— Elyse Hope Killoran
Beyond Traditional Leadership
Traditional leadership focuses on skills, strategies, and external results. And I’ve explored the inner path of leadership that was articulated most notably by Joseph Jaworski in his seminal book Synchronicity.
But what if the next evolution in leadership isn’t about acquiring new techniques or greater awareness beyond the mind, but accessing a different way of knowing altogether?
A powerful example of this shift can be seen in how we understand our very existence. For centuries, we’ve accepted Descartes’ famous declaration: “I think, therefore I am.” But what if he got it backwards? What if the deeper truth is “I AM, therefore I think?”
Recently, I read a post that featured this quote, where the author shared how it was the focal point of a keynote presentation they delivered to a leading bank.
This isn’t just philosophical wordplay. It represents a fundamental reversal – placing awareness and being as primary, with thinking as the secondary function that emerges from this awareness.
When applied to leadership, this means accessing wisdom not through more thinking, but through the courage to be still enough to access the wisdom beyond thought.
The journey described here points to something more fundamental than leadership methodologies and the inner journey. It suggests a shift in human consciousness that transcends our conventional understanding of leadership itself.
When we move beyond the limitations of analytical thinking into embodied knowing, leadership becomes less about what we do and more about how we perceive and interact with reality.
I have found this expanded awareness transforms leadership in several profound ways:
- Decisions emerge from intuitive wisdom rather than just analytical reasoning
- Relationships deepen through authentic presence rather than strategic connection
- Innovation flows naturally when we’re not constrained by conventional thinking patterns
- Complex problems reveal elegant solutions when approached with expanded perception
Steve Jobs once said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Perhaps what made him and other visionary leaders remarkable wasn’t just their intelligence or drive, but their capacity to access this different way of knowing—one that bypasses the limitations of our conditioned mind.
The next frontier in human evolution moves us beyond leadership as a set of skills into leadership as a state of being—where our impact emerges naturally from embodied knowing rather than effortful doing.
My Personal Journey
There is where the deep part of my journey began. In 2012, I had an extraordinary experience during a simple meditation.
When I shared this experience with my coach at that time, her response planted seeds that would take years to fully comprehend:
“As you break out of the limitations of your Mind, you move into fully embodied ‘knowing’ that transcends every boundary of cognitive description.”
Some years later, I found a very similar experience described in The Highest Goal by Michael Ray. Ray is a renowned Professor Emeritus on Innovation whose course was considered the most popular at Stanford University.
Finding a similar experience that mirrored my own validated what I had initially struggled to understand.
It made no sense to me at all. And now here I am 13 years later, living what those words meant.
Experiencing reality beyond the constraints of the mind isn’t about acquiring new beliefs but discovering the many layers of conditioning that cover up a more authentic way of being.
Living From Embodied Knowing
One way this knowing shows up for me is the images I create almost daily now. As an example, often times I read a LinkedIn post that doesn’t resonate with my deeper truth, and I will feel an immediate, bodily response.
This knowing guides me to comment or create images like the one featured in this article where I translate intuitive understanding into a visual form without filtering it through my mind.
In addition, my creations draw deeply from my daily inner work, often manifesting in remarkably synchronistic ways.
Here’s what I discovered. When we truly begin to see with new eyes, everything changes. When we question our perception, we discover a reality far more expansive than we have known.
What lies beyond the mind isn’t just a different perspective or seeing in a new way. It’s an entirely new dimension of knowledge and wisdom that transforms everything.
The Evolutionary Potential
What might be possible if we all collectively began to operate from this expanded awareness?
Like Steve Jobs’ innovations that transformed technology, this shift in consciousness may represent the next frontier in human evolution.
One that could fundamentally transform how we relate to ourselves, each other, and our world in infinite ways.
If you’ve experienced glimpses of this expanded awareness or are curious to explore beyond conventional thinking, I’d welcome a conversation.
Whether you’re sensing there’s more to reality than what’s readily apparent or simply feel drawn to this exploration, reach out.
We can discover this frontier together, learning from each other’s experiences as we navigate this profound shift in consciousness. Connect with me to continue the conversation.
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