“Leadership From The Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life” by Kevin Cashman is a bestseller that pioneers a holistic approach to leadership development. In this book, Cashman emphasizes that to become a successful leader, one has to focus on not just external factors such as skills and knowledge, but also internal factors such as values, beliefs, emotions, and mindset.
He proposes a seven-step program for leadership development that focuses on developing the whole person to grow the whole leader.
The Beginning of the journey
- Leadership is often viewed as external, but it comes from within us and is an expression of our whole person.
- Effective leaders exhibit courage, authenticity, purpose-driven communication, and value creation for multiple constituencies.
- Leadership is an intimate expression of who we are and we lead by virtue of who we are.
- Courage and authenticity involve being our whole selves with openness and integrity.
- Influence involves purpose-driven communication that inspires long-term action.
- Value creation involves serving multiple constituencies for enduring performance and contribution.
- Leadership can be defined as courageous, authentic influence that creates enduring value.
Leading On-Purpose
There are three big realities that we, as leaders, have to clarify and place in meaningful relationship for our organizations to thrive:
- The Big What Question (Vision): What is possible for us to become?
- The Big How Question (Strategy): How will we get there?
- The Big Why Question (Purpose): Why is it so important that we exist in the world?
Unfortunately, too often we deal with these three realities in the wrong sequence.
Three concepts of leadership
- Interpersonal mastery involves balancing a leader’s power of voice with human connection.
- 720° development aims to help leaders gain a complete understanding of themselves and reconcile their inner and outer realities.
- Change mastery involves learning agility, or the ability to learn, adapt, and apply oneself in constantly changing conditions.
Seven principles of Change Mastery
- Be open to learning.
- Practice present-moment awareness.
- Integrate immediate focus and broad awareness.
- Trust yourself.
- Develop resilience through mental/emotional stretching.
- Remember that all significant change begins with self-change.
- Take the leap.
Eight Principles of Personal Mastery
Keep in mind the following principles as you begin to master your ability to lead courageously with more awareness and authenticity:
- Take total responsibility.
- Bring your beliefs into conscious awareness.
- Develop awareness of character and coping.
- Practice personal mastery with others.
- Listen to feedback.
- Consider finding a coach.
- Avoid confusing self-delusion with self-awareness.
- Be agile.
Deepening Authenticity for Sustainable Leadership
Of all the principles supporting sustainable leadership, authenticity is one of the most important. It can also be one of the most challenging.
Authenticity is the continuous process of building self-awareness of our whole person as well as being transparent with others about our whole person—both strengths and limitations. Commonly referred to as “walking the talk,” authenticity also means embodying your talk at a very deep level.
Authenticity is so much more than simply being true to ourselves; it also requires being true to others.
This more complete self-awareness allows them to focus on the team, organization, and marketplaces—not on themselves.
Leading with Inspiration
While spreadsheets are the language of management information, stories are the language of leadership inspiration. Stories can activate our deepest, best selves; they are certainly one of the most transformative of all leadership tools. Powerful narratives can bridge the authentic, essential depth of a leader to the complex breadth of strategy, culture, values, and purpose.
Humans are story beings. From cave paintings and oral histories to novels, films, dance, and digital media, we are driven to create, share, and absorb stories.
Likewise, the shortest distance between a leader and collective inspiration is a heartfelt story.
Leading On-Purpose contd.
We largely over-focus on the What and the How and under-focus on the Why. While it may be counterintuitive to many leaders, the most strategic and energizing place to begin is Purpose: the Big Why.
By focusing on purpose — an aspiration that lifts us and infuses significant meaning in our day-to-day work — and putting it first, we catalyze our courage and authentic influence to create enduring value.
Managers tend to focus on the What and How, wondering Why anything else is important; leaders awaken the wonder of Why to envision a more expanded, compelling What and How.
Exploring Beliefs
Two distinct types of belief systems operate in people: Conscious Beliefs and Shadow Beliefs. Conscious Beliefs are the explicit, known beliefs we have. Examples of Conscious Beliefs someone might have are, “I believe in treating people with respect; I fear trying new things; I am creative and resilient; many people are untrustworthy; hard work brings results.”
Taken from the Jungian concept of shadow, Shadow Beliefs are manifestations of hidden, unexplored or unresolved personality dynamics. A Shadow Belief is cast when we are unable to deal with something. When a deep-seated fear, loss or trauma is ignored or hidden, a Shadow Belief is operating beneath the surface. We all have shadow beliefs.
Leading by Coping
When a leader approaches the question, “How authentic am I?” it is often helpful to ask some other questions first: “Where is my leadership coming from? Where are my beliefs and values coming from?” Is our leadership arising from our Character, which is driven to serve others?
Or is it derived from a pattern of Coping, where we tend to react to circumstances to elicit a more immediate or self-serving result?
Personal Mastery is not about eliminating Coping. It is about increasing Character to such a degree that Character is primary and Coping is secondary.
