Regenerative Leadership in Turbulent Times

We are physical beings, yet we are expected to leave our bodies at the door when we come to work. If we were lucky, we may have started or may end the day walking through a park, going for a run, swim or cycle, practicing yoga, meditating or something else that we love or at least know is good for us. But as soon as we walk through the door of our office or our computer at home, we spend hours on end sitting or standing without moving much – talking or typing. We rely on and value our cerebral intelligence (everything from the neck upwards) while completely ignoring the intelligence of the body to help us analyse situations or make decisions.

I am writing a book with a current working title: The Octopus Way: Leadership, Movement and Change. My audience for the book is people – leaders and staff – who work in government, businesses, academia, public and not-for-profit organisations. My working definition of leaders are people or groups who make change happen.

We are living in turbulent times, and the world for many of us feels unsettling. I would argue that one, among many reasons for this, is an increasing polarisation – a splitting. There is a pervasive narrative about ‘us’ vs ‘them’ in our views, our values and the way we live our lives. People are struggling with complexity and are searching for quick explanations and solutions to the problems they see. The rise of populism, conspiracy theories, mistrust of science and a lack of tolerance for complexity are fuelled by social media. The rich and powerful exploit and abuse the vulnerability of those weaker and poorer than them. Millions of people are subject to discrimination and exclusion from opportunities for decent livelihoods and basic services simply because of who they are or where they were born. They also disproportionately bear the brunt of conflict and climate change.  

But for thousands of years, there has always been resistance to exploitation and oppression. Communities, workers, women, youth, have organised and demanded justice from those richer and more powerful. Some battles have been won, some lost, but the courage to speak truth to power has never been broken. Leaders have stepped up, spoken out, and have helped to bring about change for a fairer, more peaceful world, based on principles of equality.

The polarisation in our society today is also a reflection of the split we make between the mind and body. That comes at a huge cost in people-damage. That means we lose out on the benefits of the physical body as the most regenerative resource available to us. Our bodies love and need to move, they contain intelligence that can heal us. Our breath sustains our lives, and when we use it well, it can help us feel calm and centred. Yet for much of the time, especially when we are at work, we forget about them.

There is a growing body of evidence from neuroscience, modern medicine and ancient wisdom about the importance of wellbeing in mind, body, spirit and emotions.

But that knowledge and practice is also split off from other things that matter. The world of ‘wellbeing’ tends to be focused on how we take better care of ourselves. If you have time and money, there is no shortage of yoga classes, retreats, courses in mindfulness, somatic therapy, psychotherapy, group therapy, healing walks in nature. These are wonderful – and I personally continue to benefit from them, but they tend to operate in a different world from those preoccupied with tackling wider societal issues. The focus is often about helping the individual to be happier, healthier, more successful, but less about the wellbeing of communities that need it most.  

On the other hand, leadership training and development tends to focus on the our brain functions – demonstrating capacity for vision, strategy, communication. Performance is valued far more than People. When resources are limited, ministers, shareholders, funders, boards of trustees – will prioritise output and delivery of services and goods. This is especially the case in resource-constrained public sector using tax payers’ money, and not-for-profit organisations that have a mission to meet the growing needs of society. The wellbeing of the leaders and the people they lead are not given much consideration. Targets need to be met, and people are constantly being expected to do more with less.

And yet, the economic and human cost of this approach is enormous. Studies show unprecedented levels of anxiety and stress and burnout. More and more people need time off work or leave their organisations because of poor mental and physical health. Surveys also show high levels of disgruntlement and disaffection: people feel their good will and willingness to work long hours for low pay (especially in the public and not-for-profit sectors) are taken for granted. Their skills and talents are not being recognised, many report they feel undermined and de-skilled.

The damage to peoples’ physical and mental health not only affects their work, but also impacts their families, friends and the communities in which they live. The social and economic costs on our health and care systems are enormous.

Another problem I see is that in many organisations, there is a lack of accountability for poor leadership practice. In fact, quite often, rather than deal with bad performance, leaders are sometimes ‘kicked upstairs’ or transferred to other more senior jobs simply to get rid of them, rather than tackle the problem head-on. It takes courage it takes to call out bad practice, and it may involve conflict. But conflict is not something always to be avoided – it can often be an engine for change.

But unequal power dynamics make challenge difficult. People at the lower end of the power chain know they will suffer for raising a complaint – and those in positions of power are likely to punish and bully people that challenge their authority. They may lose their jobs or never get the promotion they deserve. I know because it’s happened to me and I’ve have heard it from workers in factories and farms, from friends, colleagues, and people I’ve mentored over many years.

But even where leaders are good, the quality of their decision-making under conditions of stress and pressure is poor. Neuro-scientific studies increasingly reveal the significant chemical and physiological impacts of stress on the brain and the body. Eventually the body shouts very loudly when we continually ignore the whispers and signs it sends us. And it never lies.

The evidence is overwhelming. Scientific research now shows us that the body is not passive in intelligence. It is an active source. The vagus nerve – the primary communication highway between body and brain, carries signals 80% upwards and only 20% downward. The heart sends more information to the brain than it receives. The gut operates its own semi-autonomous neural network of 500 million neurons. Our hands have 34 muscles, 27 bones, and the tip of each of our fingers contains more than 3,000 nerve endings. There are a number of scientific studies showing that humans who lose access to bodily signals – while retaining full cognitive function – become impaired decision-makers. So we can no longer think of the body as the container of the mind – they are inseparable.

So, the question I’m asking in this book is how can we prevent poor leadership and people-damage – especially in organisations that seek to make a difference in the world? The need for change is urgent – there is no doubt. We want leaders that can step up, draw on their abilities and work with others to create change. And we want regenerative leadership that does not squander the talent, commitment and good will of so many people that want to make a difference.

But I pause here to explain why I’m writing this book and what qualifies me to write it (daunting as it is).

My background: I grew up in apartheid South Africa where I saw the signs of a deeply unjust system – the majority population of black people being ‘othered’ by white people – subject to daily humiliation and degrading forms of work, forced to live outside cities, spending hours travelling to and from work. When I got to university, I became very active in the anti-apartheid struggle, at times needing to live and work ‘underground’ – hiding from the security policy, while close friends and colleagues were imprisoned, tortured and even killed for standing up and demanding justice. Our demonstrations involved singing, dancing, chanting slogans – we protested with our whole bodies – and that gave us courage and a sense of connection with one another to continue resisting the brutality of the state and fighting for what was right.

Since then I’ve worked in many different types of organisations on social justice issues. For more than 45 years, I’ve experienced and observed very poor leaders, and some good leaders in international organisations, in national government, with businesses and public bodies, as well as the not-for-profit sector. I’ve experienced stress, burnout, bullying and sexual harassment, and have seen at close range how stress and pressure affect leaders’ wellbeing, as well as how power in leadership positions can be abused.

Where does the Octopus fit in? The Octopus provides a perfect example and metaphor for my proposed framework for change. Why? I’ll highlight eight qualities that are all mutually interdependent and can teach us a lot about leadership and managing change.

1. Distributed Intelligence in the Body

The octopus has nine brains – the head & body as well as 8 arms. Each of them can act autonomously, and on each of the arms there are hundreds of suckers that are extremely sensitive – like the nerve endings at the tips of our fingers. They constantly scan their environments and pick up enormous amounts of information. Separately and acting in coordination with one another, decisions are being made about what to do – whether it is about hiding from predators, finding food, or something else. If we connected more with our bodies and listened to the information we receive from our heart, our gut, our nervous system, eyes, ears and skin, we’d have access to so much more intelligence than our brain alone to analyse situations and make better decisions.

2.   Three Hearts

The octopus has three hearts that circulate blood faster and at higher pressures to sustain the animal’s active lifestyle, complex nervous system, and constant movement. In our own lives, we might think of ourselves having three hearts: the heart that looks after the self, one that looks after the people around us – family, friends, our community and workplace; and a third heart that connects with the wider world – beyond our immediate sphere of influence – but which enables us to see ourselves and the work we do as contributing to the complex systemic challenges of our time. We cannot ignore our own wellbeing if we want to make a contribution to a fairer society.

3.  Resilience    

The octopus has blue blood – it is copper-based – different to our human iron-based haemoglobin. This enables the octopus to handle adversity and survive in conditions of extreme cold. It has to be extremely efficient – shows us that even in resource-constrained and uncertain environments, we can find ways to survive and even thrive.

4.   Efficiency

The average octopus lives for only a year. During that time, it has to survive the most incredible dangers from predators – minute by minute, hour by hour – while finding its own food. This species has been around for millions of years – constantly finding ways to adapt to its environment.

5.    Adaptability       

The octopus is extraordinarily adaptible. It can camouflage itself and deceive its predators within the space of a few seconds – changing its colour, shape, and texture to suit its environment. Like the octopus, we can take an adaptive performance approach – building on what works, continuously adapting and learning in a volatile, complex and changing environment. In today’s world, that also means building alliances and collaborating with others.

6.    Short and long-term memory       

The octopus remembers its experience, and constantly learns by studying its environment, thinking hard about what actions to take in order to achieve what its goals. In the same way, we want our leaders to use their whole-body intelligence to make decisions about how to act. That means – instead of simply responding to pressure and stress by taking action – any action – simply to be seen to ‘do something’, leaders can pause and consider their actions carefully. They can consider the limits and possibilities of their own influence and resources available, and think carefully about what is feasible and realistic to achieve within a specific timeframe. They can draw on short and long-term memory of what has or hasn’t worked.

7.     Communication      

The octopus uses its intelligence to communicate and deal with danger or conflict. It can deflect conflict by wrapping itself in kelp or seaweed, create a disguise in the form of a shell sculpture, deceive its enemies and almost liquify its body to hide in tiny crevices. It can also be enormously courageous – sometimes riding on the back of a predator – out of its line of sight and jaws. Dealing with conflict and being courageous in doing what is necessary – are critical skills in a leader. Having a sense of humour and being playful at times, or meeting force with a different kind of force – are valuable ways to deal with conflict.

8.    Regeneration       

The eighth superpower of an octopus is its ability to regenerate parts of its body. If it it is attacked and loses an arm, over time that will regenerate – including all its functional neurons and suckers. In the world of embodied leadership today, that means ensuring the culture of the organisation is generative – in which people thrive and grow personally and professionally. They avoid the system collapsing when things are tough, they prevent burnout. When it finally lays eggs at the end of its life, the octopus makes the final sacrifice – to die so that its offspring may live. That’s succession planning in the extreme.

In my book I will tell stories of challenge and change from my own experience, as well as ideas and stories from inspiring thinkers, leaders and activists to show what works in different contexts.

Today, more than ever, we need to be able to trust our leaders. We are far more likely to trust and respect their credibility when what they say and what they do is aligned. We don’t just listen to the words they say, we look at how those words are delivered, and then we wait to see what they actually do in practice.

In summary, even in turbulent times, in resource-constrained and challenging environments, leaders can pay closer attention to their minds and their bodies to help them regulate their stress levels, to prevent illness and burnout, to retain their energy and sharpen their minds to do more effective work.

They will realise that the body’s intelligence can be more trustworthy and important than if they operate from their head alone. They will start to notice the way they show up as leaders has an impact on others. How they listen and learn is as important, if not more important, than how they communicate and what they say. That approach will bring greater clarity in analysing the problems they need to solve, and the quality of their decision-making will be better. They will consider not only achieving the short-term goals and targets of their organisation, but also how it will affect people and performance in the longer term.