Frequently I am asked to talk about leadership, and frequently, as I first stand up and introduce the title of my presentation, I begin by challenging it. I say “Let’s take away the word leadership and replace it with the word relationship and see what happens”. The word leadership can bring baggage with it. We think it is not for us, but for the people above us - we link it to hierarchy. It brings with it a responsibility and that may put us off too - “I don’t want the responsibility”. We may have suffered from some poor leadership…

There is much evidence to suggest that sustainability is about balance, and that the three main systems within which we operate need to work together in a specific order. These systems are the Economy, Society and the Ecosystem. Ecosystem means “a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment”; it is more than just the “environment”, it is everything within and the hugely complex and finely balanced relationships The sustainable system order is simple; the economy serves society which, in turn, serves the ecosystem. As the economy prospers so it enables society’s service to the ecosystem. All is well…

We are defined within four realms, each providing opportunity for growth, that when all are well and balanced gives us a deep sense of self-worth and well-being. We can only truly shine with the conscious development of all four quadrants though some offer greater scope for development than others. I do not believe that a true compassionate leader can neglect any of the 4, though, clearly as you will see, the CLA programme itself can really only assist in 3 of the 4. The four quadrants are the Intellectual, the Emotional, the Spiritual and the Physical. We hear and know…

It was the great and hugely humble Dalai Lama, the leader of the Tibetan people, that once described the difference between empathy and compassion. And he should know! He says “Empathy is to raise your consciousness of the other. Compassion is to work with that knowledge with positive intent”. In essence compassion is “empathy with positive action”. I like that. It sounds powerful and transformational. The application of compassion will transform teams, organisations, companies, communities and our society at large. There are two aspects to compassion that are of equal importance. The first is for us all to widen our…