Coaching World Issue 20: Industry Trends & Insights | Page 13

Shutterstock.com/Rawpixel.com Thriving Leaders Renee Moorefield, Ph.D., MCC 13 CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE > Coaching World For close to 30 years, Renee has helped leaders—from those in Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurs—cultivate the presence and power to build exceptional teams and organizations. She is CEO of Wisdom Works and Director of Be Well Lead Well®, a platform of transformative programs and tools empowering leaders worldwide to thrive in mindbody-spirit and make well-being a game changer for themselves and others. Contact Renee at [email protected]. It’s an understatement to say we live and work in an increasingly complex world. More than two decades ago I explored this with a cross-cultural group of information technology leaders during a series of change leadership programs. No matter what age or ethnicity, the leaders admitted having knee-jerk reactions to the relentlessness of change—they fought it, vented about it, blamed others, disengaged from work, withdrew from loved ones, neglected their self-care. They wholeheartedly agreed that operating out of anxiety eroded self-confidence and well-being, goodwill in their relationships, and the morale and performance of their teams. They experimented with better coping skills for handling their demands. On the surface, this seemed like a powerful approach to developing leaders. Yet my intuition said lurking beneath our work together was a debilitating belief: If we work harder (longer, faster), we will finally get in front of the complexity we face. The hamster wheel of stress we’re on will stop soon.