NATURE AS PORTALTO LEADERSHIP

A GUIDE TO NATURAL LEADERSHIP

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Natural Leadership to me means:One with Self, One with Others, One with Nature

Leadership is establishing a connection and the best way to do this is through nature, because in nature everything is connected.

Thanks to nature we again start the dialogue, with self and others.Thanks to nature we become humble in who we are and what we do.

Thanks to nature we find out how flexible we are.Thanks to nature we become aware of our passions and talents.

Thanks to nature we overcome our fear.All this and so much more… thanks to nature…!

And in conclusion, I am certain that through naturewe will experience synchronicity:

FOREWORD

The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

( W.H. Murray – The Scottish Himalayan Expedition 1951 )

Enjoy nature and enjoy your trail!

~ Derk Egeler Chairman FNL Board

The Foundation for Natural Leadership (FNL) believes it is time for a new form of leadership: Natural Leadership. By Natural Leadership, we mean the kind of leadership required to make today’s world more sustainable, both socially and ecologically. The kind of leadership required to discover the human potential that lies concealed within our organisations and ourselves.

We are a fast growing community. Over 700 members have already joined, and we strive to enrol at least 2,500 new leaders onto our unique Wilderness Leadership Transformation Programmes by 2020. The aim of those programmes and of several other initiatives is to accelerate the adoption of Natural Leadership skills by people and organisations.

ABOUT FNL

“Our mission as a foundation is to support the development of Natural Leadership and

to increase awareness of the connection between Nature and humanity. 

OUR MISSION

The foundation’s roots lie in the 2002 International Dialogue Conference of the Encounter of Worldviews Foundation. There was a strong recognition that, as a species, we humans can learn a great deal from Nature and that we have a clear responsibility to work with Nature in a sustainable way.

Based on this understanding, the next step was to create a programme in which Nature could serve as a portal for leadership transformation. And so our foundation was born.

OUR ROOTS

We support people, businesses, institutions and public organisations by offering unique leadership transformation programmes and initiatives. In doing so, we work with communities to boost Natural Leadership skills. We strongly believe in Nature as portal to leadership.

We invite people to bond with Nature in some of the world’s most remote wilderness places. This creates a sense of connectedness and offers a profound source of natural knowledge and intuition.

OUR APPROACH

Our approach to leadership transformation is based on the U Process. This is a body of thought, a framework and a methodology that lays down the path to a person’s inner source of leadership and creativity. This process was developed by Joseph Jaworski, Peter Senge and Otto Scharmer (Theory U).

Developing Natural Leadership qualities is essential to helping people and organisations find new solutions and take inclusive actions. Those actions occur in four inextricably linked domain: the Personal, Private, Professional and Public domains.

We currently offer our Wilderness Leadership Transformation Programmesat several areas in Africa and Europe.

OUR LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES

IMFOLOZI

MARATABAOKAVANGO

ALPSSPAIN

IRELAND

The heart of the four-month programme is a one-week trail through the African wilderness in South-Africa (iMfolozi, Marataba) or Botswana (Okavango Delta). Other wilderness areas in

South-Africa are Cederberge, Drakensberge and Baviaanskloof.

AFRICAN WILDERNESS AREAS

IMFOLOZI

MARATABAOKAVANGO

iMfolozi is the birthplace of the Wilderness Trails. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve, located 280  km north of Durban, is the oldest proclaimed park in Africa. The park is the only state-run park in KwaZulu-Natal, where all the Big Five Game occurs. Due to conservation efforts, the park now has the largest population of white rhinos in the world.

IMFOLOZISouth-Africa

The Okavango Delta is a unique ecosystem of waterways and islands, which is surrounded by the Kalahari Desert. The water that the delta enters is unusually pure and a source of life for a large number of plants and animals that do not normally inhabit deserts. During trails we have encounters with elephants, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, buffaloes, lions, giraffes, leopards, hyenas and large numbers of birds.

OKAVANGO DELTABotswana

The Marakele National Park was known as the Kransberg National Park when it was first proclaimed in 1994. Located in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains, it is now a fully-fledged, malaria-free, Big Five safari area. In 2003, it was reopened by Nelson Mandela and Prince Bernhard as the Marakele National Park.

MARATABASouth-Africa

The heart of the four-month programme is a 5 day trail through the European wilderness in the Swiss Alps, Spain (Macizo de Ayllon) and Ireland. Other

wilderness areas are piloted by the FNL.

EUROPEAN WILDERNESS AREAS

ALPS

SPAIN

IRELAND

The heart of the European programme is the trail through the Turtmann valley, located in the stunning and remote Mont-Blanc area of the Swiss Alps. Off-season during the day, a local mountain guide will accompany you as you traverse beautiful alpine passes at a height of two or three thousand metres. Overnight sleeping in a mountain hut or bivouac (outside).

ALPSEurope

The trail’s base camp is situated on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, on the south-west coast of Ireland. It sits on the western slope of the Sugarloaf Mountain, 800 metres away from the nearest occupied house, and it has open access to the Caha mountain range. This is a very remote area, high above the Atlantic Ocean and populated only by sheep. The old cottage, which serves as the base camp, is situated on hilly farmland. It has not been lived in since the late 90’s.

IRELANDEurope

The ‘Macizo de Ayllón’ is in the Province of Guadalajara, close to Madrid. With fewer than 200 people living in this area, it has one of the lowest population densities in Europe. It is a beautiful diverse area with a rich fluvial web that has shaped many valleys and spectacular canyons, river views and cascades. Tiny abandoned villages in black stone adorn mountain views high up.

SPAINEurope

Are you ready to make a powerful change to your life and to your organisation? Are you ready to deepen your understanding of your Natural Leadership potential and grow your sense of connectedness with your environment?

DISCOVER YOUR POTENTIAL

BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE PROGRAMME

Would you like to develop on different levels (personal, private, professional and public)? Then we offer you the opportunity to participate in our unique Wilderness Leadership Transformation programme.

INTAKEFOUNDATION WORKSHOP

Months 1.0.

Our wilderness programmes are devoted to developing Natural Leadership skills. Their power lies in the huge impact on all who participate. Join up and you’ll be given a unique opportunity to return to your essence, to tune into what Nature offers,

BECOME A NATURAL LEADERand to come back enriched and empowered. You’ll be connected to the present moment on a professional and personal level. And you’ll have what is needed to become a natural leader and to fulfil your ambitions and those of your organisation.

LEADERSHIPTRAIL

INTEGRATION WORKSHOP

COACHINGSESSION

2. 3. 4.

We offer other initiatives in addition to our individual FNL programmes. We also encourage our partners to develop tailor-made in-company programmes based on Natural Leadership principles. We currently offer the following programmes:

OUR OTHER PROGRAMMES

Aimed at organisations, each in-company programme is organised and led by our partners, who pay a fee to the FNL for every participant. Variants of this pro-gramme include transformation programmes for teams or business units and

corporate leadership programmes.  

A leadership programme for young potentials. Between two and four participants from different organisations are nominated by senior leaders, who are part of our community.

A programme for former participants. Community members revisit their experiences by coming together in their original trail groups or in open programmes.

INCOMPANY PROGRAMME

YOUNG LEADERSHIP REUNION PROGRAMME

“Nature will be the next big human trend.The worldwide explosion of information creates a

countertrend of reflection, silence and back to basics.The new luxe is not a 5 star hotel anymore. It is sitting with your bare ass on the ground and sleeping in the open air.No mobiles, no watches, no hurry, no obligations. Time to

reflect… the most important value of leaders.

~ Yolanda Eijgenstein, Business Woman of the Year, serial-entrepreneur, trail facilitator

“Natural Leadership has enabled me to become a more effective leader. I’ve gained better insights through deeper observation and inquiry and this has led to more effective connection between people. This holistic approach to what we do and the impact we have on the world around us helps the integration of “head, hand and heart” in how we act and lead. I also seek out the Natural Leaders among my own talent pool: who has the best insights? Who builds the most effective networks? The best teams? Who demonstrates the most empathy with our customers? And then I do all I can to nurture and draw out this talent.

Principles of Natural Leadership have helped us in Philips to develop a crucial programme called “Accelerate Team Performance”, aimed at improving leadership, developing stronger team work, and solving problems more effectively across organisational silos. This approach has already played a key role in helping us to make real changes to the way we work. For example, we have built upon our awareness of our ecological impact by driving our business in an even-more increasingly sustainable manner, embracing Circular Economy

concepts to reduce waste and the use of scarce materials.

~ Frans van Houten, CEO Philips, Advisory Board FNL

PHILIPS AND NATURAL LEADERSHIP

All our facilitators, most of whom are professional coaches, are former participants. Their role is to arrange the composition of the groups, prepare their own group for the trail, support the group as a whole and as individuals during the trail itself, and help integrate everyone’s insights and learning experiences afterwards.

During the trail, local guides from the Wilderness Leadership School in Durban play an important role.  They are trained not only in safety and tracking, but also in connecting with Nature and showing us what Nature can teach us about being better leaders. Our European guides also are trained in safety and in enhancing the connection with nature.

LOCAL GUIDESFNL FACILITATORS

Our approach to leadership transformation is based on the Theory U. This is a process developed by Peter Senge, Joseph Jaworski and Otto Scharmer. It is a body of thought, a framework and a methodology that lays down the path to a person’s inner source of leadership and creativity.

The U process itself was born of the insight that people who had led profound change processes – whether personal or organizational – typically followed a common journey that could be mapped into phases which formed the shape of a U. One contribution of Theory U was to put a language and visual map to an experience that many people knew intuitively, but had not articulated in a comprehensive way.

Today, for some the U process is an articulation of their lived experience. For others, it is the first invitation they have encountered to embark on a journey into a deeper way of knowing. And still for others, it is a process to learn and apply.

Our programmes provide the ideal setting to take on an individual journey of self-discovery. Only when you know yourself and are able to lead yourself can you lead others.

THEORY U

OPEN MIND

1. DOWNLOADINGpast patterns

7. PERFORMINGby operating from the whole

2. SEEINGwith fresh eyes

6. PROTOTYPINGlinking head, heart, hand

3. SENSINGfrom the field

5. CRYSTALLIZING vision and intention

4. PRESENCING connecting to source

OPEN HEARTredirecting enacting

suspending embodying

letting go letting come

Who is the Self? What is my Work?

OPEN WILL

“The programme enables a deep contact with Nature, which results in a sense of interconnectedness and allows

you to tap into a deeper source of innate knowledge and that makes you realise the need for a society and

economic system based on sustainability.~ Robert-Jan van Ogtrop, Co-founder FNL,

Co-founder The Circle Economy

The Foundation is a non-profit organisation that is supported by one paid staff member and a group of enthusiastic volunteers who have participated in previous FNL programmes.

The board consists of Derk Egeler (chairman), Jan Willem Loman, Bastiaan Mulder, Theo Quaijtaal and Charlotte van den Akker.

Senior natural leadership experts in business and academics act as Advisory Board members. They help further develop our programmes and communicate the FNL mission. Advisory Board members include Herman Wijffels, Bercan Günel, Robert-Jan van Ogtrop, Fred Matser, Frans van Houten, Johan Bontje, Elfrieke van Galen, Joseph Jaworski and Fons Driessen.

ORGANISATION

Foundation for Natural LeadershipGraafschap Hornelaan 166004 HP Weert The Netherlands

Secretary:Anne-Marie van den Nieuwenhuijseninfo@naturalleadership.eu+31 6 27 01 31 27

CONTACT INFORMATION

WWW.NATURALLEADERSHIP.EU

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