Why Plgh erformance Leadershlp?

1here ls a vasL quanLlLy of recenL managemenL llLeraLure on Lhe sub[ecL of leadershlp whlch begs
Lhe obvlous quesLlon why?

lL ls clear LhaL when socleLles culLures lndusLrles and markeLs are undergolng a perlod of
unprecedenLed change change LhaL ls boLh exLenslve and profound and when LradlLlonal role
models and lnsLlLuLlons are belng challenged and found wanLlng we look for new forms of
leadershlp
CurrenL managemenL Lheorles of leadershlp can be classlfled ln several ways among whlch are
O LLrlbuLe Lheorles whlch aLLempL Lo ldenLlfy core values and behavlour paLLerns LhaL Lyplfy
successful leaders for example SLephen Covey (`Seven PablLs of Successful Leaders`) and !lm
Colllns (`Cood 1o CreaL`)
O evelopmenLal Lheorles whlch look aL Lhe formaLlve experlences of leaders and aLLempL Lo
draw concluslons abouL Lhe sulLablllLy of Lhose experlences for example Warren 8ennls
(`Ceeks Ceezers`)
O ConLlngenL Lheorles whlch seek Lo ldenLlfy Lhe leadershlp requlremenLs of parLlcular
organlsaLlons lndusLrles or lnsLlLuLlons or slLuaLlons for example Penry Mlnzberg (`1he
CuleL Leader`)
common LralL among Lhese meLhods of examlnlng and deflnlng leadershlp ls Lhelr focus on
derlvlng `lowesL common denomlnaLors` on ldenLlfylng Lhe commonallLles ln leadershlp We feel
LhaL Lhls ls a fundamenLal mlsLake as lL falls Lo respecL Lhe unlque poLenLlal LhaL ls Lhe lndlvldual and
encourages managers Lo Lry and `lead by numbers` 1hls only works up Lo a polnL and usually LhaL
polnL ls reached where excepLlonal and susLalned performance ls requlred
Leadershlp ls also wldely examlned ln Lhe conLexL of organlsaLlonal acLlvlLles such as `sLraLeglc
leadershlp` `markeL leadershlp` `Leam leadershlp` and so on 1hls approach also has Lhe effecL of
`depersonallslng` leadershlp Lo Lhe effecL anyone who undersLands Lhe conLexL can lead Lhls
organlsaLlon

ln LruLh Lhese facLors lnLeracL ln Lhe dynamlc model shown above Lhe 8uslness LnvlronmenL seLs
requlremenLs for sLraLeglc or markeL leadershlp (whaL needs Lo be done) Lhe CrganlsaLlon seLs
parameLers for posslble acLlon (how lL can be done) and lndlvlduals access Lhelr poLenLlal Lo do lL
lL ls Lhe lndlvldual who lnpuLs Lhe energy requlred Lo drlve Lhe organlsaLlon wlLhln Lhe buslness
envlronmenL whose behavlours deLermlne wheLher Lhe organlsaLlon keeps Lo lLs sLaLed values
whose collecLlve and lndlvldual creaLlvlLy and lnnovaLlon deLermlne lLs capaclLy Lo regeneraLe wlLhln
Lhe conLexL of a changlng envlronmenL personcenLred vlew of leadershlp also accepLs LhaL
leadershlp ls a way of belng raLher Lhan a poslLlon and can come from below as much from above
wlLhln Lhe organlsaLlon
`Plgh erformance Leadershlp` seLs crlLerla whlch reflecL buslness and organlsaLlonal demands lL
assumes excepLlonal performance sLandards achleved over Llme and under pressure 1hls ls Laken
as Lhe sLarLlng polnL for a personal developmenL process LhaL LesLs Lhe lndlvldual`s capaclLy Lo
develop a unlque auLhenLlc and robusL leadershlp sLyle We call Lhe process `1he Leader`s !ourney`
because lL uses Lhe meLaphor of a [ourney Lo Lake delegaLes on a voyage of dlscovery Lhrough Lhelr
own leadershlp landscape
1he programme draws exLenslvely on concepLs of !unglan psychology relaLed Lo Lhe persona and
shadow and myLhlcal archeLypes as a means of accesslng unconsclous poLenLlal vla Lhe lmaglnaLlon
ln lLs approach and meLhods Lhe programme ls based on Lhe followlng core prlnclples
LxperlenLlal
Learnlng Lhrough experlence raLher Lhan explanaLlon l hear l forgeL l see l remember l do l
undersLand 8ased on sound psychologlcal Lheorles of learnlng LhaL supporL Lhls approach Lhe
programme endeavours Lo break down exlsLlng sLereoLypes and provldes a new undersLandlng of
leadershlp lL explores alLernaLlves Lhrough a varleLy of experlenLlal Lechnlques lncludlng
vlsuallsaLlon myLh drama fllm llLeraLure blography and rlLual
lnLegraLlve
Seeklng Lo lnLegraLe lnLellecLual emoLlonal splrlLual and physlcal aspecLs of Lhe leadershlp
experlence Lhrough pracLlcal exerclses
1ransformaLlonal
rovldlng a mechanlsm for explorlng noL only new behavlours and aLLlLudes buL new `ways of belng
ln Lhe world` ln preparaLlon for Lhe leadershlp experlence of venLurlng lnLo Lhe unknown
cLlonrlven
eveloplng acLlon plans LhaL relaLe learnlng dlrecLly Lo work slLuaLlons
1he challenge of a programme llke Plgh erformance Leadershlp ls Lo enable delegaLes Lo reengage
wlLh Lhe hldden and suppressed energles LhaL lle behlnd Lhe everyday conLrols LhaL we have all
learned Lo apply ln response Lo Lhe challenges we have encounLered LhroughouL our llves especlally
chlldhood We are LaughL and Leach ourselves Lo llmlL our expresslon ln ways whlch are someLlmes
unhelpful and unecessarlly llmlLlng ln order Lo meeL socleLal and culLural expecLaLlons Cn Lhe PL
programme we use a number of Lechnlques Lo unblock suppressed energles and uncover hldden
energles we help delegaLes flnd an auLhenLlc means of expresslng some of Lhese energles ln an
lnLegraLed or hollsLlc way and Lhereby brlng lnLo consclousness a new poLenLlal for leadershlp

1he ouLcomes of Lhe raxls Plgh erformance Leadershlp programme are boLh lnLensely personal
and porLable ersonal because Lhey are derlved from Lhe lndlvldual`s boundless hldden poLenLlal
provldlng a LruLhful and Lallored paLh for leadershlp porLable because Lhey are encoded ln vlvld
lmages and meLaphors whlch represenL Lhe parLlcular behavlours and aLLrlbuLes LhaL mark Lhe
unlque leadershlp sLyle of Lhe lndlvldual 1hese are lmages LhaL Lhe delegaLe wlll carry wlLh Lhem
ready for use aL any Llme 1hese powerful characLerlsLlcs of Lhe programme relnforce Lwo vlLal
leadershlp quallLles lmaglnaLlon and reslllence
Cur deflnlLlon of `hlgh performance` ln leadershlp ls a LesL of lmaglnaLlon and reslllence wheLher
someone has a vlslon of quallLy and Lhe endurance Lo dellver lL Leadershlp aL Lhls level ls above all a
LesL of characLer can we wleld power boLh responslbly and effecLlvely? Where and how do we
access Lhe creaLlvlLy Lo Lranscend dllemmas and Lhe energy Lo hold our Leam LogeLher ln Lhe face of
adverslLy? 1he meLhodologles behlnd our programme allow us Lo explore Lhese poLenLlals wlLh our
delegaLes
elegaLes Lake back Lo Lhe workplace a seL of lnsplraLlonal commlLmenLs LhaL crysLalllse Lhelr
leadershlp calllng and lnform Lhelr acLlon frameworks Lxamples from recenL programmes are
1o re|nvent my department as a creat|ve and |nnovat|ve team
1o f|nd enough courage to to see through the reorgan|sat|on of my group
1o f|nd my true se|f and overcome my fears
1o engage |n my work who|ehearted|y and |n top gear
1o not |et the past ho|d me back
1o produce and se|| a compe|||ng v|s|on for the future
1o ||sten to my heart and get |n touch w|th my `gut fee|`
1o become the ambassador for my team
1o transform the performance of my new d|v|s|on
1o rev|ta||se a dysfunct|ona| team
1o accept the cha||enge ahead w|thout the fear of fa||ure
1o stretch my ab|||t|es v|s|on my team and start en[oy|ng |t more
8y m|n|ng for go|d |n our |nner potent|a| sme|t|ng and shap|ng |t |nto usefu| too|s and br|ng|ng
those too|s back |nto the workp|ace and app|y|ng them to the everyday cha||enges of
organ|sat|ona| ||fe we create new paths for |eadersh|p and regenerat|on