International In-house Counsel Journal
Vol. 3, No. 12, Summer 2010, 1
International In-house Counsel Journal ISSN 1754-0607 print/ISSN 1754-0607 online
EVOLVING LAWYERS into LEADERS:
„egotistic experts‟ to „integrative Leaders‟ …
ROWAN GILLIES
Leadership & Organisational Development Coach-Consultant & Trainer-
Technologist, and Mediator & Solicitor
“A Problem cannot be solved from the same level of Thinking that created it”
Albert Einstein
Health Warning : Dangerous Article
This Article is Dangerous to You(r Lawyer-Ego).
If You are:
heavily-invested in Your current sense of „self‟, and
don‟t wish to be subject to the inevitability of change, but rather to stay in
Your mental & emotional „comfort zone‟,
then PLEASE do NOT read further.
If, on the other hand, You are:
somewhat more creatively-curious & smilingly-adventurous,
wish to „dance at the edge‟ of Your & the existing Leadership paradigm, and
are open to experiencing egoic-discomfort & resistance (especially as a route
to development),
then read on, knowing nonetheless that Your perception of Yourself, Lawyers &
Leadership will never be the same again…
“The mind once expanded can never revert to its original dimensions”
Oliver Wendell-Holmes
2 Rowan Gillies
ABSTRACT
This Article:
is based on the latest science & personal research in various fields (including
neuro-science, adult developmental & positive psychology, leadership &
organisational development, etc), from various salubrious institutions (eg
Harvard, Oxford, HEC Paris, MIT, Pennsylvania, Chicago etc)
(playfully) provokes Lawyers, their egos & „pessimistic‟ disposition
questions whether Lawyers, as a class, have yet evolved to be true Leaders
points-out:
- that the potential for self-directed neural & psychological adult development
within the lifetime is now a recognised fact
- that „positivity‟ too is a critical component of such development
- that such 'development' is a reference to a 'vertical' development in cognitive-
based 'complexity', rather than mere 'horizontal' knowledge-accumulation based learning, - that university & business-based research shows that such 'complexity' development is what is needed to address the pressing Leadership issues of the day, and that the more 'complex' the Leader the more optimal the Leadership - that a technical expert approach to life & Leadership tends to slot into the lower-mid range of individual & Leadership development levels - that such vertical Leadership development may nonetheless be consciously cultivated - that such cultivation requires a very different approach to the conventional
'transmission' & knowledge-based approach to horizontal learning &training,
sets-out some basic aspects of such required approach for vertical development,
and
articulates that such development is needed if Lawyers & the Law are to fulfil
their potential role in the positive transformation & sustainability of our various
human systems
1. Introduction: Calling ALL Sceptics („FAKE‟ & „REAL‟) please…
Now, although (or maybe, because) this Article is based on cutting-edge research,
including from Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Pennsylvania, California etc, as well as personal
post-graduate research conducted by the Author at Oxford University (Said Business
School) & HEC (Paris), drawing from various fields, including those of adult
developmental & positive psychology, neuro-science, and organizational development…
…I am inviting, from the outset, all-round real, healthy scepticism as a basic premise.
And I know I WILL get „scepticism‟ from almost every reader.
Why?
Leadership 3
Well, as Lawyers, You are WELL-trained to be „sceptical‟…to be „pessimistic‟ (aka
„prudent‟)…and, it‟s no secret, the scientific research confirms it…
As Professor Martin Seligman, famed ex-President of the American
Psychological Association & founder of Positive Psychology, notes:
“Lawyers are trained to be aggressive, judgmental, intellectual, analytical and
emotionally detached. This produces predictable emotional consequences for
the legal practitioner: he or she will be depressed, anxious and angry a lot of
the time.”1
Indeed, in an analysis by John Hopkins University, of 103 occupations, only 3
of them showed statistically significant elevations of major depressive disorder,
and, You guessed it, Lawyers topped the list, suffering from depression at a rate
3.6 times higher than occupations generally.
And, “…by any measure, lawyers… are disproportionately unhappy and
unhealthy. And lawyers know it…”1
So, I am sure I WILL get „scepticism‟… HOWEVER as to whether it will be „REAL
scepticism‟ (ie balanced, all-round scepticism, including of Your OWN current views &
pre-dispositions etc), of this i am far less sure, indeed it seems prima facie unlikely…
So, as a hedge against Your likely „FAKE scepticism‟, I invite You (as You prepare-to-
read, actually read, & then reflect on Your reading of this Article) to be as consciously-
aware as You are cognitively able, of Your inherent predisposition to be unhealthily
sceptical by virtue:
of Your pessimistic Lawyer-ness (-see above)…AND
also just by virtue of Your being Human…because, as leading neuro-scientists
will tell You, our brain instinctively sees EVERY piece of data (other than an
infant baby and a beautiful person), as a „threat‟, and activates the old survival
1 MSeligman, „Authentic Happiness‟, 2002
4 Rowan Gillies
part of the brain, which reacts instinctively with a mal-adapted „flight, fight or
freeze‟ response. 2
AND, for You to also recognise that as You move-out from the illusory safe-
harbour of Your own mental „comfort zone‟, that You WILL feel
DISCOMFORT in Your thinking, feeling & sensing…AND that that such
discomfort is neurologically PERFECT, as it is highlighting that You are
actually physiologically growing new neural pathways in Your brain, which are
expanding Your overall resources & behavioural repertoire! 2
2 See miscellaneous neuro-science research; valuable references include David Rock, Dr. Dan
Siegel et.al.
Positive Response Positive Response Fight, Flight or
Freeze Response
„INFANT‟ „BEAUTIFUL PERSON‟ „OTHER‟
Leadership 5
2. A Superior “Splinter in the Mind”…
As Lawyers, a big part of our-selves knows that we are somewhat „superior‟… generally,
that is…and, specifically, to the other professions & trades…and, even to our clients.
We may not be able to articulate that sense of superiority very well, even to our-selves,
but it‟s there…sometimes just lurking in the closet, and sometimes coming boldly right-
out and letting deserving people (like family & juniors, and fellow-colleagues) know it…
And yet, despite that „knowing‟, sometimes, suddenly, we get that subterranean nagging,
a feel-ing that, despite all this superiority, somehow, well, we just aren‟t Leading our
Lives and our People (maybe, at home as well as at the office) as well, as effectively, as
we know we can…
Maybe it‟s like Morpheus in The Matrix movie, reminding Neo of that uncomfortable
feel-ing He gets that somehow there‟s something not quite right with His world…”the
splinter in the mind”…
Of course, yes, all of this is a projection…it happened to me. And, as i have long learnt
(much to my ego‟s disappointment), i am just not that special & unique, to be the only
one! ...
So, What do we do to become the Leaders we have the born potential to be?!...
3. Lawyer in Wonderland – through the Looking Glass(es)…
Well, let‟s hold-up some modern „mirrors‟…
3.1 Until recently in the West, some of the prevailing wisdom was as follows:
(a) That, neurologically, the brain was an inert & decaying lump of grey matter.
(b) And, developmentally, that adults do NOT cognitively develop in a real,
vertical sense :
Mental development/ complexity: The view thirty years ago
(Source: Prof. Bob Kegan, Harvard, Immunity to Change)
20 30 40 50 60 70 Age
[Figure 2: Age and Mental Complexity: The View thirty years ago]
Men
tal d
evel
opm
ent/
com
plex
ity
6 Rowan Gillies
In other words, that although, as we know, children vertically-develop over their
childhood, the recent view was that when we reach just beyond adolescence, our capacity
for development of mental complexity „flatlines‟.
Our mental grey-matter just stays as grey as it ever was!
3.2 Well, the latest research is turning all that old paradigm knowledge on its head,
showing that this is NOT the case, and that something very different is actually
happening…:
(a) Firstly, the neuro-scientists have proved conclusively:
that the brain itself is not just a lump of inert or decaying grey matter,
but rather actually grows, like a forest, so-called “neuroplasticity”,
AND
that the brain grows according to how You think…so Your thinking
actually rewires Your brain…in the directions of those thoughts... 2
(b) Secondly, the positive psychologists have proved:
that , in addition to merely just feeling good & halting negativity,
“Positivity” itself actually changes how Your mind works and
transforms Your future; it “broadens & builds ”, by opening Your heart
& mind, making You more receptive & more creative (ie „broadens‟)
AND that then also “allows us to discover and build new skills, new
ties, new knowledge, and new ways of being” (ie „builds‟ physical,
psychological, intellectual, social resources)3, and
together, that Positivity lights-up, exercises & grows the newest, most-
advanced part of the brain, namely the „pre-frontal cortex‟
(c) Thirdly, leading developmental psychologists at Harvard & elsewhere are
seeing this sort of pattern, based on over 30 years of research..:
3 Prof Barbara Frederickson, „Positivity‟, 2009
Pre-frontal
cortex
Leadership 7
Trajectory & Distribution of levels of mental development/complexity in adults
(Source: Prof. Bob Kegan, Harvard, Immunity to Change)
What is this graph showing, then?
That adults DO in fact develop in mental complexity over their lifetimes,
That such development occurs in 3 distinct, chronological stages (ie from the
“Socialised” (pre-Personal), to the “Self-Authoring” (Personal), & then “Self-
Transforming” (trans-Personal) Mind stages)
That fewer & fewer adults move through to the higher stages of development
4. Complexity Imperative: (Old Paradigm) Leaders needing New (Paradigm)
Minds...
Well, SO WHAT?!...
Well, according also to Dr Otto Scharmer of MIT, “The mismatch between
[high] level...challenges on the one hand and predominantly [low]
Level...responses from the mainstream of our institutions points at a pervasive
leadership failure. Leadership failure is the key issue of our time.”
And Why would this be?....Well, to Harvard‟s Prof Bob Kegan, the complexity
of the World now exceeds the mental complexity levels of us humans, such that
“we are in over our heads”...and that accordingly what is required is a “new
capacity of mind... a quantum shift in individual mental complexity across the
board...adaptive challenges ...can only be met by transforming your mindset, by
advancing to a more sophisticated stage of mental development...‟ And so, a call
to develop our employees & leaders up the levels from the Socialised and Self-
Authoring Mind stages into the Self-Transforming Mind stage...
8 Rowan Gillies
This focus on development of selves is further echoed by the doyen „Doctor of
Flow‟, Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of the University of Chicago, who
doesn‟t beat around the bush:
„...the fate of humanity...depends on the kind of selves we are able to create and
on the social forms that we succeed in building. Certainly there are many
momentous tasks looking ahead in these perilous times...But no task is more
essential…than finding a way to develop selves that will support evolution. On
this depend all the other positive consequences…‟
So, what of the basic characteristics of selves as they move-up the stages? Well,
with each higher stage of development the individual‟s cognitive capacity is
more „complex‟, ie His perspective-taking, maturity of ego, meaning-making
system etc is more advanced, more sophisticated than at the lower levels. More
„differentiated & integrated‟. Access to intuitive-knowing & „wisdom‟ and to „in
the zone‟-„flow‟-states is enhanced.
Specifically in a leadership context, ex-Harvard Bill Joiner & Stephen Josephs,
authors of Leadership Agility, summarise their own independent research as
follows:
„In a nutshell, here‟s what we learned: As you grow
from one stage to another, you develop a distinct set
of mental and emotional capacities that enable you
to respond more effectively to change and
complexity…leaders become more effective as they
grow into the more advanced stages, because, in
doing so, they become increasingly adept at
responding to the degree of change and complexity
that pervades today‟s workplace. In sum, the
research shows that, as leaders move from one stage
to another, the level of leadership agility increases.‟
5. Microscoping-in on each of the Stages of Individual/Leadership Development
And so, what do each of these Stages of Development look like?
Well, although the scope of this Article precludes me from delving into much detail, let‟s
at least have a brief closer look...
And the most user friendly approach would be through the use of a Quick Reference
Table, which shows each of Prof Bob Kegan‟s broad stages of „Socialised‟, „Self-
Authoring‟ & „Self-Transforming‟ Mind, further distilled into more specific Sub-Stages.
These Sub-Stages are derived from detailed ongoing research conducted by
aforementioned Dr Bill Joiner & Stephen Josephs, ex-Harvard Dr Susanne Cook-Greuter,
Boston‟s Professor Bill Torbert, and others in the field.
See the Quick Reference Table as an Annex to this Article.
Leadership 9
6. And where do Lawyers “rank” on this Stage-spectrum of
Individual/Leadership Development?
6.1 Well, what do You think? Especially having reviewed the basic Table above...
So, when looking at this Leadership spectrum, consider where would You place:
Lawyers, as a generic class of technical professionals?,
Yourself?, and
The top Lawyer-Leader(s) You have worked with?
6.2 Email me at [email protected] hypothesis, as a Leadership &
Organisational coach-consultant and based on approximately 20 years
involvement as a Lawyer on all the Continents is that:
Lawyers, as a genus, fall squarely within the lower-mid level, “Expert”-
stage, of individual & leadership development;
there are a sizeable minority of Lawyers who have/are transitioned/ing to
the mid-level, “Achiever” -stage;
a small minority of Lawyers have/are transitioned/ing out of the
“Achiever”-stage and into the higher “Individualist”-stage, and
there are a mere handful in the true top,2nd
tier, levels of Prof Bob Kegan‟s
Self-Transforming Mind...
Email me at [email protected] to research this further.
There are arguably several notable examples of Lawyers who may be regarded as falling
within the Self-Transforming Mind stage, and yet those that spring readily to mind made
their mark operating primarily outside the confines of the profession (e.g. Thomas
Moore, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama...).
I hasten to add that I have also been blessed in meeting & working with some Lawyers
who, in addition to being highly successful in the conventional sense, are also likely
candidates for being categorised as being Self-Transformers.
(Watch this space as my ongoing research reveals more about this.)
7. How to Develop Yourself & Your Organisation up the Stages of Development?
Whilst the necessary pro-active evolution of Lawyers to Leaders will take effort &
application, there is much applied science highlighting:
that radical transformations may be effected in the individual, team &
organisational domains, and
what tools are optimal in assessing the status of development levels and
effecting such transformations.
10 Rowan Gillies
To be clear, such transformations are effected by applying very different approaches to
the conventional „transmission‟ & knowledge-based approach to learning & training.
For as various authorities remind us:
„Human capability will be the critical variable in the new century... we must
grow into our future possibilities...the challenge to change and improve is often
misunderstood as a need to better “deal with” or “cope with” the greater
complexity of the world. Coping and dealing involves adding new skills or
widening our repertoire of responses. We are the same person we were before
we learn to cope; you simply added some new resources. We have learned, but
we have not necessarily developed‟4
„Development‟ in this context refers to „vertical‟ rather than usual „horizontal‟
development, which distinctions may be briefly explained as follows:
“When we talk about development in the
context of human development, we
distinguish between horizontal and vertical
development. Both are important, but they
occur at different rates. The natural growth
and expansion happens through many
channels, such as schooling, training, self-
directed and lifelong learning as well as
simply through exposure to life. Vertical
development in adults is much rarer. It
refers to how we learned to see the world
through new eyes, how we change our
interpretations of experience and how we
transform our views of reality. It describes
increases in what we are aware of, or what
we can pay attention to, and therefore what
we can influence and integrate. In general,
transformations of human consciousness or
changes in our view of reality are more
powerful than any amount of horizontal
growth and learning.
Most learning, training and development is
geared towards expanding, deepening, and enriching a person‟s current way of meaning
making. It is like filling a[n existing] container to its maximal capacity. We develop
people by teaching them new skills, behaviours and knowledge and to apply their new
competencies to widening circles of influence. Vertical development, on the other hand,
refers to supporting people to transform the current way of making sense towards
broader perspectives [ie actually expanding the container itself!]. Development in its
deepest meaning refers to transformations of consciousness... Because acquisition of
knowledge is part of horizontal growth, learning about development theories is not
sufficient to help people to transform.” 5
4 Prof Bob Kegan, „Immunity to Change‟, 2009
5 Dr Susanne Cook-Greuter, Various Articles
Leadership 11
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
(Albert Einstein)
Whilst a rendition of what actions & interventions are applicable to move up the stages of
development is beyond the scope of this Article, it is nonetheless worthwhile briefly
noting some basic components, namely:
An integrative-approach,
creating bigger paradigm-maps (e.g. “A way of knowing becomes more complex
when it is able to look at what before it could only look through. In other words,
our way of knowing becomes more complex when we create a bigger system that
incorporates and expands on our previous system. This means that if we want to
increase mental complexity, we need to move aspects of our meaning making
from subject to object, to alter our mindset so that a way of knowing or making
meaning becomes a kind of “tool” that we have (and can control or use) rather
than something that has us (and therefore controls and uses us)”5
concerted & disciplined „being & doing‟ on not mere „cognitive‟ processing &
„behavioural‟ aspects of the individual human system, but also by an integrative
balancing of that with other key aspects, such as will-intention, emotive-feeling,
somatic-sensing, enhanced awareness/mindfulness & other positive flow-
„states‟, shadow work on the multiple-selves, etc.; and
including (in addition to „individual‟ aspects), the more-macro organisational
cultural-values, and socio-political-economic-environmental system
dimensions.
8. Conclusion
For Lawyers & the Law to be true leaders taking their rightful place as a positive
complexifying (i.e. differentiating & integrating) force in organisations and society,
Lawyers are going to need to consciously „raise their game‟...to move:
from a more narrow, problem/risk-focused, task-oriented, and linear-based,
intra-paradigm, cognitive processing approach, infused with a pessimistic-state
to a broader, outcome/opportunity-focused, multi-stakeholder oriented, intuitive
& trans-rational based, trans-paradigmatic approach, infused with a high
positivity state and awareness/mindfulness-sophistication.
In short, Lawyers need to evolve, to a “new capacity of mind”5...
12 Rowan Gillies
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
VIEW OF LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP AGILITY IN: SUSTAINABILITY
CONTRIBUTION PIVOTAL CONVERSATIONS
LEADING TEAMS
LEADING ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE
SO
CIA
LIS
ED
MIN
D
Dip
lom
at
Concrete
operations. Thinking about
objects, without
totality of whole structure.
Shows loyalty to chosen
group. Maintains order, avoids conflict & seeks
approval. Conforms to or
enforces policies, rules, social expectations of preferred
group. “Wants to belong.”
[Low incidence of mid-to-senior Leaders at this Stage – no detailed
analysis provided here.]
Upholds allegiance to
company/values. Attends to well-being
of others. Brings
stability/ supportive glue to the group.
SE
LF
–A
UT
HO
UR
ING
MIN
D
Ex
per
t
Abstract
operations. Begins capacity for abstract
thought, reasoning
by hypothesis.
Demonstrates specialist
knowledge and expertise. Regards craft logic as only
valid way. Detailed and
perfection oriented. Dismisses others‟ thinking. “Knows the
answers.”
Tactical, problem-solving orientation. Believes that
leaders are respected and
followed by others because of their authority and expertise.
Style is either to
strongly assert opinions or hold back
to accommodate
others. May swing from one style to the
other, particularly for
different relationships.
Tends to avoid giving or requesting
feedback.
More of a
supervisor than a manager. Creates a
group of individuals
rather than a team. Work with direct
reports is primarily
one-on-one. Too
caught up in the details of own work
to lead in a strategic
manner.
Organizational
initiatives focus primarily on
incremental
improvements inside unit
boundaries with
little attention to
stakeholders.
Contributes strong,
tactical ideas and solutions. Brings
efficiency and
continuous improvement to
existing procedures.
Adept with ideas, new
solutions.
Ach
iev
er
Formal operations. Abstract rationality
at its peak, coordinating logical
operations into
single system.
Achieves goal-driven success.
Conscientious and effective
delivery of results. Rationality, scientific method
triumphs. Sceptical where
things are not proven. Agrees to disagree. “Wins the game.”
Strategic outcome orientation.
Believes that leaders motivate others by making it
challenging and satisfying to
contribute to larger objectives.
Primarily assertive or
accommodative with
some ability to compensate with the
less preferred style.
Will accept or even initiate feedback, if
helpful in achieving
desired outcomes.
Operates like a full-
fledged manager.
Meetings to discuss important strategic
or organizational
issues are often orchestrated to try
to gain buy-in to
own views.
Organizational
initiatives include
analysis of industry environmental.
Strategies to
gain stakeholder buy-in range from
one-way
communication to
soliciting input.
Optimizes strategic
outcomes of current
systems, whether global or local. Uses
resources to best
advantage. Pragmatic use of data,
measurement,
analysis, prediction.
SE
LF
– T
RA
NS
FO
RM
ING
MIN
D
Cat
aly
st/
Ind
ivid
ual
ist-
Plu
rali
st
Meta-systemic
order. Comparing, contrasting,
synthesizing
systems in terms of properties.
Recognizes relativism of
positions. Distinguishes subjectivity of perspectives,
interpretation of experience.
Inward, introspective focus. Appreciation of self and
others‟ complexities. “Things
aren‟t what they seem.”
Visionary, facilitative orientation. Believes that
leaders articulate an
innovative, inspiring vision and bring together the right
people to transform the vision
into reality. Leaders empower
others and actively facilitate their development.
Adept at balancing
assertive and accommodative styles
as needed in particular
situations. Likely to articulate
and question
underlying
assumptions. Genuinely interested
in learning from
diverse viewpoints. Proactive in seeking
and applying
feedback.
Intent on creating a
highly participative team. Acts as a
team leader and
facilitator. Provides and seeks open
exchange of views
on difficult issues.
Empowers direct reports. Uses team
development as a
vehicle for leadership
development.
Organizational
initiatives often include
development of a
culture that promotes teamwork,
participation and
empowerment.
Proactive engagement with
diverse stakeholders
reflects a belief that their input increases
the quality of
decision.
Questions underlying
assumptions of the business. Adapts or
ignores rules when
needed, invents new ones. Brings greater
awareness of other
world views to bear –
may promote all voices, involvement,
equality.
Co
-cre
ator
/ S
trat
egis
t
Paradigmatic
order. Creating new paradigms out of
multiple meta-
systems.
Reinterprets and reframes
situations. Respects universal, most valued principles. Sees
relationships between large,
disparate bodies of
knowledge. Works with paradox and contradiction.
Seeks growth for all.
“Actualization of self and others.”
Oriented toward shared
purpose and collaboration. Believes leadership is
ultimately a service to others.
Leaders collaborate with other leaders to develop a shared
vision that each experiences
as deeply purposeful.
Integrates assertive
and accommodative sides in pivotal
conversations and is
agile in using both
styles. Able to process and seriously consider
negative feedback
even when highly charged emotionally.
Develops a
collaborative leadership team,
where members feel
full responsibility
not only for their own areas but also
for the unit or
organization they collectively
manage. Practical
preference for
consensus decision making but doesn't
hesitate to use
authority as needed.
Develops key
stakeholder relationships
characterized by
deep levels of
mutual influence and genuine
dedication to the
common good. May create companies or
organizational units
where corporate
responsibility and deep collaboration
are integral
practices.
Catalyses
breakthrough shifts, linking overarching
principles with
strategy, dynamic
systems interactions. Builds new
foundational
framework. Seeks mutuality,
recognizing
interdependence in
relationships.
Sy
ner
gis
t/ A
lch
emis
t
Cross-
paradigmatic
Integrating
paradigms into a new field or
profoundly
transforming old
ones.
Integrates multiple realms of knowing. Understands
inherent paradox in rational
thought, language. Sees complexity from post-
rational, spiritual
perspectives. Recognises ego
limitations, conditioned mental habits. “The map is
not the territory.”
Holistic orientation.
Experiences leadership as
participation in a palpable life purpose that benefits others
while serving as a vehicle for
personal transformation.
Centered "within" not "with" assertive and
accommodative
energies, expressed as appropriate to the
situation. Cultivates a
present-centered
awareness that augments external
feedback and supports
a strong, subtle connection with
others, even during
challenging conversations.
Capable of moving fluidly between
various team
leadership styles uniquely suited to
the situation at
hand. Can shape or
amplify the energy dynamics at work
in a particular
situation to bring about mutually
beneficial results.
Develops and maintains a deep,
empathetic
awareness of conflicting
stakeholder
interests, including
the leader's own. Able to access
synergistic
intuitions that transform seemingly
intractable
conflicts into solutions
beneficial for all
parties involved.
Generates transformations, often
behind the scenes,
integrating material, societal, spiritual
domains. Honours and
integrates divergent
perspectives, world views; coordinates
between and among
them.
Leadership 13
(Sources: The info in the Table is taken directly from Dr Bill Joiner & Stephen Josephs
“Quick Reference Guide to Five Levels of Leadership Agility” in their book “Leadership
Agility”, and blended with inputs (namely, the columns headed “Cognition” and
“Sustainability Contribution”, and the initial paragraph in the column headed “ View of
Leadership” ) taken directly from the Avastone Consulting [Cynthia A. McEwen & John
D. Schmidt] Article headed “Leadership and the Corporate Sustainability Challenge,
2007”, which in turn was derived from sources such as Prof Bill Torbert, Dr. Susanne
Cook-Greuter, and Brown. Thank You, we all stand on the shoulders of giants. )
Rowan Gillies is an international Leadership & Organisational Coach-Consultant,
Mediator & Lawyer, who previously practised law at various international law firms
(including Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom) as well as an in-house counsel &
regional board director of a leading multi-national.
Rowan now specialises worldwide as an independent leadership & organisational
development coach-consultant & trainer-technologist. ([email protected]).
He has studied extensively in such fields including post-graduate studies at Oxford
University's Said Business School & HEC Paris (MSc), at MIT, and now at Harvard.
Rowan is also a facilitator/practitioner in various cutting-edge leadership &
organisational development tools & methodologies (from the neuro-scientific to the trans-
personal).
Rowan‟s life purpose is “evolving corporate consciousness” - developing conscious
leaders & organisational systems, by systematically & intuitively nurturing a full-range of
physiological, emotional, cognitive, & values resources, to elicit an integrally
differentiated & connected balanced system, conducive to intentional functioning at
optimal neurocardiological flow states, so as to deliver peak performance for all
stakeholders, commensurate with the ever-increasing complexity of the 21st century.