People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1 - 37

Researchers have used many ways to ascertain leadership's effect on the health and wellness of
organizations. A number of leadership models focus on traits, behaviors, competencies, spheres
and types of influence, interaction patterns, and roles. While each of these models provides some
insight, our research concludes that none are sufficient for fully understanding the complexity
leaders face in contemporary organizations-and certainly none capture the impact a leader has
on its overall health and vitality.

he leadership models that dominate
the current landscape are largely
competency based. While competency models are an important component to
understanding and developing effective leadership, they are inadequate. At worst, they
reduce the complex nature of leadership to a
simplistic, utilitarian portfolio of behaviors.
At best, they provide a useful toolkit without
the necessary context and grounding to make
them come alive and be sustainable for an
individual leader.
Ultimately, leadership is far more than a
defined set of behaviors and competencies-
it is a complex relationship involving trust,
skill, and vision. Additionally, leadership
models and development efforts must include
a strong moral component. Today's leaders
have impact well beyond their individual
organizations. Whether they lead corporations, government entities, nonprofit, or faith
communities, leaders must consider that their
actions today ripple throughout communities
and the world at large-well into the future.
Healthy Companies International has advised
leaders and conducted leadership research
for more than two decades. During that time,
we have consulted with, trained, and coached
thousands of leaders around the world. Our
extensive experience with leaders provided us
with insights about the importance of a holistic approach to leadership development.
Given our commitment to ongoing research,
and to clarify our thinking about the importance of an integrated leadership model, we
systematically interviewed more than 300
leaders in more than 40 countries. We recorded and transcribed interviews and used nar-

rative analysis to identify recurring themes
and patterns. As we recontextualized these
elements into our leadership model, we confirmed our interpretations and conclusions
with many of our interviewees. This iterative
process is the foundation of what we conclude are the core elements of sustainable,
contemporary leadership

Leaders' Lives and
Goals, Intertwined

* Foster productive relationships by modeling authenticity and reciprocal
relationships
* Forge a shared direction through elicit
understanding, commitment, and ownership for the organization's vision
* Tap into a higher purpose by communicating energy and meaning around the organization's mission and work

We observed that the most effective leaders
approach leadership from a personal and
holistic perspective. Their stories acknowledge the significance of their own personal
journey-often integrating lessons from
childhood into the fabric of their leadership
style. We were struck by the extent to which
great leaders "own and hone" their individual
heritage and experience (both good and bad)
with their unique leadership style.

While each of the leaders we interviewed
spoke in detail about the successes, failures,
and lessons learned from their various leadership efforts, the majority wanted to start with
the background and foundation of their success. They wanted to create a context for the
discussion. They wanted us to know who
they were-as a prelude to what they were
trying to do or achieve in their role. This led
us to observe that great leadership is rooted
in self-awareness and authenticity.

This is not to suggest that leaders were not
highly focused on execution. In fact, all of the
leaders we interviewed were clear about their
leadership strategies and desired outcomes,
which were categorized into the following
Leadership Actions:

Based on what we were hearing and observing from these leaders, we began to build a
framework to capture the various dimensions
that emerged as the foundation of (and the
true differentiators for) developing and sustaining effective leadership.

* Drive high performance by promoting a
culture of excellence and accountability

The Roots of Holistic
Leadership

* Seize new opportunities by encouraging
curiosity and learning
* Unleash human potential by challenging
people's minds and engaging their hearts

As we began making sense of the vast inventory of information, we realized that leaders
were honing their priorities and personal
mastery practices in response to major disruptive trends they were facing. We identified
VOLUME 38/ISSUE 1 - 2015

People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1