VIA View: Awakened Leaders

I read a lot of leadership books. And I mean a lot. I’ve even been known to take them on holiday with me… But some books stand out from the crowd and “Awakened Leaders” was one of them.

I found out about this book whilst it was still being written. I’ve worked with Gail Partridge since 2020. She’s a superb leadership trainer who doesn’t just know leadership as a concept, she truly understands leaders themselves. I simply love working with her so hearing she was writing a chapter in a co-authored book on love in leadership – well I was sold in an instant!

I was also fortunate to chat with Mel MacIntrye, the curator of “Awakened Leaders”. She started to tell me more about what this book would become. Her passion and immediate connection made me realise this was no ordinary leadership book. This was a book about people. Nine people to be exact. All leaders with stories to tell about their journeys. This felt much more personal than books I’d come across before.

All of these stories taught me something new – and in part I believe that’s because they are truly stories. These are not your ‘TED talk’ style monologues – these are stories about people’s lives and how that intertwines with leadership, and the lessons learned along that journey. Whilst each person differed in their experience and roles, what was abundantly clear is that their journeys had made them who they were. Each of them a better leader as a result.

I wanted to pick out 3 highlights (of which there were many!) and thank the authors for their powerful vulnerability in sharing their stories.

Dr Joy Hess’s story has family at the heart. Her words echo love and loss – and how love can actually be both simple and complex at the same time. As a lifelong planner, I recently had to learn the hard way how to ‘let go’ of control, so perhaps it was inevitable that Dr Joy Hess’s words would speak to me:

“I resigned to not knowing how the whole plan would turn out, I only needed the next step”.

This is so simple, and yet so effective, but Dr Joy Hess follows with guidance that I believe can help people feel back in control. “Speak kindly to yourself” is advice I have given to others far more than to myself – but in the darkest times our inner dialogue must provide support for us to survive. “Do small things with great love” – a quote from Mother Theresa providing direction to those steps forward without them needing to feel like grand leaps. To weather storms, adopting a mindset based on these principles must surely be a great lesson in life.

Another phrase that has stayed with me ever since reading it came from Dr Libby McGugan:

“Feelings are indicators – like the light on your dashboard letting you know you need fuel – they are simply telling us whether we’re aligned with the best perspective for us, or whether we’ve missed something.”

In recent years emotional intelligence is an area leaders are increasingly aware of, but how often do we stop and think about our feelings like this? How often do we reflect on our feelings and what has caused them? How often are decisions made from a position of fear? Dr Libby McGugan encourages us to stop and think about our feelings in order to unlock greater wisdom – and through wise leaders unlock a ripple effect building trust, collaboration and freedom in those around us. ‘Tuning in’ to our feelings can make us show up as a better individual – be that a leader or simply fellow human. To be the best version of ourselves serves the needs of those around us as much as our own development – and that it a great quality in any leader.  

My final highlight must of course go to Gail Partridge. I thought I knew her story, but it turns out there was so much more to understand. As is so often the case great leaders are forged through overcoming their challenges – and that goes for at home as well as at work. Gail Partridge has been able to take challenges and ‘flip’ them into her superpowers. She encourages us not to waste time fitting into a mould when being your unique self is so much more powerful. As someone who has often felt ‘square peg in a round hole’ I found her words inspiring. Her experiences have led her to owning an authentic sense of self, and that came through as well on paper as well as it does first hand.

 “Unleash who you really are and make that work for you” and “be everything you are with all that you have”.  

If being a successful leader means feeling an imposter, then it’s not true success. The most inspiring leaders I have worked with understand this. They adapt, yes, but they don’t change who they are. Authentic leadership is a real everyday superpower.

Thank you to all of the authors of this wonderful book. Your words have truly inspired me to consider my own contribution to the world and how to become a better person.