Meaningful Leadership - Our Approach

We have spent over 15 years formulating a unique synthesis of cutting-edge theory and practice in leadership development. Informed by principles of quantum physics, our developing understanding of the brain/body connection, the philosophy of Heidegger, and sophisticated work in communication and trust-building, we deliver high-value results to individual entrepreneurs, small business owners, and well-established organizations.

We are dedicated to helping our clients excel in their work and lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. Our non-traditional approach provides individuals with fresh perspectives on their lives and careers, new strategies for coping with change, and a deeper understanding of their roles in their organizations and communities. With the coach as a catalyst for emerging insights, our clients begin to see whole new possibilities for themselves

We design, in partnership, the vision of where you want to go and then assess what stands between you and that set of outcomes. In the service of this vision and partnership, each of us must find our most determined and astute observer who can bring candor, courage and willingness to the work. In any top-performing team each member is responsible to ensure team success, and that the parties excel wildly. The goal of coaching is to reach your potential. The fulfillment of these outcomes is based on a complex set of promises between individual and the coach. Time is spent upfront assessing that this partnership can make a client's vision a reality.

We are committed to helping clients make significant shifts in their leadership skills, sense of inspiration and personal power. Within the unique structure of the partnering relationship, we empower clients to achieve their goals and help their organizations and communities thrive.

What we provide:

What we ask of our clients:

You are the first organization you must master.

— Stuart Heller & David Surrenda, Retooling on the Run

Somatic Coaching and Neuroscience

In coaching we are generally looking at the way a client thinks, behaves and takes actions. We are then creating a series of coaching interventions that address both shifts in thinking and mood management and alterations in behavior (Thinking, Feeling and Doing) thereby shifting results. There is, however, one crucial element missing from this widely used change model. All mental phenomena and all action in the world happen in the context of a physical body.

Generally, we are unaware of how the physical body is informing, shaping and altering our thinking, our mental maps, our moods and our actual behavior in the world at large. In contrast, in Meaningful Leadership Coaching, a somatically informed coaching methodology, we work with clients at every level of their being: the physical body, the mental structures, and the spirit.

We are first and foremost biological beings who eat, sleep, reproduce, fight, run and freeze all in an effort to survive. Under pressure any biological organism responds in certain ways. The human organism is no different. For instance, you walk into the board room for a meeting with your executive team and the CEO. Within the first several minutes of the meeting the CEO fires someone in front of the whole group. Every organism in the room is instantly perturbed: blood pressure changes, heart rate speeds up, hormones are released and the reptilian brain registers this experience as one of immanent danger. The room is so quiet you might say everyone is frozen in their seat, and from a physiological perspective you would be accurate. Any biological organism would either fight, freeze or flee in the face of this kind of danger.

Though not a tiger on the tundra, this scenario is our modern day equivalent. Most people are likely to take no action (i.e. freeze) rather then confront the CEO or leave the room. What the most recent neuroscience is illuminating is that when a human being alerts to danger they lose their capacity to think creatively and quickly and to act nimbly and flexibly. When perturbed in this way any organism has its attention focused firmly on its survival.

Innovation, strategy and reflection all happen in the neo-cortex of the brain to which we have limited access when in this agitated state.

Somatic coaching teaches people how to work with the physical body in order to mindfully focus and pro-actively return to a physiological state where they are once again capable of effective action and to condition themselves to operate with ease, grace and efficacy under pressure or perceived conflict. As with any top performing athlete, we offer clients a range of practices that build stamina, presence, focus, empathy and integrity so that mind and body are operating in concert and on command.

Our somatic discourse draws most specifically on the latest Neuroscience and quantum physics; on the work of somatic trauma expert Peter Levine and most deeply on the pioneering teaching of Dr. Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Ph.D. who has single handedly championed the relevance of the body in coaching practice. His teachings have infiltrated, in limited form, many coaching schools including The Newfield Network and elsewhere.

There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.

— Friederich Nietzsche

Meditation and Mindfulness

A recent issue of Business Week (10/30/06) included a special report in the “significant but sometimes quirky new trend” in which businesses are embracing Indian philosophy and mediation practice. Companies, it reports, are increasingly making links between the development of intellect and the focusing of concentration that can control the mind and body and the business results and success an executive is capable of. Likewise, business schools, they report, are adding courses that combine ancient wisdom with the needs of modern managers.

Peak performing athletes and elite military teams know that high performance requires more than a skill set. To deliver breakout performance under intense competitive pressure requires superior mental clarity, focus, problem solving ability and perspective. Each one of these skills provides critical competitive advantage and can be the difference between winning and losing. Meaningful Leadership wisdom practices include meditation, guided visualization, somatic coaching and yoga. These practices dramatically enhance a leader’s ability in each of these key areas. These practices are integrated, as appropriate, into coaching sessions.

Ontological Coaching

Ontology, the art and science of being, is derived from the philosophical work of Martin Heiddegger as articulated in his text Being and Time. To address “being” in coaching we must understand that we are not solid, rigid beings but rather malleable. With increased awareness and skill we can alter or transform our way of being. In turn, we will generate more effective action and unprecedented levels of integrity.

Human “being” is antecedent to human “doing” so in order to achieve sustainable action changes a powerful coaching exchange has to address this foundational and existential aspect of a clients’ make-up. In ontological coaching we assert that “being” is the source of all effective “doing” and that leadership evolution requires this level of dialogue and trustful coaching.

Moods and Emotions

Human thought and human emotions are married for life: “One never goes anywhere without the other.” We coach people to be smart about feelings so that they can think clearly, build rapport and trust with their colleagues and develop feeling informed wisdom both at home and at work. We work to clear emotional roadblocks to productivity and to reinforce the feelings foundations for sustained satisfaction and lasting health.

Recent organizational thinking has posited that emotional intelligence
and strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills are a far more reliable predictor of organizational and managerial success then technical expertise. As a cornerstone of our coaching practice we teach emotional self-awareness, mood management and the capacity to “go to the balcony” and negotiate with one’s own reactivity and defensiveness as a key leadership capacity. Emotional self-awareness and self-management are core competencies in the domain of relationship skills.

Meaningful Leadership’s coaching approach was shaped with significant input from leading thinkers in multiple disciplines of psychotherapy and group work. We drew on their expertise in gestalt, psychodrama, family systems work, group dynamics and narrative therapy to inform our discourse.

Systems Thinking

Meaningful Leadership coaching invites us to look at ourselves as embedded in a larger context and not simply as individual atoms living autonomously and separately. Whether the context is our team, our organization, our community, our family or the larger ecology in which all human life is embedded, if we look at the environment in which our clients are operating we will see clearly the root of the breakdown and we will devise the coaching interventions that will effect lasting sustainable change.

Presence and Presentation

Exceptional speaking talent has become increasingly important for business, social, and not-for-profit leaders. Fortunately, the ability to stand with poise and self-assurance is not an elusive quality that only certain people possess. Nor is it a generic formula you must follow to get your message heard. True ease and excellence in presentation arise from a palpable confidence in yourself, at your best. Learning to identify your individual strengths, maximize your vocal range and power, and develop your facility with language and story telling will create tremendous opportunity for vibrant exchange through the spoken word.

Speaking from knowledge and passion  What is it that suddenly compels an audience or a room full of colleagues to listen? Of course, the content of our message must be clear, but it is usually a combination of conviction, imagination, and authenticity that draws us in to a speaker. Whether you’re generating material for a formal presentation, practicing for an interview, or developing your voice, you will receive direct guidance and learn a wide range of immediately applicable theater-based techniques. By tapping into your own ingenuity and humor, you will learn to create unique and unforgettable presentations.

Cultivating a powerful vocal and physical presence  Just as important as what you say is what you communicate nonverbally. Your posture, facial expressions, gestures, and other habits of speaking exert a strong influence upon any audience. Listeners also respond to the quality of your voice, whether it’s steady or shaky, resonant or strained. These traits can either reinforce or undermine your message, conveying confidence or uncertainty and insecurity. In addressing these physical and vocal tensions, you gain a strong sense of being centered in your body, achieve greater vocal freedom and clarity, find ease in communicating complex ideas, and shift your listeners’ focus away from your speaking habits and onto your speech.

Connecting and engaging with an audience  Think of conversations in which you’ve felt deeply connected to the people around you. That sense of dynamic engagement is always available, whether you’re addressing a single person or a crowded auditorium. As you develop an actor’s ability to read an audience, you’ll begin to respond adaptively to your listeners, capturing their interest and attention. Nervousness or self-consciousness will diminish, and both you and your audience can simply enjoy the process.

Together, the skills you develop through coaching will transform the speaking experience into one that is exhilarating and deeply fulfilling for both you and your listeners. The benefits extend far beyond interviews, meetings, and formal presentations. In every sphere of your life, you’ll have the ability to communicate with the full potential of your voice, vision, energy, and passion.


	HOME OVERVIEW OF SERVICES OUR APPROACH PROFILES TESTIMONIALS RESOURCES LINKS CONTACT US	Our Approach The Process Somatic Coaching and Neuroscience Meditation and Mindfulness Ontological Coaching Moods and Emotions Systems Thinking Presence and Presentation The Process We have spent over 15 years formulating a unique synthesis of cutting-edge theory and practice in leadership development. Informed by principles of quantum physics, our developing understanding of the brain/body connection, the philosophy of Heidegger, and sophisticated work in communication and trust-building, we deliver high-value results to individual entrepreneurs, small business owners, and well-established organizations. We are dedicated to helping our clients excel in their work and lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. Our non-traditional approach provides individuals with fresh perspectives on their lives and careers, new strategies for coping with change, and a deeper understanding of their roles in their organizations and communities. With the coach as a catalyst for emerging insights, our clients begin to see whole new possibilities for themselves We design, in partnership, the vision of where you want to go and then assess what stands between you and that set of outcomes. In the service of this vision and partnership, each of us must find our most determined and astute observer who can bring candor, courage and willingness to the work. In any top-performing team each member is responsible to ensure team success, and that the parties excel wildly. The goal of coaching is to reach your potential. The fulfillment of these outcomes is based on a complex set of promises between individual and the coach. Time is spent upfront assessing that this partnership can make a client's vision a reality. We are committed to helping clients make significant shifts in their leadership skills, sense of inspiration and personal power. Within the unique structure of the partnering relationship, we empower clients to achieve their goals and help their organizations and communities thrive. What we provide: Consulting and coaching services by phone, e-mail and at times, in person. Our coaching is designed to be intensive and will offer you the opportunity to make a significant shift in your performance. A context and model for making assessments of your progress right from the beginning and along various points in your work. A format for consolidating your work, help you make useful assessments and observations, help you recognize new competencies, map your progress and stay on track. Assignments that will forward you towards your goal. New practices that will enable you to embody the new learning. Written materials and suggest readings to enhance the learning. Other forms of education and coaching when called for. Seasoned and highly competent coaches and practitioners from different modalities to ensure the achievement of your outcomes. What we ask of our clients: Bring an appetite for more richness, fullness in life, and courage to face what confronts you. Approach the work with a beginner's mindset Ask for help any time. Make yourself available for the work. Allocate the necessary time to fully engage in each session and complete the assignments and practices. This is definitely one of those places in life where what you put into this process will give you back so much more. Manage your promises to get the work done. Let us know immediately of any dissatisfaction in the work so that any breakdowns are addressed until both parties are satisfied with the outcome. If we assess that some part of the action plan is ineffective, together we will re-design the work to achieve the desired outcomes. Achieving the outcomes is the essence of our agreement to partner. You are the first organization you must master. — Stuart Heller & David Surrenda, Retooling on the Run [back to top] Somatic Coaching and Neuroscience In coaching we are generally looking at the way a client thinks, behaves and takes actions. We are then creating a series of coaching interventions that address both shifts in thinking and mood management and alterations in behavior (Thinking, Feeling and Doing) thereby shifting results. There is, however, one crucial element missing from this widely used change model. All mental phenomena and all action in the world happen in the context of a physical body. Generally, we are unaware of how the physical body is informing, shaping and altering our thinking, our mental maps, our moods and our actual behavior in the world at large. In contrast, in Meaningful Leadership Coaching, a somatically informed coaching methodology, we work with clients at every level of their being: the physical body, the mental structures, and the spirit. We are first and foremost biological beings who eat, sleep, reproduce, fight, run and freeze all in an effort to survive. Under pressure any biological organism responds in certain ways. The human organism is no different. For instance, you walk into the board room for a meeting with your executive team and the CEO. Within the first several minutes of the meeting the CEO fires someone in front of the whole group. Every organism in the room is instantly perturbed: blood pressure changes, heart rate speeds up, hormones are released and the reptilian brain registers this experience as one of immanent danger. The room is so quiet you might say everyone is frozen in their seat, and from a physiological perspective you would be accurate. Any biological organism would either fight, freeze or flee in the face of this kind of danger. Though not a tiger on the tundra, this scenario is our modern day equivalent. Most people are likely to take no action (i.e. freeze) rather then confront the CEO or leave the room. What the most recent neuroscience is illuminating is that when a human being alerts to danger they lose their capacity to think creatively and quickly and to act nimbly and flexibly. When perturbed in this way any organism has its attention focused firmly on its survival. Innovation, strategy and reflection all happen in the neo-cortex of the brain to which we have limited access when in this agitated state. Somatic coaching teaches people how to work with the physical body in order to mindfully focus and pro-actively return to a physiological state where they are once again capable of effective action and to condition themselves to operate with ease, grace and efficacy under pressure or perceived conflict. As with any top performing athlete, we offer clients a range of practices that build stamina, presence, focus, empathy and integrity so that mind and body are operating in concert and on command. Our somatic discourse draws most specifically on the latest Neuroscience and quantum physics; on the work of somatic trauma expert Peter Levine and most deeply on the pioneering teaching of Dr. Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Ph.D. who has single handedly championed the relevance of the body in coaching practice. His teachings have infiltrated, in limited form, many coaching schools including The Newfield Network and elsewhere. There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy. — Friederich Nietzsche [back to top] Meditation and Mindfulness A recent issue of Business Week (10/30/06) included a special report in the “significant but sometimes quirky new trend” in which businesses are embracing Indian philosophy and mediation practice. Companies, it reports, are increasingly making links between the development of intellect and the focusing of concentration that can control the mind and body and the business results and success an executive is capable of. Likewise, business schools, they report, are adding courses that combine ancient wisdom with the needs of modern managers. Peak performing athletes and elite military teams know that high performance requires more than a skill set. To deliver breakout performance under intense competitive pressure requires superior mental clarity, focus, problem solving ability and perspective. Each one of these skills provides critical competitive advantage and can be the difference between winning and losing. Meaningful Leadership wisdom practices include meditation, guided visualization, somatic coaching and yoga. These practices dramatically enhance a leader’s ability in each of these key areas. These practices are integrated, as appropriate, into coaching sessions. [back to top] Ontological Coaching Ontology, the art and science of being, is derived from the philosophical work of Martin Heiddegger as articulated in his text Being and Time. To address “being” in coaching we must understand that we are not solid, rigid beings but rather malleable. With increased awareness and skill we can alter or transform our way of being. In turn, we will generate more effective action and unprecedented levels of integrity. Human “being” is antecedent to human “doing” so in order to achieve sustainable action changes a powerful coaching exchange has to address this foundational and existential aspect of a clients’ make-up. In ontological coaching we assert that “being” is the source of all effective “doing” and that leadership evolution requires this level of dialogue and trustful coaching. [back to top] Moods and Emotions Human thought and human emotions are married for life: “One never goes anywhere without the other.” We coach people to be smart about feelings so that they can think clearly, build rapport and trust with their colleagues and develop feeling informed wisdom both at home and at work. We work to clear emotional roadblocks to productivity and to reinforce the feelings foundations for sustained satisfaction and lasting health. Recent organizational thinking has posited that emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills are a far more reliable predictor of organizational and managerial success then technical expertise. As a cornerstone of our coaching practice we teach emotional self-awareness, mood management and the capacity to “go to the balcony” and negotiate with one’s own reactivity and defensiveness as a key leadership capacity. Emotional self-awareness and self-management are core competencies in the domain of relationship skills. Meaningful Leadership’s coaching approach was shaped with significant input from leading thinkers in multiple disciplines of psychotherapy and group work. We drew on their expertise in gestalt, psychodrama, family systems work, group dynamics and narrative therapy to inform our discourse. [back to top] Systems Thinking Meaningful Leadership coaching invites us to look at ourselves as embedded in a larger context and not simply as individual atoms living autonomously and separately. Whether the context is our team, our organization, our community, our family or the larger ecology in which all human life is embedded, if we look at the environment in which our clients are operating we will see clearly the root of the breakdown and we will devise the coaching interventions that will effect lasting sustainable change. [back to top] Presence and Presentation Exceptional speaking talent has become increasingly important for business, social, and not-for-profit leaders. Fortunately, the ability to stand with poise and self-assurance is not an elusive quality that only certain people possess. Nor is it a generic formula you must follow to get your message heard. True ease and excellence in presentation arise from a palpable confidence in yourself, at your best. Learning to identify your individual strengths, maximize your vocal range and power, and develop your facility with language and story telling will create tremendous opportunity for vibrant exchange through the spoken word. Speaking from knowledge and passion  What is it that suddenly compels an audience or a room full of colleagues to listen? Of course, the content of our message must be clear, but it is usually a combination of conviction, imagination, and authenticity that draws us in to a speaker. Whether you’re generating material for a formal presentation, practicing for an interview, or developing your voice, you will receive direct guidance and learn a wide range of immediately applicable theater-based techniques. By tapping into your own ingenuity and humor, you will learn to create unique and unforgettable presentations. Cultivating a powerful vocal and physical presence  Just as important as what you say is what you communicate nonverbally. Your posture, facial expressions, gestures, and other habits of speaking exert a strong influence upon any audience. Listeners also respond to the quality of your voice, whether it’s steady or shaky, resonant or strained. These traits can either reinforce or undermine your message, conveying confidence or uncertainty and insecurity. In addressing these physical and vocal tensions, you gain a strong sense of being centered in your body, achieve greater vocal freedom and clarity, find ease in communicating complex ideas, and shift your listeners’ focus away from your speaking habits and onto your speech. Connecting and engaging with an audience  Think of conversations in which you’ve felt deeply connected to the people around you. That sense of dynamic engagement is always available, whether you’re addressing a single person or a crowded auditorium. As you develop an actor’s ability to read an audience, you’ll begin to respond adaptively to your listeners, capturing their interest and attention. Nervousness or self-consciousness will diminish, and both you and your audience can simply enjoy the process. Together, the skills you develop through coaching will transform the speaking experience into one that is exhilarating and deeply fulfilling for both you and your listeners. The benefits extend far beyond interviews, meetings, and formal presentations. In every sphere of your life, you’ll have the ability to communicate with the full potential of your voice, vision, energy, and passion. [back to top]




HOME OVERVIEW OF SERVICES OUR APPROACH PROFILES TESTIMONIALS RESOURCES LINKS CONTACT US

Our Approach

The Process