenges
The 5-day retreat will be highly experiential and will also include time for reflection, enjoying the simple pleasures of life and connection with others. I believe that reconnecting with nature is an essential element and there'll be time and space to be in the beautiful surroundings.
Who is it for?
-
Individuals who want to discover a deeper leadership within themselves, so they can face today's and tomorrow's challenges AND live well in the process
-
Team leaders, entrepreneurs & business owners who understand the need for a new kind of leadership to work with today's uncertain and rapidly changing world
-
Executives, Trustees and Directors who want to learn to co-create resilient, sustainable and profitable leadership that addresses the immediate urgencies and the long-term strategic vision
Ready to step into this transformative experience with me?
Previous participants' thoughts on their experiences:
Nobler Path workshops are "quite different from any I've experienced before - immediately applicable"
"Lightness and positivity, the playful aspect of the workshop, although the essence is essential and profound"
"Thank you for such an inspiring and eyeopening workshop - I thoroughly enjoyed it"
"A safe and friendly environment; a very positive atmosphere"
Christina
I'm an avid skier and I often use skiing as a metaphor for leadership and for living one's life to the fullest. Along with photography and evolving business, skiing is a life-long love of mine. Doing the same slope a hundred times is always different. No two runs are the same, even if you (think you) "know" the piste.
I learned the same is true of every person, every business - they may seem superficially similar, but even when you enter a familiar company a few months later, everything has changed. With photography, skiing and business, I have to be ever present to the Now - conditions, terrain, people - and rapidly make adjustments as necessary. My time working in Investment Banking probably gave me the most extreme exposure to volatility and instant change.
We never know what the mountain, the weather and our fellow skiers might throw up out of nowhere, but when we feel confident in our skills, we know we can deal with it and enjoy the thrill of improvisation and grounded panic-free response.
I've learned to appreciate and revel in uncertainty and the unforeseeable in real life too - the unknowability of tomorrow. I lean into myself and others to create from what is here right now, to make the best of the situation.
That freedom and joy is what I feel called upon to share - to help you lean into your whole human self and the extraordinary connection with others available to you from there - to not be overwhelmed, but to live fully.