(working) TITLE: The Whole Leader: Connecting Mind, Body and Vision for Social Change
Introduction
Why do most organisations operate as if humans are brains on sticks? Why do we privilege only what exists from the neck up? And if social justice is about human dignity, how can we create a better world if we ignore what makes us human?
In today’s world, many of our leaders are more interested in fuelling division than fostering unity. They spread hatred, disregard science, and thrive on fear and misinformation, using social media to amplify their voices. Meanwhile, leaders who genuinely care about fairness and humanity often struggle to make their voices heard. Their messages are lost in lofty, intellectual debates when what’s needed is more emotional, human connection.
Books on leadership and training programmes often focus on individual success—setting clear strategies for organisational efficiency and effectiveness – often in pursuit of wealth creation. There’s a growing awareness of the links between wellbeing and leadership, but it is far more common in large, successful companies but rare in public institutions and not-for-profit sectors. In these spaces, the wellbeing of leaders and their teams is often neglected, even as they strive to deliver social good. Long hours, limited pay, and unrelenting expectations to do more and better – lead to burnout, poor mental and physical health. There is less investment and importance given to the quality of leadership – impacting the people they lead and the communities they seek to serve.
In this book, I aim to shift the conversation. I want to highlight inspiring leaders in the public and non-profit sectors—those who are not only effective but also authentic, creative, and fulfilled in their work. How do they connect to their bodies? How do they manage their vulnerabilities? How do they listen to others – not only words but physical bodies and feelings? How do they relate and collaborate? And most importantly, how do these factors affect the quality of their decisions and the wider social impacts they seek to achieve?
This book is a call to action. We must invest in the wellbeing of leaders in the public sector. When leaders prioritise their physical, emotional, and mental health, they create healthier, more effective work cultures—and they have a greater impact on the communities they serve. I’ll show the risks of ignoring wellbeing, of leaving the body out of leadership development, and why we need a more holistic approach to leadership. But it is also a call to action for the wellbeing industry that privileges the benefits to the individual over the complex needs of the most vulnerable communities in our society.
By weaving together research, stories, and evidence, I hope to demonstrate how leaders who look after their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those they serve, are more effective in effecting social change. My vision is to promote a leadership approach that integrates emotional and physical health with other leadership qualities in the service of a more socially aware and compassionate society. This is not a new idea, but we’ve forgotten old wisdom, and have not adapted it to our current world.
I have spent over 40 years working on issues of social justice, I was active in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and have worked since then in national government, international organisations, small and large not-for-profit organisations, as well as academia. I’ve seen first-hand what good leadership can achieve, but also the damage bad leadership can inflict. I’ve experienced burnout, stress, and mental health challenges—but today, I prioritise my health. As a qualified yoga and dance teacher, I know the difference it makes to my work, my leadership, and my community.
This book offers a new vision—one where leadership is not just about achieving goals, but about creating lasting, positive change through leaders who show up in embodied, authentic ways.