Spirituality in Leadership Andrew Cohn

There are many dimensions of leadership, each of which contributes meaningfully to one’s effectiveness. The most challenging circumstances demand that leaders be resourceful and use all of their resources, including their bodies. This is the expertise of my guest, Kimberly Arnold. Kimberly is an expert in somatic leadership. As she describes it, it is important to understand how each of us can help our bodies act as an ally to support us, which may include shifting our own energy to be more effective, or even changing the dynamics in a room full of colleagues.
 
Kimberly shares some of her regular practices that help her shift from a contracted state to a more expanded state which allows for more strategic thinking and productive behaviors. She also presents some of the ways she supports groups to reduce tension and facilitate constructive conversation and issue resolution. Finally, she discusses using nature as a resource for grounding and balancing and as a source of spiritual connection. 
 
I hope you enjoy this very practical, constructive, and inspiring conversation.

Dr. James Smith Jr. is all about people; developing, empowering, energizing, motivating people. In our conversation, he shares some of his personal story with his typical upbeat, energizing and practical style. He talks about some of his experiences with his son as a teacher and some of the shifts he needed to make in himself, relying upon what he called his spiritual foundation. James shares the importance of listening. He shares a beautiful story of learning across cultures and the opportunities that can happen from being open to asking questions, using the power of curiosity. He often talks about "possibility thinking," as well as how vulnerability and authenticity are required of leaders in today's workplace.
 
As he says, leaders might get dirty leaning into this kind of listening, but leadership is not a beauty contest. We need to do it. Leadership is about inviting powerful conversations, and that means leaders need to let go of the need to be “right” and focus on being curious. He uses a beautiful metaphor about understanding what parts of ourselves are in our front seat, backseat and trunk as if our consciousness were a vehicle. The best leaders, he says, are the ones who are able to slide into the front seat with us to connect and build trust, which is in large part earned by sharing their own stories.
 
James reminds us that seeking a deep understanding of another with the intention of connecting and supporting is, in fact, a spiritual practice. And each such meaningful conversation creates safety. He also reminds us that we "make deposits" with each positive conversation with openness and curiosity. Finally, he encourages everyone to do what scares them the most, to jump every day, as a way to live life fully.

Naren Balasubramaniam has been a healthcare executive for many years, occupying a variety of leadership roles across geographies and functions. His personal experience with spirituality and with leadership has provided him with a fascinating perspective about how our spirituality can be nourished and applied in organizational life. In this episode, Naren speaks with Andrew about his powerful and insightful points of view, how organizations might begin to design leadership roles with caring at their core, and how his new public benefit corporation is working to address childhood mental health issues, leveraging his purpose, while standing up a viable business entity. Tune in for more!

Leslie Boyer has been a valued consultant and guide for people around the world for several decades. Her work helps people live their lives with authenticity and courage, changing perspectives so as to live the best versions of themselves. In this interview, she talks with Andrew about her background in teaching in challenging environments and where her intention to serve has led her. She also talks about the impact of deep listening as well as storytelling to create genuine human connections. Her purpose-driven work about "growing the bigger parts of ourselves" is practical and powerful in many ways.  

This fascinating conversation focuses on the deeper dimensions of providing services to people with intellectual disabilities. Andrew speaks with David Swain, the CEO of Endeavour Foundation, a provider of support services and employment to people living with disabilities in Queensland, Australia. David talks about caring in action, recognizing the inherent worth of the people being served, with a focus on making impact rather than making money. At the same time, David talks about the need to speak the language of business when running a large organization. He leads us into the intersection of purpose-driven action and leadership, the key things that allow him to create a greater impact organizationally and individually. David also talks about the need to focus on and measure the being level at work, not just the doing. He serves as a wonderful inspiration for those of us trying to make a greater impact with our work in the world.

We have been conditioned to think that spirituality is not something we could bring to work. It's something we leave at the door, never to be spoken about in the halls of business and professionalism. But as we'll see later, this is a huge missed opportunity for all stakeholders involved. In this episode, we are joined by Martin Rutte, a pioneer in the intersection of business and spirituality. Martin shares his journey into this transformative space, revealing a pivotal moment at an Indian monastery that sparked a realization about the absence of spirituality in his life. However, as Rutte navigated the resistance, he discovered that spirituality at work holds the potential to enhance authenticity, trust, and engagement. The conversation unfolds to explore the positive impact of framing spirituality as an ongoing inquiry rather than a set answer, highlighting the importance of creating a safe and permissible space for individuals to explore and express their spiritual dimensions in the workplace. Tune in for more!