The Paradox of Inner Leadership

Why Few Hear the Call to Profound Change

Hello Reader,
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The journey of inner leadership is a profound paradox. It offers a gateway to unimaginable new ways of seeing, leading, and being. The benefits and transformations are deep and far-reaching, touching every aspect of one's life and work. Yet, paradoxically, few heed this call or embark on this path. Why?

It seems that our ego-driven minds resist the very thing that could liberate us. Our attachment to our thoughts and identities keeps us trapped in old patterns. As Eckhart Tolle writes in The Power of Now, "The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive."

Joseph Jaworski, in his work on leadership and transformation, speaks to the power of shifting our inner condition. In Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership, he notes, "The most important thing to understand is that the world we perceive is a reflection of our inner state." This insight aligns perfectly with the idea that true leadership begins within.

Seth Godin's recent post on The Paradox of the Mississippi River is a powerful analogy that can help open a door to understanding this paradox. Everything, including ourselves, is in constant change. Labels are shortcuts our minds use to make sense of the world, but they often trap us in outdated perceptions and leave a lot unseen.

However, like most advice we encounter on social media, awareness alone doesn't bring about change. The real work begins when we do the inner work to gain a new understanding of how our minds work. We discover the unfathomable dimensions of how deeply programmed we are, and uncover the deeper dimensions of ourselves beyond the mind. Here, we find greater clarity, wisdom, and effortless right action.

This inner work isn't just a mental exercise. It's a daily practice that requires effort and intention. Doing the inner work frees ourselves to engage more authentically with our world and each other and create more dynamic, adaptive and visionary organizations.

The choice to see and act on the ever-changing nature of reality is yours. It's a choice you need to make every single day.

Yet, we are so deeply programmed to focus on outer and material success that few see the need or are willing to do the inner work and bring about real change. That's why we see the same advice on leadership and change repeated endlessly on LinkedIn.

The real change we seek isn't happening. However, as we face greater and greater challenges in the world, more of us will be triggered to move in this direction.

Until we wake up to our deeper dimension, not much will change. Leaders who choose to do the inner work can open up a space that will bring about real transformation in themselves and their organizations.

I invite you to join us at LeaderONE.org on an odyssey that will open up profound new ways of seeing, being, and leading. It's one that will unlock unprecedented potential in yourself and your organization.

— Bill

Bill Fox, Founder, LeaderONE​
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Pioneering Leadership from Within | Unlocking Human and Organizational Potential