Presence-Based Leadership (en)
Presence-Based Leadership in Life, in Teams, in Organizations
Over the paster 16 years of working as a coach and facilitator, I have personally gone through a profound transformation process which is still ongoing. This has led me to thoroughly rethink the conventional understanding of coaching, to grow into a new approach and to develop it further. I call this approach Presence-Based Leadership. For me, this is the most effective and the most valuable way of working with clients.
What do I mean by Presence-Based Leadership?
- Coach and client enter a shared transformational space in which what counts is what is alive in the here and now for both - and between them.
- We trust completely that everything that shows up in and between us, in terms of inner and outer signals, is important and, instead of us actively looking for an aim, the way arises in front of us step by step.
- This means that in mindful encounters, both bring in what is most alive in the moment and what they perceive as resonating with each other.
- There may be some kind of intention/wish/concern/topic at the beginning. We trust that this is a portal of what mysteriously works in the background, while we always remain with what wants to show itself on all levels of perception within and between us.
- Both of us are prepared to move into new territory that has not yet been explored, seemingly aimlessly.
- The transformative process unfolds, so to speak on its own, which makes it even more powerful and impactful.
- This is why I don´t ask any coaching questions no matter how effective they are! This is probably the most obvious difference from coaching. But of course, out of genuine curiosity questions can arise from each person.
- Given all these conditions, the traditional boundaries and roles of coach and client seem blurry, which makes this approach even more challenging because it requires a lot of know-how, experience, and coherence.
- I am talking about sound theoretical knowledge, my entire life experience, my experience as a coach and a continuous learner. This also means: Presence-Based Leadership is an art, not a method.
Is Presence-Based Leadership systemic? solution-oriented? resource-oriented? goal-oriented? Is it body-oriented? process-oriented? behavior-oriented? NO! Presence-Based Leadership is much more the art of navigating together the present moment, simultaneously in the inner space and in the space between, through yet unknown territory.
Of course, Presence-Based Leadership implicitly draws on many proven and effective methods but does not explicitly apply any of them. Great art is to gain access to that comprehensive inner wisdom that eludes linear and goal-oriented thinking. The inner wisdom contains the complexity that allows us to move within the outer complexity (that of our context). This is why inner wisdom is many times more powerful than our controlled thinking. Unfortunately, we have forgotten how to listen to it.
I can try as much as I like to describe Presence-Based Leadership here, but you can only really get to know it by experiencing it yourself.
Have I picked your interest? If so, then I would be happy to answer your questions in a meeting in person.
