SID2023 Candelle Nestor - Why we need to think like athletes in leadership

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to train in leadership like you trained to be an athlete? Not just participate in a workshop or read a book that tells you the traits and behaviours of leadership – a continuous program of training and the systematic design of our life to optimise your performance as a leader?

In a short design research program, I explored the systemic influences on the development of Conscious Leadership in design. Preliminary findings from the research suggest that successful Conscious Leaders in design must work simultaneously on improving themselves and the systems around them in order to be able to perform well and consistently as a leader. The patterns of self-leadership and life design amongst aspiring Conscious Leaders in design suggest that when it comes to leadership performance, we need to think like athletes. Learn more about the Conscious Leadership model and find out how we can think like athletes as leaders in design in Candelle Nestor’s talk.

Transcript

1. Why we
   need to
   think like
   athletes in
   leadership?
   Candelle Nestor
   

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2. Leadership Development is estimated to be $357
   billion global industry (Westfall 2019).
   

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3. Persistent problems are not the outcome of elements or people within a system,
   but rather the outcome of a poorly designed system (Meadows & Wright 2008).
   

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4. What are the systemic factors and conditions
   that influence the development and practice of
   Conscious Leadership in design?
   

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6. Leadership that actively fosters expanded
   states of consciousness and self awareness
   and works to build a culture of ‘we’ rather
   than a culture of ‘me’ (Chapman, Dethmer &
   Klemp 2015).
   

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7. The 15 Commitments of
   Conscious Leadership
   Learning Through Creativity
   Feeling All Feelings
   Speaking Candidly
   Eliminating Gossip
   Practicing Integrity
   Living a Life of Play and Rest
   Exploring the Opposite
   Sourcing Approval Controls and Security
   Having Enough of Everything
   Creating Win for All Solutions
   Being the Resolution
   Excelling in Your Zone of Genius
   Taking Radical Responsibility
   Generating Appreciation
   Experiencing the World as an Ally
   

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8. "I share with others what is true for me without withholding
   information, even if it is uncomfortable."
   "When speaking about others, I only share what I would be
   willing to say to them directly."
   The 17 Behaviours of
   Conscious Leadership
   Speaking Candidly
   Example
   

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11. Self Leadership Literature
    (Chapman, Dethmer & Klemp
    2015)
    (Bryant 2017)
    (Heifetz, Linsky & Grashow 2009) (Bihary 2020) (Blanchard, Fowler & Hawkins
    2006)
    

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14. • [show ecosystem model – internal factors only]
    

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15. ACTION
    CHALLENGE RESPONSE OUTCOME
    INDIVIDUAL
    MICRO
    MESO
    MACRO
    self
    awareness
    ACTIVITY
    self reflection
    ACTIVITY
    self regulation
    ACTIVITY
    mindfulness
    practices
    reflective practice
    structures
    FACTOR
    space for introspection
    FACTOR
    FACTOR
    visibility of alternative
    leadership models
    space for
    introspection
    FACTOR
    space for introspection
    FACTOR
    social norms of
    spirituality
    FACTOR
    spiritual teachers
    

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17. • We cannot separate ourselves from the systems
    we are part of.
    • Optimise our environments to help us practice
    the self leadership needed to be a conscious
    leader.
    • Meditation practice
    • Reflective journaling
    • 15 min breaks between all meetings
    • Almonds, pistachios and macadamias
    • Retros, 3 in a Box, regular 1:1s
    • Leadership coach
    • Train like an athlete.
    Takeaways
    

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18. candelle.nestor@gmail.com
    

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19. Chapman, D, Dethmer, J & Klemp, K 2015, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success, Conscious
    Leadership Group.
    Meadows, D & Wright, D 2008, Thinking in Systems: International Bestseller, Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont, USA.
    Westfall, C 2019, 'Leadership Development Is A $366 Billion Industry: Here's Why Most Programs Don't Work', Forbes,
    .
    References
    

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