The Power of Authentic Leadership

Foreign Hi, I'm Susan Drummond. Welcome to the Enlightened Executive where your personal evolution sparks your leadership evolution. Each episode we feature groundbreaking techniques and strategies to help you get the edge in personal and leadership effectiveness. This episode is brought to you by Meritage Leadership. At Meritage, we strengthen leaders and empower teams to achieve high performance. Go to meritageleadership.com to learn more. Are you curious about your own development path to enlightened leadership? Take our free 5 minute quiz at susanjum.com to discover your superpower and the roadblocks that could get in your way of effective leadership. Today we're focusing on the concept of sacred purpose. And I'm delighted to introduce my guest, Jane Warrilow. Jane is a visionary leader, best selling author and founder of Sacred Changemakers, a thriving community podcast and training company dedicated to reimagining business as a force for good. Jane's approach transcends traditional coaching. She works with those called to something greater, coaches, change makers, conscious entrepreneurs, helping them align with their deepest residents and amplify their influence in the world. Jane's work integrates ancient wisdom with modern strategy to co create a future where business serves humanity and the planet well. Welcome Jane. I'm so excited to be talking with you today, Susan.

Thank you. It's such an honor to be with you today.

Well, we really connected when we met a few months ago and I said, oh gosh, we are so aligned. I've got to have you on the podcast. But what's interesting about the word sacred, now you use this word and it's not often talked about related to business. So why do you use the word sacred and what does it mean in your context?

Yeah, it's really interesting because, you know, we've called this conversation sacred purpose. And you know, when we look out into the world of business and leadership, you know, we can kind of see two polarities. Purposes. On one hand, that's where all the not for profit businesses are. And then on the other hand, we've got like companies that are for profit and they're all to do with, you know, money and growth and efficiency. And so when we start to really look at business, I think that we kind of go over to the for profit space and we think that we that purpose doesn't have a place there. And that's one of the reasons why I've brought in the word sacred because it kind of speaks to these polarities, but it also brings it together in the middle way. Why? Because I believe that purpose is really about finding the more Meaning in your leadership, in the way you lead your life, not just the way you lead your business, but it's like an awakening. It's kind of veering towards more conscious business and leadership. Like, you know the topic of this podcast, enlightened Executive. Well, for me, that word sacred, we're just reclaiming it from organized religion. Because, you know, when you say the word sacred, you think of church, right? Or you think of whatever religion it is that, that, you know, really resonates for you and what I believe. And the more that I'm doing this work with leaders and businesses, the more I ask them this question, which is, if you were to hold your leadership as sacred, what would be different? And you should hear the quality of answers that come out from people, because it's almost like we've forgotten that business has a soul. We've forgotten that we have a soul. That as humans living on the planet, it's not just about work and life. It's about the meaning you bring to what you do with the time that you've been given, as Gandalf said in Lord of the Rings. So for me, I think, you know, once you think about purpose, to me that still feels quite transactional. But when we shift it or elevate it to sacred purpose, then to me, we're not just talking about you finding a purpose for your life or your leadership. We're talking about really, what is the soul's calling for you? What did you come here to do? Why are you a leader? And how can you hold that as sacred? Just meaning, hold it with reverence? Because human life, all of life, is of course, sacred. And I can't remember who it was who said, but somebody said, either everything is sacred or nothing is. And I think that in our world today, we could do with a little dose of a little bit more sacred.

Right, Very true. Well, I'm curious to know, what are some of the types of responses that you've heard leaders say when you ask that question? Do you have an example for what you've heard?

I do do. There's. I mean, there's so many that pop into my head as, as I'm thinking about that. But there was one in particular, and this was a C level executive that I worked with a number of years ago now in, in New York. And he was in his early 60s. He'd, from the outside looking in. He was incredibly successful running a global organization, doing really, really well. And within the first few minutes of our first coaching conversation, he was. He was in tears. As, As I started to ask him about this idea of sacredness in his leadership and he turned to me and he said, you know, I am beginning to realize the more I think about the sacred, I'm beginning to realize that this is not the life that I wanted to lead. This from the outside looking in, I may look super successful, but I don't feel it on the inside. You know, he had, he had number of divorces behind him, children he didn't see. And here he was in his early 60s and he turned to me and he said, I've realized I haven't held anything as sacred. I've lived the life my father wanted me to lead. And now when you ask me how to hold it as sacred, so much more potential opens up. Because now this is something for me to hold in a special way. It's not just something to get done. My to do list on a day and give my stakeholders, you know, more profit and show them all the data that shows that we're doing a good job. This is now about my relationships. This is about the people that I'm here to serve and not just our customers, but also our employees. Like, how do we allow this to have space within our organization? And from that point, everything shifted.

So what shifted for him? How did he take that insight and move forward?

What changed the culture? Everything. He realized that they were on an efficiency model. They were trying to squeeze everybody, like a lot of organizations do, that they're always trying to get like more for less out of their employees. And he realized that there was more to leadership than that. In true fact, he realized he wasn't actually leading at all. He was managing. He was managing kind of, you know, with a thumb on the forehead and you know, really just in that transactional way, getting the organization data wise and profit wise to where it needed to be. And he had. And it kind of comes back to what I said about sacred purpose at the beginning. He also, they did have a purpose. They had a stated purpose, but it was marketing only. It was kind of like greenwashing. It was part. It was held in the marketing department. They didn't really want corporate social responsibility, although they did have somebody that was employed in that role. But he thought that it didn't have a seat at the boardroom table. It was over there. And then when he started to find more meaning in his role, he realized that the way to do that was to lead and inspire others in. Into theirs.

Yeah.

And so what that meant was not a great deal of difference in what they did, although that I know that that came down the pipeline the year later, but what it really meant was he realized that business is relational, that the people actually are the ones that are, that will make or break the business. And from there he started to get to know people on a personal level. Whereas before he only saw people in a way, like roles to get things done. And now it was, well, I need to take interest in my board. I need to understand and put this through. People need to be able. They were a very innovative company. So people needed to be able to make mistakes so they could innovate faster. And then once he realized that, the culture just shifted on its axis and the leaders that he was leading couldn't believe his shift. And then they started to embrace it as well. And actually we ended up doing a whole program of leadership development, taking what they were doing currently and shifting it into this deeper space. And of course, as we all know, purpose driven companies outperform transactional companies 14 to 1. So his bottom line improved massively. And people don't think about it like that. We, we've just kind of got this narrow door about efficiency. But actually, yeah, it, it comes different way. I think it was Peter Drucker that said, culture eats strategy for growth. And indeed it does.

Well, what, what's, what's interesting about your story is that I think when you think about, well, what is valued, where people are looking externally and say, but this is. But profit is what's valued and that's what I'm measured on. And because they value that, I need to value that, and that's my soul. But that's never coming from within. And it's. What you're talking about is profit as a result of going within and saying, what do I value? What matters to me? Let me build a business based on that. And then the profits come as a result of, not as a pursuit of.

Exactly.

And I think that's the mental shift that for many people hasn't happened. And they may even be listening to this going well, that's crazy. Like, but at the end of the day, that's what we both seen for leaders who have walked this journey, who have absolutely gone the path of enlightened executive of the enlightened executive and enlightened entrepreneur. So tell us a little bit about your own journey and how you got to this place in your career.

Yeah, I will. And can I just speak to something that you said before I go, which is a really easy way for people to get an access point into what we're speaking about here? Is to think about the fact that most of us think business and leadership is out here. Well, it's not. It starts within. And so how you do business comes from who you are and who you are becoming and what you believe. And that's what I was talking about there in that example. And very often we think that if we just do this and do that and do the other, then we'll be successful. But I think we're living in a time where our definitions of success are very limited for the world and what the world needs from us today. And this will play into my own story. So for me, I've worked for 30 years now in business and leadership. I've been working with iconic, you know, brands all around the world with a lot of leadership development, a lot of business and executive coaching. But I've always done this work from the inside out. So I've been very successful. I thought I was doing really good work. And then I, at the birth of my first granddaughter with my daughter, I was her birth partner. And I literally caught this beautiful little soul coming into the world. And as I did so, I had normal grandma tears, which very quickly turned to bone deep sadness. And I didn't understand why. And of course it was not appropriate to share this with the room at the time. But I'm a meditator and I sat with it for a number of weeks, probably even months, before I realized what that was. And I looked back on my career and I realized that I have spent almost my entire career in what I now call the I, me, mine conversation. What do I mean by that? If I'm going into an organization or I'm working with a conscious entrepreneur or a coach, I'm talking to them about what do you want from the coaching? Like, what do you want from this, this, these changes that we're going to implement. And, you know, and, and that that's why people are paying me to do the work they do, so they can get the outcomes they want. But I realized I hadn't ever really thought about what is necessary from you now. What does the world need from you and your leadership? Why did this come up with Phoebe's birth? Because I realized this is not the world I want to bring her into. I've worked in 30 years, I've done women's leadership development, I've done global leadership development programs. I've worked with coaches, I've worked with entrepreneurs. I've done all of this work. I've changed a lot of lives. My clients tell me that is that enough When I'm holding in my hands my granddaughter, this new soul coming into the world. My daughter's married a Peruvian, so she's Hispanic and she's female. Has much changed for women in the workplace? No. So therefore, I also had a dream where Phoebe said to me on her 21st birthday, Nana, have you done everything that you can to make the world a better place? And I kind of broke into a mouth sweat and woke up out of the dream. And then I thought, have I? Have I done that? And I thought, no, I've served a lot of individuals, and I don't just mean working one on one. I mean my team, my organization, my career, whatever the I mean, mine conversation is. And I could count on one hand the amount of times I'd extended the conversation to, yes, but what does the world need from you and your leadership? What are you here to do? What is your sacred purpose, your calling? And so that was when I realized I had a very narrow view of what change is and what change could be. And I needed to expand, because if I want to shape a better future for us all, and particularly for my granddaughter, then we need to be thinking a more expansive way about change. And so the way we do change, I think, needs to change. The way that we do business needs to change. And it's almost like bringing the humanity back, bringing the soul back into our lives and into our work. And that itself makes a huge shift for many, many people.

Absolutely. So in what ways do you see that the way we do change needs to change?

Well, so what emerged in my work, and this came through practice, really, over the last five years or so, is eight dimensions of change. And so what I mean by that, I've already talked about 1. The inner and the outer. These are polarities that we think are opposites. But very often we need manage both sides of this so that we can actually integrate. So, yes, we've got the inside to the outside. Then we've got the individual change, which I've also mentioned into the collective change. Like, what's the impact on, you know, the bigger systems that we live within? And if you're in a business, that could be you and your team and your business or your organization, but also what impact is this decision I'm having making on the world itself? So getting more visible about the individual to the collective. And then there's what I call up and down change. That's really about consciousness. It's about, do we understand all the different levels? And I work with nine resonance codes, nine levels of consciousness. And I've mapped that against leadership and organizational life and business. And it's really about when you realize that these nine codes, everybody all these different levels. When you live on one of these levels, it's your home frequency, it has language and emotions and all kinds of beliefs at the different levels. Everybody lives in a very different world. And one of the biggest issues we have in today's world is dealing with difference. And yet there we have these nine levels and we're all in very different worlds. So if we can understand where we are and then the person we're helping inspire change within, we know they're at a different level and we understand that level, we can meet them where they are, we can close that gap, because alignment is everything. And then the short term to long term change, you know, we business is kind of dominated by short term thinking these days. But what about long term thinking? And I'm not just talking about your lifetime and your legacy, but what are the seeds you're planting today that you will never see flourish in your lifetime? Because how are we kind of paving the way for the generations that will come after us? And as leaders, that's a really important question for us to ask ourselves. So there's eight dimensions that, you know, really expands our view from the normal change conversations to really expanding out what's possible in the potential for change.

Excellent, excellent. So I would love to hear double click on the levels of consciousness where the view that I might take from using the Enneagram, which I think we talked about, I use a lot, which is stages of development. And it's not about your type, but the stage of development that you're in within your type and you grow within your type. I'd love to hear your description around those levels of consciousness.

So I mean, to go through the nine is probably going to be too much and take too long, but we can actually chunk them into three big levels of consciousness. And down at the bottom is kind of the. Life is hard when you're in the bottom three levels and it starts with zero and goes one to two. So if you're in the bottom levels of consciousness, life is hard. It's a struggle. You're just trying to survive, find your place in the world, find where you belong. And actually this maps with the Jungian and, and Eric Freed's work on developmental psychology. So if you think about this, when, when we're children and teenagers, we still don't know where we belong in the world. Even up to our mid-20s, we're, we're still trying to find our way. So life is hard down there because you still haven't found your place. You don't know what your message is. You don't know what you're here to do. And you're just trying to make ends meet and work through. There's also an awful lot of healing. I mean, nobody comes out of childhood, you know, in a. In a healed way. We've all got traumas, inner work that we need to do to heal. And when I look out into the world today, so many leaders are kind of leading from unhealed stories. So it is also doing, getting to know yourself, building that relationship with yourself down in the lower levels, because the ego dominates down here. That's where it's all about. Can I build my skills up? Can I puff my chest up? Can I look confident even if I don't feel it on the inside? That's what's going on there.

Yep. We call it the egocentric mind at that level. Right. I relate to you to get my needs wet. And yes, I don't really think about your needs, nor do I really care because.

Right.

I'm trying, as you said, to survive. So that egocentric brain, so to speak, is. We sometimes call it the teenage brain, which is like, if you've ever had teenagers that haven't quite made this evolution yet to a more adult consciousness, but yet many leaders haven't moved out, many teenagers never grew up, and they're still leading out there.

Right. So at the lower level of this, you know, you really are just kind of. Yeah, you're. You're in a very low. And the physical world is all that exists down here. That's the other thing to say. But you are. Start as you get to the higher level of this and level two, you're starting to build relationships. And then we move into the next, like band of three, which is codes three to five. This is what I call the kind of, of. This is where you get to transform the self. This is where you're really going beyond the ego. And for those people that understand the chakras, this also links in with the chakras because it's really going from the third chakra up to the throat chakra, and the heart is in the middle. So what is this about?

Right.

We really socialize in the Western culture to level three, you know, which is very masculine in many ways. You know, I'm successful here. I can do things. It's like the CEO I was telling you about, he was at level three. Three. But we need to come up through the heart. And, and the heart here is a. Is more of a spiritual heart because this is unconditional love and compassion and starting to care for people. But it's also the, I call it the edge walker energy because it's the bridge between the lower frequencies and the higher frequencies. So the heart shifts. Everything this is, starts with learning to love yourself and then moves into, you know, being able then to have the capacity and the availability to be there for others, others. And then when we get to the top end of this, then we're in the throat chakra, which is now you've got some sense of who you are, you've done some inner work. Can you speak your truth? Can you be fully expressed in your life and your work and your leadership? Can you do that? Or is there a gap between the life that you're leading and who you truly are in your essence? And then as we carry on up, then we get to transcending the self. And that's unity consciousness at the top three levels. And that's where you're learning to embody. You're. You're starting to ask questions about the sacred and the invisible in life. And most leaders I work with are really startled to realize that it's the invisible that is running the show. Even in normal vernacular and normal life without the word sacred culture, you can't put it on a table and say, here's our culture. It's just not there. Right? Compassionate leadership, servant leadership, it's not there. You can't see service anywhere. And so once they start to realize that, then they're more open to really saying, well, if I do have a calling, and you know, this is also. With the third eye kicks in and the intuition, we start to trust our gut as leaders and different language like that. But if we can start to tap into not only what do I want to bring to my leadership and maybe what my clients or customers want, but also, so what am I here for? What's the meaning? How can I be a force for good that starts to come in and that really makes the value exponential to what you can achieve and what you believe is possible with your life and leadership?

Yeah, absolutely. I love your description of those and the moving to unity consciousness, which is really understanding that there is some greater purpose of your life here. You're probably going to answer that. That's going to come up for you at some. And sometimes people feel like they have to first meet their financial goal or meet their what. But what they realize is very soon that is an empty promise, like the leader example that you gave. And certainly I've seen, I mean, worked with billionaire clients who thought that this was everything, and yet it doesn't feel everything at all. And so finding then what is the, what is true fulfillment and what does that look like? Becomes the journey. Yeah, but I would suggest that you don't need to pursue wealth before finding what that is. And in fact, the world needs you to wake up to that, you know, as we look out sooner rather than later. How do you help people, People find their sacred purpose?

You know, it's a great question, and in some ways the answer is different for different people because it depends what level of consciousness they're at. Yeah, yeah, of course. But you know, I, in many ways. So I'm going to speak to the myth that you just busted there, Susan, because you're absolutely right. We think that purpose and profit are diametrically opposed and they're not. Not. And actually the way to wealth in today's market, which is an awakening marketplace, we've got the data for those of you that have a logic kind of bias, you know, we have the data now that the marketplace is waking up. So really it is the way to wealth. So to help people find their sacred calling really is a deep inner journey. I mean, there's no other way to do it. And it really is about building a relationship with yourself, understanding yourself before you were socialized by the world. And you know, the world right now is doing a really good job of waking us all up for different reasons. But, you know, just Covid in itself woke up so many people that, wow, I can be at home and I can work, I can see my kids and still have a career. All these things are just busting the illusions that we've been living within for many, many years, many decades, decades. And so when you start to put this kind of a question into that kind of a context, and we start to realize that, you know, we're here for a reason, we do have a. Not only a purpose, but a sacred purpose. And we don't only have a mind because our intellect is one of the things that gets in the way of so many leaders, because that unity consciousness is about transcending the mind into wisdom, not just knowledge, knowledge. So therefore, you know, for different people, it's different, but really it's a very deep inner journey. It's working one on one, coaching with them and really using some of my proprietary techniques to actually get to the very hub of the matter. I'm also psychic, which Means I channel. And so I also channel from my guides, guides for my clients as well. That really helps cut through the noise and find their sacred gifts and. And really show people how to make wealth from their purpose and integrate that middle way and really start to live into something that feels a lot more meaningful and matters most to them. Because the truth is, we don't all have the same sacred purpose. It depends on you and what matters most, most to you.

Oh, yes, I do remember when we had this conversation and you challenged me on something?

Did I? Because.

Yes, you did. Because I said, well, you know, secret. I also channel when I'm coaching.

Right.

But my clients don't really know that, and I don't really talk about it. I don't want to freak them out or something. But I really do feel like I'm a channel for some infinite intelligence. And when I am, am at the best, I'm tapping into that. And you said to me, why aren't you talking about that more?

Yeah, yeah, let me speak to something, because I'll. I'll tell all the listeners another secret that's come from my guides. I have not said this publicly anyway, but I think I probably said it to you, Susan, which is that the future of leadership is leaders as channels. What does that mean? I'll just explain it very quickly. So, you know, I work with a lot of entrepreneurs, and when they're first going into their business, they think that they build their business like a monologue, like what's most important to me. Let me put a website out. Let me do this, let me do that, because I love it and other people will. But we've got to build a bridge in dialogue. So I've taught for years, build your business as a dialogue and build that bridge from what you love to what your clients need and want from you. Today I now have a trial of what do I mean by that? It's not just you and your clients in this conversation. If you think of this like the base of a triangle, at the top of the triangle is soul, spirit, sacred. How does this work want to emerge through you? Where does it want to take you? Where does the work itself want to go? That is what you need to make space for within the sacred purpose which is in the conversation. Do you listen deeply? Do you listen to life, to the signs that are coming your way? Do you listen to your inside and what your soul's whispering to you? And we all have this. We can all do it, but we're not talking about it. And so I think it's really important that we allow space for that because that is true leadership and that's what's needed in our world today.

Yes, absolutely. I mean, at the end of the day, what I see is leaders are running so fast and they're not stopping to get quiet to hear these types of messages yet. How can you truly lead without tapping into this other part that can really guide the rest of your day?

It's so important because change is moving so fast today as well. It's like we can't keep up with the pace of change.

Yeah.

And I've been working in the, what's been called often the VUCA environment with leaders for many years, but now we're at this new level of volatility and uncertainty and complexity. All of these things are kicking in. You can't just follow a recipe for success as a leader today. You have to know yourself because you are on the edge every single day, multiple times a day. And you have to lead confidently when you find yourself there.

Yeah. Oh, Jane, thank you so much for coming to talk with us today on the Enlightened Executive. So appreciate it. Some of the insights and the conversation that we've had.

Oh, Susan, thank you. It's been such a joy to talk to you today. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Yes. And where can people learn more about you and your work?

Yes. Just go to sacredchangemakers.com and you'll find everything that we're up to. And also you can take our Resonance Codes quiz there as well. Find out where you are.

Fantastic. Well, if you love this episode, you're not going to want to miss miss my interview with Jay Rosenschweig, who is an internationally renowned social impact entrepreneur who shares his wisdom with large global corporations. Let's all lead the way. Hope you enjoyed today's episode and I'd like to point you to the next important step. Hit the subscribe button to get notified when we release new content. I'll see you on the next episode of the Enlightened Executive.

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