Leadership is a journey. For most of my career I have lived in two separate worlds. A part of me loves the cut and thrust of business, the strategic decision making, the rigors of analysis, negotiating and influencing, winning business, working harder and faster, delivering exceptional quality against the odds and celebrating a job well done. Another part of me yearns for the beauty of a moment, to the mystery of living and allowing myself a moment to ponder the stillness, the exquisite feeling of a single drop of rain or the sleeping smile on my children’s faces. It seemed the two worlds were distinct, detached and separate to each other; one could not possibly interact with the other, or so I thought.
Life presents us with challenges and mine came wrapped in a serious medical injury which forced me to take time away from the business life I loved so much. I was bed ridden for 2 years. I only had one part now to sustain me, to take me kicking and screaming on a journey away from my normal life and to demonstrate to me the power of my own resilience. My professional identity ceased to exist. I was laid bare. I fought, I cried in pain, I hated the world and was incredibly stubborn, not wanting to be ill, but ultimately, when my last call for help went unheard, I surrendered to the process and began the long and arduous path to healing myself, strengthening my resolve through learning and growth.
I learned that the inherent connections of mind, body and emotional energy need to align together for sustainable change. I learned to get out of my head, to push my intellect aside and allow my body to use its intelligence. Change may begin in the mind but it takes place in the muscle. I learned to work with my body through somatic practice, using my mind to engage my commitment and invigorate my much needed energy levels. I slowly learned to trust all of my senses. As someone once said in a song – I made it through the rain…and was able to return to business life with a very different perspective.
Now my two worlds are integrated into one. I know myself, no doubt about that! I am able to bring my whole self to my business and am deeply committed to enabling others to do the same. I have found meaning in my life and am extremely grateful for the opportunities I find to help others. I know that people are more content when they can be themselves, when leaders encourage the best in them and demonstrate the imagination and determination to live to their potential, inviting others to do the same. I enjoy guiding others to find their presence, and they are then able to easily step into the unknown, allowing their intuition to step forward. The results can be staggering. People and performance simply flourish.
Leadership. It is about living life on your learning edge. It is about designing your own leadership path according to your own set of values, ethics and morality. Yours will be different from mine. For me, it is a story about two worlds becoming one. But what is your leadership about? I would love to find out! To hear a little more about my story listen to my complimentary coaching session.
A number of clients have requested we offer leadership development programs and resilience retreats; we are in the process of designing these and are excited to be able to offer these in 2010. Watch this space! We look forward to the possibility of meeting you there.
Meet the MAX Executive Coaching Team
Jayne Warrilow - President & Founder
Jayne Warrilow is the president and founder of MAX Executive Coaching. She has over 15 years experience working with a broad range of corporate partners equipping leaders with the skills needed for business effectiveness and personal change. As a passionate professional, Jayne has a strong reputation for innovative coaching, using proven psychological principles to shift perspective, behavior and performance and ultimately unleashing a creative approach to deep and sustainable change. She is particularly sought out for her insights on developing senior executives using intuitive leadership coaching and somatic practice.
Her academic credentials include an MA in Human Resource Development and Consulting with distinction, from the Department of Management Learning & Leadership, Lancaster University and a BA (Hons) in Communication and Psychology. She is a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Society for Human Resource Management, British Psychological Society and a Professionally Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. Jayne is also fully trained in psychometric testing including MBTI, 16PF, Birkman, Emotional Intelligence, Watson Glaser and candidate assessment instruments.
Her current research is offering new perspectives on global leadership and coaching across cultures.
