We Leadership

• “if I only had a brain...
• ...if I only had a heart...
• ...if I only had the nerve!!”

    Ever notice that all the characters in The Wizard of Oz were seeking something essential to be a complete, fully integrated person? There was no "if I only had a gall bladder" or "if I only had a left pinky toenail." It seems that even as children, we instinctively understand the aspects of our inner selves that truly make us whole.

    That instinct sometimes gets lost when we enter the business world -- or at least, the integration of all the essential parts can get a little lopsided. Most people assume business leaders achieve success through an abundance of smarts -- propelled, of course, by a good dose of nerve. But at CEO, we look at leadership differently. So in honor of Valentine's Day, we'd like to say a few words in honor of the Heart.

    "Leading only from the head can be damaging, sometimes even cruel," says CEO President Sylvia Lafair, Ph.D. "Leading from the heart without the head is just 'mushy,' and doesn't get you anywhere. It's the integration of all aspects of yourself -- your intelligence, your feelings, your courage, your skills, and your intuition -- that make you a Total Leader.'

    "Part of being a Total Leader is allowing yourself to be vulnerable, to put your authentic self out there and speak your truth honestly. I've seen it time and time again in working with leaders of all kinds of organizations: They may be brilliant thinkers, savvy managers, or technical geniuses, but only when they connect head and heart are they able to transform their world of work. When you learn to integrate and lead from head and heart, the effect on the people around you is almost magical."

    And just like Dorothy's friends, the power to do it is already inside. We just have to discover it for ourselves.

    CEO is proud to announce that several members of our team will be moving into new roles in pursuing the CEO vision: Mary Jane Saras, LCSW, has been named Vice President, Leadership Development; Patti Schuldenfrei is the new Director of Communications; and Lorraine Dachiel was promoted to Director of our retreat and conference center, The Country Place.

    "CEO's staff is a multi-talented team that's certain to take Creative Energy Options and The Country Place to the next level of success," said company CEO Herb Kaufman.

    Humans seem to have an innate need to organize our surroundings into a hierarchy, say the authors of The Starfish and the Spider: "Whether it's a Fortune 500 company, an army, or a community, our natural reaction is to ask, 'Who's in charge?'" Yet scientists examining the "chain of command" in our own brains, trying to identify a top-down structure among neurons that control memory, made a surprising discovery: This hierarchy in the brain doesn't exist. Memories are stored in various parts of the brain, a system remarkably disorganized for this highly complex organ -- and a system that provides a model for many successful organizations today.

    "This book is about what happens when there's no hierarchy," the authors write. "You'd think there would be disorder, even chaos. But in many arenas, a lack of traditional leadership is giving rise to powerful groups that are turning industry and society upside down." The authors explore and compare the difference between a "starfish" organization, one with shared leadership, and a traditionally centralized "spider" organization.

    CEO has a page on del.icio.us where you can check out articles and web pages we've come across that are of particular interest to CEO people. Go to http://del.icio.us/PEPtalk any time (you might want to bookmark that link for yourself), and take a look at what's happening out there!

• Latest addition: A timely look at what happens when women show emotion in the workplace. go there