Program in Spiritual and Transformative Leadership

An Annual Weekend Forum on Exploring and Deepening the Impact and Connection of Spirituality on Leadership in Daily Life.
During the time of the Covid 19 Pandemic we are meeting every two months as a Two Hour Webinar.

Do great leaders need a spiritual dimension? What makes for Great and Authentic Leadership? Do spiritual practices help people become better leaders? All organizations from families, associations, businesses as well as governments that sustain and grow over time must find ways not only to manage change but also perhaps to impact the soul of others. In this forum we will explore some of the Great Questions regarding this topic such as:

 

  1. What is our personal model and practice of Spirituality?
  2. Does Great Leadership require Spiritual Connectedness?
  3. How strong and constant are our Spiritual Leadership practices?
  4. How have religious beliefs hurt and helped leaders?
  5. Should we be encouraging Leaders to pursue spiritual goals and integration?
  6. Is Spiritual Leadership Needed in Families?
  7. Is Spiritual Leadership Needed in Business? Society?
  8. Has traditional religion helped or hurt our individual and organizational leadership performance?
  9. How can I deepen my spiritual connection in daily life?

Join us for an informal and focused discussion on these and related topics from a multitude of perspectives including spiritual, poetic, theological, as well as managerial, organizational, and political. We will share stories of those we admire, personal frustrations, successes, challenges and learnings as we explore this topic theoretically, personally and professionally.

Group consists of Business Leaders, Business Advisors, Spiritual and Psychological Experts and others! Bring your questions, theories and excitement of learning. Participants are encouraged to share readings and reflections that are currently inspiring them before we meet.

History and Premise

In July of 2009 – a dear friend and colleague of mine and I hosted a Leadership Forum that we humbly titled – Leadership and the Evolution of Systemic Change.  The event took place in Villa de Leyva and was a beautiful and learning experience for all who attended. The concept was to gather a group of people from different disciplines whom we deeply admire and who we know have much to offer to the conversation to pursue this topic with us.  The basic idea is to gather and through facilitated agenda and exercises to explore this topic in our personal and professional lives.  We bring in such different perspectives as managerial, political, spiritual, theological, psychological, organizational, and others.

Venue
We choose a place that we believe is conducive to deep meditation and learning, usually in the mountains. We alternate meetings each year between Colombia and Panama.

Participants
Limited to 20 people. Participants should have an open mind and thirst for learning. We try to have a balance of people from different backgrounds and cultures. Typically participants are business leaders, civic leaders, students as well as consultants, therapists, poets and healers.

Process

We meet alternately in one large group as well as small groups. Time will be taken for personal reflection and meditation as well as yoga. Spouses and Friends are invited to join us during the Social Events of the Weekend (Friday evening, Saturday Evening, Sunday Brunch)

We meet for two full days Saturday 9:00 – 5:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Participants are asked to arrive Friday Night by 7:00 pm for an informal dinner and meeting and depart Monday morning.

Participants are required to attend the whole session. Part of the goal is building a kind of community between us. This is only possible if participants attend the complete event. Event begins formally Saturday morning (9:00 am sharp) and ends at 5:00pm on Sunday. There will be an informal gathering Friday evening for any who want to attend as well as a Gala Dinner on Sunday Evening.

Participants are encouraged to bring Books, Quotes, Questions Music, …

Registration

Program is limited to 20 people and is usually filled early. If you are interested, contact Marc Silverman to discuss if the program is right for you.

Donation

A portion of your fees will be donated to the Saul A. Silverman Award Fund for the Enhancement of Dignity and Rational Dialogue. This Fund gives an annual award to individuals who show new and innovative work in the field of Change and Conflict Resolution internationally. If you are interested to learn more about this Award Fund, please let us know – we will be happy to send you information or arrange a private meeting.

Facilitator

Marc A. Silverman is a Family Business Consultant who has specialized in working with Generational Transitions in Latin American families for over 20 years. He has given over 100 seminars in many countries. He previously served as President of the International Organization Development Association. He is a lifelong student and learner in the fields of leadership, spiritual and personal development. See his bio page http://the-sii-inc.com/biography/

For more information.

He can be reached most easily at marc@sii-inc.net or by phone in USA at 401-603-4839 or 401-258-1120 or in Colombia at 310-773-7228.

 

A Few Exciting Books on the Topic…

  • Bolman, Lee G. and Deal, Terrence E. Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass 2001.
  • Baldaracco Jr., Joseph L. Questions of Character: Illuminating the Heart of Leadership Through Literature. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 2006.
  • Covey, Stephen R. The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York: Free Press 2004.
  • Gardner, John. On Leadership. New York: The Free Press 1990.
  • Lerner, Michael. The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right. San Francisco: Harper Collins 2005.
  • Lurie, Alan. Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace and Fulfillment at Work. Upper Saddle River: FP Press 2009.
  • Neal, Judi. Edgewalkers: People and Organizations That Take Risks, Build Bridges and Break New Ground. Westport, CT 2006.
  • Wigglesworth, Cindy. The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence. New York: SelectBooks 2012.
  • A few Very Exciting Weblinks on the topic…
  • Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace, based on the research of William and Debra Miller and Peter and Kirsten Pruzan on “Spiritual Based Leadership.” http://tfsw.uark.edu/sbl-knowledge-base.asp.
  • Jody Fry’s Institute for Spiritual Leadership http://iispiritualleadership.com. He has tons of research articles on his site that can be downloaded for free.
  • Michael Lerner’s work, associations and publications/organization http://spiritualprogressives.org/newsite/ see also his books and magazine http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/
  • Matthew Wesley’s blog – Rekindling Moral Imagination. http://www.thewesleygroup.com/blog/ published Jan. 27, 2014.