“Leadership is embedded in relationship”

The ‘holistic leadership’ approach enables individuals and organisations to explore the many facets of leadership - from personal development and self-awareness, to working with others, to wider issues of social responsibility using the Holistic Development Model created by Dr. Marjo Lips- Wiersma (www.holisticdevelopment.org.nz). 

The blind spot in leadership is not in what we know - not in what leaders do and how they do it –but the who, who we are, and the inner place or source from where we operate, both individually and collectively, and the processes through which we translate that inner action into the world.

“The search for morals and meaning at work, as well as the desire to experience the peace and purpose of the sacred in the stressful world of business, are ‘inner truths’, alive in the hearts of millions of people. These internal realities profoundly influence people’s behaviour – like the choice to invest in a corporation that embraces higher social,environmental and ethical standards than its peers.”


Patricia Aburdene, Megatrends 2010

The holistic development model aids inner reflection – it addresses deeper questions such as:

• what brings real fulfilment from life?
• what purposes truly inspire us?
• how can we connect with others in an increasingly diverse society?
• how can we develop sustainable leadership qualities?

“Superficiality is the curse of our age…a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”


Richard Foster, a Celebration of Discipline

Whilst underpinned with robust academic theory, the model is deceptively simple and practical. It offers a balanced, and experiential approach, to engaging with the challenging questions and issues of our times – in society, in organisations and in ourselves. 

Organisational leaders are accountable to ensure their organisations are genuinely effective. Effectiveness in every sphere of life results from the quality of relationships. Because of the potential benefits of workplace spirituality, a key question for 21^stcentury business leaders is to ask ‘how can we empower employees to envision and implement more spiritual values into the workplace?’

The holistic development model provides a comprehensive approach to addressing this question. It can be used in a variety of settings and supports genuine transformational change:

• leadership retreats
• personal development and performance coaching
• team development workshops
• conflict resolution

“Transformation often occurs as the result of a change in perception or a change of heart”


Georgeanne Lamont, The Spirited Business