Dear Leader,

Last week, I shared with you the moral imperative behind a new way of leading.

True leadership isn’t leading simply to benefit ourselves. Rather, we must lead responsibly, with the genuine well-being of our followers and those we lead at the forefront.

Otherwise, what are we leading for?

It’s this question that is at the heart of today’s newsletter. In this edition, I’ll outline why Responsible Leadership is needed now more than ever.

As always, I’d love to know what you think of The Leader Within.

Just reply to this email and let me know!

Our world is in peril

If you’ve followed the news headlines over the last year, you’ve seen just how chaotic our modern world is:

• The reckless genocide of the Palestinian people in Israel
• UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Brian Thompson unprovoked, yet celebrated, murder
• The rounding up and deporting of thousands of immigrants, including US citizens, by the Trump administration
• The craziness of the P-Diddy sexual assault and abuse allegations
  ​
  ​

And on and on it goes.

(Admittedly, my examples mostly align with my left-leaning point-of-view. Replace the leaders and storylines as needed with your own political viewpoint.)

In each of these cases, the “leader” in question is leading from their own ego.

Making decisions that benefit their personal power, authority, or bottom line.

Protecting their image to make up for a moment of weakness. Posturing for a board of directors about exceptional financial results—at the expense of real people dying because they can’t afford lifesaving drugs and procedures. Championing the idea that people born in different countries or with different skin colors are criminals. Using power and influence for sexual favors.

Unchecked, these leaders give leadership itself a bad name. They also reinforce the idea that people in power can do whatever they please as long as it serves their interest.

There’s little concern for the collective well-being of all people.

No concern for the over 55,000 “enemy” innocent lives lost in retaliation for Hamas’ repugnant assault and subsequent murder of over 1,200 innocent Israeli people.

Little thought given to the over 50 million “insureds” of UnitedHealthcare. Who, in some cases, gave their very lives to increase UnitedHealthcare’s shareholder value.

The Trump campaign made little effort to hide their distaste for illegal immigrants, trans people, and other members of the LGBTQ community (and that’s just the short list).

As for P-Diddy, his 100+ alleged victims live with constant reminders of physical and emotional abuse suffered at his hands.

When leaders lead from an unconscious place of wanting more money, power, and sexual conquests, a catastrophic level of suffering results.

Rather than leading people toward living as their true selves, these leaders are pursuing only their limited, ego-driven well-being. And we’re all suffering for it.

You may not be a celebrity, politician, or Fortune 500 CEO.

Yet similar decisions with significant impact are made around you every single day.

In the boardroom. In the city council meeting. In your local school boards.

Leadership as we know it is taking a turn for the worse.

Bottom line: modern leaders are failing us.

And a new model of leadership is needed to help all of us thrive.

Our response to failed leadership

We can’t react to the world’s problems with the same violence and ego-centered thinking that created these problems.

As angry as we feel about current events, we can’t lose sight of the fact that we are all one people.

We all want to live a happy life, free from suffering.

And to get there (and help our followers feel better about similar situations), we need to understand and accept the parts of ourselves that are fueling these reactions.

Donald Trump, Brian Thompson, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Sean “P-Diddy” Combs can show us a lot about ourselves.

Often, what we see when we look at these powerful people are qualities that live in our shadow.

Our shadow, as defined by famed Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, is the unconscious part of our personality. The shadow is home to the traits, desires, or impulses we reject, deny, or repress. These traits live in our shadow because they are at odds with the image (persona) we project onto the world.

​
So if we want to be seen as compassionate people with empathy for all beings, we probably find a person like Donald Trump despicable.

Trump can be narcissistic, dishonest, divisive, authoritarian, and vindictive.

Many of us don’t want to be seen this way, so we reject people and thoughts that we can behave that way. But it’s these very traits that, when we fight against them, cause us to lash out at others with different views in ways we really don’t mean to.

I know when I pay too much attention to the news that I feel my jaw clench, body temperature rise, and sometimes want to shout at those I disagree with.

When I see injustice in the world, I want to explain to others why it’s such an injustice and how absurd the whole thing is.

I want to forge a path for a new kind of leader, so that people currently suffering at the hands of failed leaders don’t have to suffer anymore.

But to do that effectively, I can’t deny that I possess some of the same qualities that Trump does, even if they live within my shadow.

I can be controlling. I can be selfish. Thoughts of “getting back” at someone cross my mind more often than I’d like to admit.

If I didn’t acknowledge or try to integrate these “negative” qualities into my conscious personality, I wouldn’t be able to choose my reaction in these tense moments.

Instead of reacting in line with my true self—the self that has this vision for Responsible Leadership—I’d blow up at my loved ones as a reaction to the disastrous events of the day.

But because I’ve done shadow work around these qualities, I can choose when I want those qualities to be present, and when I want to make a different choice.

It doesn’t mean these qualities are inherently bad. Sometimes I still choose to be a bit more selfish when what I want aligns with my goals, but the choice comes from a “free” place.

When leaders can live from this more “free” place and consciously choose how to face difficult circumstances, they can truly embrace a new model of leadership.

One that isn’t focused on merely benefitting themselves like the leaders I’ve talked about in this newsletter, but one that meets the moment of uplifting all beings.

The true self helps us take responsibility

Now that we know about our shadow and the need to integrate our shadow qualities into our conscious personality, what can we do about it?

And how does it inform the model of leadership necessary to achieve a better world for us all?

It requires seeing leadership as a responsibility.

Leadership isn’t just about titles, a big paycheck, or how many people report to us at work.

(We don’t even need anyone to “report” to us to be leaders, especially in our communities).

Instead, we must become aware of our emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and how we are showing up to lead.

Getting in touch with our shadow through coaching or paying attention to the people that trigger us is a great start to leading better.

This will let us be truly effective leaders as we’ll be operating from a more conscious place and in alignment with the vision we want to create in the world.

After awareness, it requires us to have a bold vision, where we commit to doing the right thing and uplifting all those around us, not just ourselves or wealthy shareholders.

Boldness must be accompanied by leading authentically.

We have to show up each day living as we actually are. We can’t effectively change our world for the better if we’re a boilerplate template of leader instead of our true self.

When I was a middle manager in a hypergrowth FinTech company, I always felt like I had to fit some narrow definition of leadership.

I felt I had to perform leadership, act tough, and make sure my direct reports knew there would be consequences for poor performance.

I didn’t yet have the skills to coach my direct reports and help them address performance issues in an empathetic and supportive way. Being in the closet didn’t help me live in alignment with who I truly was, either.

Lastly, we have to trust the people around us.

When we lead with trust, we establish psychological safety. This lets people approach us with new ideas and ways of doing things, while taking their human needs into account.

Leading with trust gives people a chance to get the job done and believes in the good nature of people.

In today’s world, it can be incredibly difficult to believe in the basic goodness of humanity, but the trust aspect of Responsible Leadership reinforces this innate goodness.

The time is now for Responsible Leadership

Modern leaders everywhere are failing us.

But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.

There are leaders out there who lead with the benefit of all in mind.

There are leaders who don’t solely operate from the ego.

Some leaders really want what is in the best interest of everyone and aren’t just out for more money or more power.

My goal with introducing the world to this model of Responsible Leadership is to help birth more of these types of leaders in the world.

If you consider yourself a leader and want to lead in this new way, I’d encourage you to keep reading The Leader Within each week. And, if you want to go further, consider scheduling a call with me to discuss how you can become this type of leader in your organization.

Wishing you well on your leadership journey this week,

Spenser

How I can help you

As a Leadership Coach birthing the way forward for Responsible Leadership, there are a few ways I can help you beyond reading this newsletter each week.

1. ​A Call To Lead: Awaken The Leader Within Discovery Call: I offer free 45-minute calls supporting visionary leaders with their current relationship with leadership. We'll chat about what feels aligned, what no longer fits, and what’s calling to emerge. By the end of our call, you’ll walk away with greater clarity, renewed energy, and deep insight into how you can step into a more aligned version of leadership—and how my coaching can support that transformation.
2. The Responsible Leadership Roundtable: Starting Thursday, June 26th @ 11:00 AM central time, this will be an intimate 1-hour conversation about the idea of Rebirth. We’ll discuss how to apply the theme of Rebirth in our leadership styles and in our businesses. Follow me on LinkedIn to stay updated on how to register. If you can’t make it this month, my plan is to run this Roundtable once a month going forward.
3. ​1:1 Coaching: If you’re ready to take the leap with one of my customized 1:1 coaching programs for leaders, you can find more information by visiting the link.

​
I’d also appreciate it if you forwarded this issue to a leader in your life that inspires you. If you received this email from someone else and would like to subscribe to The Leader Within, you can do so here.

​
​
​
​