Four Ways to Nurture a Stronger Holistic Leadership

Holistic leadership refers to a leadership model where the leader sees one’s self as more than a “leader,” but also owns in-depth understanding of others as followers within an environment. Thus, leadership itself is a journey that leads all who are involved in a transformation or a transforming experience. In other words, it is a comprehensive approach to leading others.

The elements of the so-called “holistic leadership,” thus include physical, psychological, and spiritual. Moreover, these elements color the three major leadership archetypes: task completion, decision making, and communication. Compared to “technical leadership,” which focuses on the technical aspects of being a leader, such as advanced technologies and acquiring hard skills, “holistic leadership” focuses more on soft skills and a balanced inner life.

A good “holistic leader,” thus is a transformative one, rather than mechanical like project managers and top sales producers. In a nutshell, a transformational leadership refers to a leadership style where the leader and the followers work together to identify and envision the need for a change, create a goal, and execute the plans with inspiration and motivation.

Now, as a leader, how do you nurture holistic leadership qualities? According to research published in the Human Resource Management Review (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053482207000447), there are four domains that a holistic leader must develop: analytical, conceptual, emotional, and spiritual. Below are four ways to nurture these domains.

First, be your own master.

Master your thoughts and emotions, not being mastered. Practice internal management by paying close attention to emerging thoughts and emotions. Being mindful of your internal activities would allow you to direct better how and when to respond. This training is valuable to emotional and spiritual domains.

Second, polish thought leadership skills.

Polishing thought leadership by communicating new and inspiring ideas is extremely valuable to your analytical and conceptual domains. In this Internet era, writing down your thought leadership articles would solidify critical thinking skills, which are useful in other management, communication, and decision-making areas. Consider writing for the company blog or post short videos showcasing your leadership ideas.

Third, be your own coach and coach others.

What would a coach do? Answer it whenever you encounter a problem, particularly related to goal orientation. This being said, be confident enough to be your coach, which can be even more challenging than coaching others. When you are coaching others, you can see the issues more objectively than when you are “coaching yourself.” Coaching mastery allows you to increase the skills in the analytical, conceptual, and emotional domains.

Fourth, be a role model of “balanced health.”

A holistic leader is inspiring both in words and in personal appearance, which requires you to be healthy physically and psychologically. Whenever followers experience leadership by a balanced individual, they will have a peace of mind that the decisions are made thoughtfully. In addition to trust, a balanced leader provides an example of what it takes to optimize a meaningful life, which is key to transformative leadership style. This training increases all four leadership domains.

In conclusion, there are many ways to develop the four domains of holistic leadership (analytical, conceptual, emotional, and spiritual). You just need to be aware of them and mindfully apply them on a daily basis. Once you have mastered these domains, you should be able to perform as an inspiring strong holistic leader.

ABOUT JOSE J. RUIZ

Jose Ruiz serves as Alder Koten’s Chief Executive Officer providing vision, strategic direction and the roadmap for the executive recruiting firm’s future. He is also involved in executive search work focused on board members, CEOs and senior-level executives; and consulting engagements related to leadership and organizational effectiveness helping clients create thriving cultures. An important part of his time is spent on research work focused on organizational effectiveness centered on leadership and culture. Prior to joining Alder Koten, Jose was a Principal with Heidrick & Struggles’ Global Industrial Practice based in Houston, TX and Monterrey, Mexico. His professional experience also includes leadership positions in engineering and operations management for manufacturing organizations in the US and Mexico. This experience includes serving as vice president and general manager at Holley Performance Products. Jose serves on the board of Shelmex and on America’s Council of the Association of Executive Search Consultants where he also chairs the Boutique and Independent Search Firm Forum.

Jose holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from the Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Jose can be reached at jose.ruiz@alderkoten or at his office in Houston +1 (713) 476–9000

ABOUT ALDER KOTEN

Alder Koten has recruiters and research teams in Mexico and the United States. The firm was founded in 2011. Its headquarters are located in Houston and it has offices in Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City with partner firms in New York, Boston, Chicago, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Kingdom. Alder Koten recruiters serve multiple industries including automotive, building products, construction & projects, consumer markets, energy & chemicals, equipment & industrial products, financial services, life sciences, medical devices, maquiladora, mining & metals, professional services, renewable resources, technology, and transportation & logistics. The firm is a proud standing member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants. The Association of Executive Search Consultants was founded in 1959 as the Association of Executive Recruiting Consultants (AERC) for the dual purposes of creating a professional association for the most competent and reputable search firms, and for providing clients and prospective clients a means by which to differentiate qualified and ethical practitioners.

Jose Ruiz serves as Alder Koten’s Chief Executive Officer providing vision, strategic direction and the roadmap for the firm’s future.

He is also involved in executive search work focused on board members, CEOs and senior-level executives; and consulting engagements related to leadership and organizational effectiveness helping clients create thriving cultures.

An important part of his time is spent on research work focused on organizational effectiveness centered on leadership and culture. Prior to joining Alder Koten, Jose was a Principal with Heidrick & Struggles’ Global Industrial Practice based in Houston, TX and Monterrey, Mexico.

His professional experience also includes leadership positions in engineering and operations management for manufacturing organizations in the US and Mexico. This experience includes serving as vice president and general manager at Holley Performance Products. Jose is a bi-weekly contributor at Forbes.com.mx writing about executive leadership and career development.

Jose holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from the Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Jose can be reached at jose.ruiz@alderkoten or at his office in Houston +1 (713) 476–9000

ABOUT ALDER KOTEN

Alder Koten helps shape organizations through a combination of research, executive search, cultural & leadership assessment, and other talent advisory services.

The firm was founded in 2011 and currently, includes 6 partners and over 28 consultants in 4 cities. The firm’s headquarters are located in Houston and it has offices in Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City with partner firms in New York, Boston, Chicago, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Kingdom. We know where to find the executives you need and how to attract top talent to your organization. Our approach to executive search is based on a thorough understanding of the strategic, cultural, financial and operational issues our clients face. Our executive search engagements are targeted and focused on the specific requirements of the position including industry and functional experience, skills, competencies, cultural fit, and leadership style. Our process is rigorous. We take a disciplined and structured approach to identifying potential candidates that meet the position requirements including subject-matter, functional and regional expertise. We use our high-level professional networks, industry knowledge, and internal research resources to achieve results in every executive search engagement.