PERSONAL HEALING

A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP CONSCIOUSNESS

An empowered leader, having journeyed through the depths of self-healing, emerges as a

beacon amidst adversity. Their transformative guidance is a testament to the strength found
in embracing one's own shadows and releasing the shackles of limiting beliefs. With empathy
as their compass, they illuminate the path of growth, inspiring others to transmute challenges
into opportunities, and crafting a legacy of resilience, authenticity, and profound change.

Excerpt
Leadership transformation is not merely about achieving success in the external world, but also about
embarking on a journey of expanding consciousness and personal healing. By embracing this
transformative process, leaders can unlock their true potential, inspiring positive change not only in
themselves but also in those they lead. It is through the conscious exploration of one's own limitations,
vulnerabilities, and personal growth that true leadership emerges, creating a ripple effect of healing
and transformation throughout organizations and communities.

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 PERSONAL HEALING
A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP CONSCIOUSNESS

What hinders Personal Healing in organizations?

The concept of personal healing might be unfamiliar or met with skepticism in certain business
context. Executives might not fully understand the potential benefits of addressing personal growth
and healing in the context of leadership and transformation. In some business cultures, discussions
about personal healing might be perceived as too personal or touchy-feely, leading to concerns about
stigma or discomfort. Executives might worry that addressing personal healing could be seen as a
weakness or detract from their professional image.
Different industries and corporate cultures have varying attitudes toward personal development
and well-being. In some cases, the prevailing culture might not prioritize or encourage discussions
about personal healing. The business world often prioritizes quantifiable results and tangible
outcomes. Concepts like personal healing might not immediately align with traditional business
metrics, making it challenging to justify their importance in the context of driving organizational
change or transformation. Business environments often prioritize quick results and immediate ROI.
Personal healing, however, is a gradual and ongoing process that may not yield immediate visible
outcomes, making it challenging to gain support from executives focused on short-term gains.
Executives often face time constraints and resource limitations. Engaging in personal healing
might be seen as time-consuming or resource-intensive, and executives might feel pressured to
prioritize immediate business needs over personal development. Some traditional leadership models
emphasize qualities like decisiveness, assertiveness, and strategic thinking. Personal healing might be
viewed as counterintuitive to these traits, causing concerns that addressing personal issues could
hinder effective leadership.

Leaders need personal healing

Despite challenges aforementioned, there is a growing recognition that personal healing and
development can have positive impacts on leadership effectiveness and organizational transformation.
Some forward-thinking companies and leaders are embracing these concepts and integrating them
into their leadership development programs. Google is famous for its emphasis on employee well-
being and holistic development. They offer programs that focus on mindfulness, emotional intelligence,
and personal growth as part of their leadership development efforts. Microsoft has implemented
initiatives aimed at fostering emotional intelligence, resilience, and well-being among its leaders. They
offer resources, workshops, and training to help leaders address personal challenges and grow as
individuals. Unilever is recognized for its focus on purpose-driven leadership. Their leadership
development initiatives often involve personal reflection, values exploration, and self-discovery to
cultivate more authentic and compassionate leaders.
Several thought leaders have advocated for the integration of personal healing into leadership
development in corporations. Some notable figures include:
Brene Brown, a research professor and best-selling author on vulnerability, fortitude, and
empathy, stresses the significance of personal development and authenticity in leadership. The healing
process enables a leader to be more transparent, vulnerable, and genuine. In his book, Leaders Eat
Last, Simon Sinek examines leadership based on empathy, trust, and collaboration. Both of these
thought leaders agree that it is essential to cultivate trust and strengthen relationships through
personal growth. Both encourages and assists leaders in fostering healthier relationships with team
members. In the process of healing, leaders strive for enhanced collaboration, employee engagement,
and retention.
Dr. Gabor Maté is a Canadian physician, author, and speaker known for his work in the field of
addiction, stress, and trauma. While he hasn't focused specifically on organizational culture and
leadership behavior in the context of businesses, his insights on personal healing, stress, and
emotional well-being can provide valuable perspectives that can be applied to organizational settings.
One of his key ideas is that unresolved trauma and emotional wounds from early life experiences can
manifest as various forms of psychological and physical distress in adulthood. He suggests that

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A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP CONSCIOUSNESS

individuals often develop coping mechanisms or patterns of behaviour to manage these wounds,
which can influence how they interact with others and approach their roles, including leadership roles,
within organizations.
Leaders who have unresolved emotional wounds might struggle with effective communication,
emotional regulation, and forming healthy relationships with their team members. Dr. Maté suggests
that people often develop coping mechanisms to manage their emotional pain. In the context of
leadership, these coping mechanisms can influence decision-making, conflict resolution, and how
leaders respond to stressors within the organization. His emphasis on understanding the underlying
causes of behaviour can promote compassionate leadership. Leaders who are aware of their own
emotional triggers and have addressed their own wounds are better equipped to approach their team
members with empathy and understanding.
These thought leaders matter because they provide a framework and evidence for the positive
impact of personal healing on leadership development. Their insights and research demonstrate that
addressing personal challenges and promoting self-awareness can lead to more effective, authentic,
and compassionate leaders who can drive positive change within organizations.

Impacts of Personal Healing in Organizations

Bringing personal healing into the space of leadership development in corporations can yield
several tangible business benefits. While the business case may vary based on the specific context and
organization, here are some potential advantages:

1. Enhanced Emotional Intelligence: Personal healing can lead to improved emotional

intelligence among leaders. Leaders with higher emotional intelligence are better equipped to
understand and manage their own emotions and those of their team members, resulting in
more effective communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution.
2. Improved Decision-Making: Personal healing fosters self-awareness and self-reflection, which
in turn can lead to better decision-making. Leaders who have addressed their own biases, fears,
and limitations are more likely to make well-informed, rational decisions that align with the
organization's goals.
3. Strengthened Relationships: Personal healing helps leaders build healthier relationships with
their team members. Openness, vulnerability, and authenticity foster trust and stronger
connections, leading to improved teamwork, employee engagement, and retention.
4. Resilience and Adaptability: Executives who have undergone personal healing tend to be
more resilient in the face of challenges and changes. This resilience enables them to navigate
uncertainty, setbacks, and crises with a positive mindset, inspiring their teams to do the same.
5. Positive Work Culture: Personal healing contributes to a positive work culture that values well-
being and growth. When leaders prioritize their own personal development, they set an
example for employees to do the same, leading to increased job satisfaction and overall
organizational health.
6. Innovation and Creativity: A healing-oriented leadership approach encourages individuals to
think outside the box and embrace new perspectives. Leaders who have worked through their
own limiting beliefs are more likely to foster an environment where innovative ideas are
welcomed and cultivated.
7. Talent Attraction and Retention: Companies that prioritize personal healing as part of
leadership development are often more attractive to top talent. Professionals seeking a
supportive and growth-focused work environment are likely to be drawn to organizations that
value personal well-being.
8. Long-Term Success: Personal healing contributes to leaders' long-term effectiveness. Leaders
who have addressed their own personal challenges are more likely to sustain their leadership
effectiveness over time, leading to organizational stability and success.

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A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP CONSCIOUSNESS

Steps for bringing personal healing into an organization

Incorporating personal healing as part of a leadership development process can be a
transformative step for an organization. It requires careful planning, sensitivity, and a commitment to
creating a supportive environment for personal growth. Here are steps to consider when introducing
personal healing into your organization’s leadership development process:

1. Engage Experts
Collaborate with professionals who specialize in areas like deep team coaching, leadership
transformation, and top team alignment. With the help of an expert, your organization can
determine what personal healing means in your organization's context. These experts can help
design and deliver effective personal healing components within the leadership development
process. In a broader context, personal healing can be an organization's senior leaders'
collective transformation process.
2. Assess Organizational Consciousness
Evaluate whether your company's culture and leadership are open to embracing change.
Consider the existing leadership development initiatives, values, and attitudes towards
personal growth within the organization. Tools like Collective Leadership Assessment from
Leadership Circle is one of the most accurate and useful for mapping the cultural shifts of
collective leadership at the top. While at the level of consciousness, tools like Barrett Values
will be instrumental in raising awareness of the reasons for change. Personal healing is a
transformation journey. Organizations do not transform, only individuals do. Combining the
use of these two instruments will result in an extremely grounded and accurate map of
leadership consciousness and culture in your organizations.
3. Develop a Change Story
Create an engaging story that explains why and how personal healing is important for
leadership development. The need of integrating personal healing with organizational
expected values, new strategic goals, and new leadership approaches should be emphasized.
Demonstrate how overcoming personal obstacles improves leadership performance and
benefits the entire organization. Explain why this narrative of change is so effective at
overcoming the difficulties and complexities that businesses currently confront. Bring the story
to life by sharing anecdotes about yourself and how they've contributed to your professional
or organizational success.
4. Build Coalitions of Support
Identify key stakeholders who are advocates of personal healing and align with the initiative's
goals. These could include senior leaders, HR professionals, internal coaches, and individuals
with personal growth expertise. Collaborate with these stakeholders to create a unified front
that can drive the transformational process. Use their personal experience along the way as
stories to gain support from overall layers in the organization to reinforce a collective healing
process. Their endorsement and participation can set the tone for the entire organization.
5. Create Enabling Structures
Design processes and structures to facilitate the integration of personal healing into leadership
development. This may entail establishing workshops devoted to Leading Self transformation,
Team Coaching programs, and Leadership 1-1 Coaching. The Leading Self's contents may
include, to name a few, leadership framework, adaptive leadership, U process, deep listening,
feedback process, stages development, finding blind spots, constellating hidden forces, energy
works, mindfulness, values and hot buttons, body-mood and language, and purpose
alignments. The preceding content example is dependent on organizational context. As for the
structure, you could establish metrics to assess the impact of personal healing initiatives on

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A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP CONSCIOUSNESS

leadership behaviours, team dynamics, and organizational culture. Gather feedback from
participants to continuously refine the approach.
6. Create Safe Spaces and Role Modelling: Not to be overlooked is ensuring that these structures
provide a safe and supportive environment for leaders to engage in personal healing. Foster
an environment where leaders feel comfortable sharing and exploring their personal
experiences. Encourage vulnerability and ensure confidentiality to build trust. Change should
start at the top. Change must begin at the top. The sooner top management participates
completely in the program, the greater the program's chances of success and benefits.
7. Support Skill Development and Promote Peer Support
Offer skill-building programs related to personal healing. Provide workshops, mentoring and
coaching sessions that focus on equipping leaders with skills and tools to practice
transformation journey in their daily interactions. Encourage leaders to share their personal
growth journeys and insights with each other. Peer support can strengthen the sense of
community and normalize the process of personal healing.
8. Celebrate Progress: Recognize and celebrate the positive changes and growth that leaders
experience as a result of engaging in personal healing activities. Highlight success stories to
inspire others.
9. Continuous Improvement: Adapt and refine the personal healing components based on
feedback, emerging best practices, and evolving organizational needs. Keep the process
dynamic and responsive to change.

Remember that introducing personal healing into leadership development is a long-term effort.
It requires patience, commitment, and a willingness to embrace change. By taking thoughtful steps
and creating a supportive environment, you can foster a culture where personal growth and healing
contribute to more authentic, empathetic, and effective leadership behaviours. The key is to frame
personal healing in a way that aligns with the specific goals, expected values, and new culture of the
organization, while also highlighting its potential benefits for leadership growth, emotional intelligence,
and fostering a positive work environment. As companies continue to recognize the holistic nature of
leadership, integrating personal healing into leadership development programs becomes a strategic
way to foster growth, innovation, and long-term success.

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