Leading From the Inside Out
I had a team of field engineers on the ground in a theatre of war, we had seemingly lost 75% of our revenue in the matter of days and the company looked to me for a solution. What are we going to do now? This came as one of many challenges as a CEO and in retrospect, I can say my approach was one of patience and deliberateness. First and most important, we get the OCONUS team home and their lives safe. Second, we wait and let the story in Afghanistan unfold so that no major decisions are made in crisis. Third, we strategically right size the business and strategy to the settled circumstances and treat the employees that were let go with honor and dignity. It was one of the toughest situations of my career, but one I believe I handled with a high level of respect considering the situation.
Founder, Carlos Arnero
As I transition from my career in executive leadership to this blessing and opportunity that is the Arnero Collective, I reflect on moments like that one. In Blackaby's book on Spiritual Leadership, he identifies three of the major challenges facing today's leaders that include technology, globalization, and diversity. Not only were these external factors and challenges present in my role as a leader, but also internal sources of tension that some may not talk about or take into consideration.
In the case of technology advancements, the inner conflict of balancing time and attention surfaced. With respect to globalization, there's the ongoing tradeoff between ambition and integrity. Lastly, diversity in the workforce pulled at the strings of my identity and convictions as a spiritual leader. The challenge I faced was one in which the external world pulled me in more directions than I knew how to follow. Rather than lead from a place of clarity and presence, I was faced with the challenge of remaining whole, grounded, and faithful to my design. I'm grateful to have navigated my way through with honesty and integrity, but reflecting back it raises one question for me.
With technology, globalization, and diversity becoming ever-increasing challenges in today's leadership environment, how do we equip today's leaders to remain aligned and whole?
Carlos Arnero is the founder of Arnero Collective, a restorative coaching practice for executives and leaders navigating misalignment, recovery, and the pursuit of wholeness. Learn more at arnerocollective.com.
