Leadership Values with Bryan Sensei

Over coffee, I asked my former Aikido Sensei, Bryan, who is also a leadership coach:

“Why should leaders hold to their highest values during these times? Especially when so many bad leaders are succeeding at the highest levels?”

He said:

“Simple answer, because the people above you are not the ones really watching you. Your team is. They report to you, and they decide whether to trust, commit, and speak up based on what you do on any ordinary work day. Corruption or bad behavior at the top may shape the weather, but you still shape the room.

As you know, in Aikido, you do not meet force with force, and you don’t let an attacker’s energy pull you off your center. Bad behavior at the top is force. Giving up your values in response means you have been thrown.

I imagine that for ADHD leaders, values are more than a moral stance and actually in a way create structure. Integrity is never a burden on an ADHD brain or anyone for that matter. Integrity and values are critical and often unseen support systems.”

I love how he uses Aikido principles here.

A foundation of Aikido is that you are the calm center as you redirect your attacker’s energy around you.

This only works if your stance is grounded and your structure has integrity. Often, you don’t know if it will hold until you’re pressure tested.

In his analogy, he’s saying that your values are not just your moral stance, they are what gives your structure integrity to hold up under pressure. Bad behavior from high leaders is that pressure.

Everyday ethical decisions are “life reps” that train our structure. So when the big pressure test comes, our integrity is deeply ingrained.

And our teams are watching us.

➡️ At what point do you stop holding your values, and your values start holding you?

Please share your thoughts in a comment and with someone you lead.

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This is the Holistic Integration Layer of my coaching: Where body, mind, and values unite for an Enhanced Life.

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The 21st Century needs ADHD Leaders.
If this is you, I want to support you.

Soon I’ll have room for two new clients.
Watch this space.