7 Leadership Questions to Ask Yourself

I was recently interviewed by Jonno White , founder of Clarity, a CEO coaching consultancy.

I thought you might find something in my answers that would resonate in your role as a leader of an organization, a community, a team, or even yourself.

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

It's very challenging today to motivate teams to focus on business goals and priorities when at the same time the world is engulfed in major disasters, ethnic and religious conflicts, and personal overwhelm. We are all human and we can't "leave our heart at the door". Giving staff and colleagues time and space to process tragedies and worries is essential for team and organizational coherence.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I started young, you could say. After failing to be elected 7th and 8th grade class president, I tried again in 9th grade with a campaign theme of "Help me Get Out of My Rut". This was my mother's idea. Vulnerability mixed with humor. It worked brilliantly. Three years later I was elected co-President of the student body of my high school in suburban New Jersey. It was a turbulent time of anti-war protests, civil rights turmoil, and generational friction. I was excited to try to lead in these "safe settings" in those dynamic times. Ten years later I began a seven year stint as an executive of a nutrition company which provided much needed real world leadership experience. Later I was named one of the founding directors of HeartMath Institute and later VP for Global Development. In 2000 I was named President and CEO for HeartMath, a role I held for 11 years. I had been with the organization for 9 years when I achieved the CEO position, so I was well known internally and I had a deep commitment to the mission and vision of the organization. It was a dream job in many ways -- doing work I loved, inspiring people on four continents, innovative and cool, and ultimately inspiring.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I rise by 6am and say a short prayer of gratitude for another day of loving and living. Because I have partners in Europe and the Middle East, I check my phone to see if there are any messages that need my attention. I then make my morning matcha mushroom beverage for strong brain function and cognitive clarity. After this I listen to a short inspirational daily podcast and then do a short inspirational reading. After this I stretch and do a 50-minute walking meditation for the world. Especially with the current horrors unfolding in Gaza and Israel I commit each day to being the best, most humane, kind and compassionate leader I can be. My work day starts by 9am and I review my schedule of meetings and uninterrupted work time. Through the day I take several 3-5 minute breaks to walk outside in the sunshine and feel my feet on the earth. Sometimes I also nap for 10-15 minutes to recharge my batteries as needed. By 5:30 or 6pm my work day is usually done, and I do some vigorous upper body and core exercise before making dinner. I relax in the evening reviewing any messages from the day and watching an English crime drama or great movie. Before getting ready for bed I review the schedule for the next day and do a brief meditation and prayer before falling asleep.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Thanks to a book and a coaching process called Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine, I’m currently focused a lot on the concept of Saboteur and Sage. This is the idea that we each have about 10 internal saboteurs — the most damaging being the Judge — which undermine our success at every turn. But we also have the capacity to awaken the Sage part of ourselves, where our innate wisdom, intuition, and life experience can overcome the Saboteurs. This is a powerful practice.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

This could sound incredibly self-serving, but the process of writing my book, From Chaos to Coherence: The Power to Change Performance, including two major revisions over several years, while at the same time being CEO of HeartMath, was most profound in my leadership journey. Here I was writing a book about how HeartMath worked with leaders around the world in major corporations and health systems, while I was traveling 150,000 miles per year working with these leaders while at the same time guiding the organization back in California.

The challenge of balancing these priorities provided a major leadership growth spurt for me! At the same time, I was keeping it real by writing about how we at HeartMath were actually integrating the HeartMath principles in our own organizational culture.

I found myself being inspired as a leader to write about the concepts I was teaching all over the world, and implementing at home.

Many teachers say they teach the subjects they most need to learn. This was definitely the case for me. I was in a leadership crucible of guiding leaders, guiding our organization, guiding myself, and writing about it over ten years.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

As the brilliant writer Oscar Wilde once said, "Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken." Too many young leaders try to "act like a leader" or mimic a famous leader or mentor. This might work briefly but will ultimately fail while also being totally unfulfilling. The great leaders understand their weaknesses and vulnerabilities and also honor their unique strengths. It's the leader who recognizes the fullness of who they are that can also motivate and inspire others. If you try to be something you're not, it won't work. Being yourself also means developing the parts of yourself that need to keep growing. Keep developing yourself and keep growing. Awaken your heart, your compassion, your kindness, your understanding, your generosity, your capacity to truly listen to another person. Be the greatest person you can be, and your leadership skills will fall into place.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

I had the privilege of being mentored for more than twenty years by the founder of HeartMath, Doc Childre.

One of the most remarkable qualities he had was his sensitivity to understanding how an audience of one or many might hear and react to messages he was giving.

Whether that message was uplifting or concerning, Doc had the ability to anticipate questions and reactions of the group present -- or the audience that would later read it -- and would often spend a tremendous amount of time to make sure everyone’s concerns were being heard. This same skill was demonstrated in long group sessions crafting certain email messages or web copy.

He was an artist at work and he knew he had many colors and textures to choose from. I sat there many times marveling at this sensitivity and strove to develop that in myself as well.

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How do you respond to these questions? What lessons in your growth in leading yourself and others stand out for you?

Please share any reflections in the comments and as always, like, share this post in your network, and subscribe to FUTURE YOU.

with compassion and humility

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