Preface: Why Do We Need Another Book on Leadership?

If you have picked up this book you are probably already in a leadership role, or perhaps you are about to enter a leadership role for the first time. You may have learned about leadership approaches in school, from a TED talk, in an organization you have been part of, from an online influencer, from your church, or perhaps through osmosis by watching leaders in your life. We cannot walk into an airport bookshop without seeing yet another new book on leadership, and among those who have held a leadership role for any length of time it is hard not to become jaded and skeptical that the latest offering contributes anything new to the field. Yet, we continue to buy these books, attend conferences and workshops, and hire new leadership consultants in the hopes of learning the magic formula that will help us attain the leadership success that remains elusive in so many cases.

As long-term leaders ourselves, we have been there, and we understand your bubbling skepticism. Yet, despite our cynicism, we leaders still buy the latest book, look for new perspectives, and pursue new educational opportunities for one simple frustrating reason – What we are doing is often not working very well.  So many organizations are reporting horizontal violence, bullying, and conflict in their teams, disengaged team members, reduced organizational commitment, intergenerational conflict, challenges adjusting to working with a rapidly diversifying population, and sometimes less than stellar organizational outcomes. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many people to reassess their priorities, organizational cohesion and commitment is frequently elusive, and much has been said about what economists have dubbed “The Great Resignation” [1]. In short, post-pandemic many workers are considering quitting or changing professions, with one 2021 Microsoft survey of more than 30 000 global workers reporting that 41% of workers were entertaining quitting or changing professions [2]. It is not hard to understand why so many leaders are feeling overwhelmed by the scope and complexity of the challenges they are facing, and why a new approach to leadership is needed to help leaders and organizations thrive in this new rapidly changing social environment.

Dare we say, we think we may have some solutions for you!

We are not presenting a catchy simple formula, or promising wholesale change without investing time and work in your personal and team development, but we are convinced that engaging in Metta Leadership will be a game changer for you as a leader, and for the teams and organizations that you work with. Metta leadership is a true synthesis of ancient spiritually informed perspectives with multi-disciplinary scholarship surrounding social interaction, organizational dynamics, and leadership. Furthermore, Metta Leadership has emerged from our collective 70 plus years of combined cumulative knowledge and experience that we have acquired as both leaders and followers in multiple sectors including: health care, government, academia, business, and the non-profit sector.

Leadership Starts with Self

One key premise underpins the Metta Leadership approach. Leadership is not something external to oneself, indeed leadership of things external to us requires that we are able to enact and embody personal leadership first. Otherwise, it is akin to attempting to drive a bus full of passengers when we have not yet mastered driving solo. Therefore, the foundation of Metta Leadership is developing a deep knowledge, awareness, integration, and acceptance of oneself, and using this self-mastery to illuminate our motivations, our beliefs, and our reactions during the process of holding the space of leader. Taking a long hard critical look at ourselves, our strengths, our limitations, our traumas, our values, and our socialization is not an easy process because it requires radical honesty, a profound willingness to be vulnerable, and commitment to personal growth as an individual and leader. However, we are convinced that pursuing self-mastery and self-exploration will be a game changer for your success as an individual and as a leader, and that engaging in this process is one of the ways the Metta Leadership philosophy sets itself apart from traditional approaches to leadership that shy away from acknowledging vulnerability and the role of self.

What’s Ahead?

In the coming pages, we make a passionate case for embracing Metta Leadership and why it is an approach to leadership whose time has come. We will explore how lack of self-knowledge, fear, insecurity, and attempts to control underpin many leader’s actions, and how reluctance to step out of limiting beliefs and into our own sovereign power holds so many of us back from showing up as the authentic leaders that our complex and diverse modern world requires. We will unpack how shadow personas, gender socialization, intersecting social hierarchies, and internalized oppression play out in social interactions, and how societal trends and advances in technology have eroded many of our team members face-to-face social skills. In short, we make the case that addressing the roots of social conflict and human insecurity in our teams is a far more effective leadership strategy than managing undesirable behaviours and outcomes after they have already occurred.

We then present the key pillars of Metta Leadership including pursuing personal integration and harmony; leading with compassion (loving-kindness); embracing diversity and personal humility; and embodying benevolent leadership.

Along the way, we will provide you with personal stories to illustrate the points we are making and will share activities for you to articulate your own unique Metta Leadership approach that will suit your own context.

It is our hope that you will experience some personal a-ha’s along the way, that you will acquire useful new leadership insights and skills, and that you will be inspired to join the Metta Leadership revolution to transform our workplaces, schools, organizations, teams, clubs, and lives for the better.