Mental Health Articles

What is resonant leadership?

It’s best to start by understanding what resonance is. It is the sensation you get when a sound is reflected off of a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighbouring object. So, resonant leadership is all about the physical impact that your energy has on another person. This type of leadership is about guiding people in a way that is truthful to who you are and is fully aligned to the impact that you intend it to have. 

Why are you so dedicated to the practice of resonant leadership?

Having led teams in pharmaceuticals, healthcare strategy consulting and my own business, I’ve always been part of a leadership team where the success of the business relies on selling your team’s time. This means productivity and engagement is the key to growth. I believe that being resonant – really doing what you say you’ll do as a leader and sticking with and being genuine to who you show up to the team as is critical to others wanting to follow you.

How does resonant leadership effect our health? 

I believe that leadership in any organisation, be it a club or family, impacts us in numerous different ways. So many organisations are led with great intentions but perhaps not with the dedication to be ‘resonant’ with the people it’s designed to support. This leads us to something more interesting, which is the impact of leadership on the overall wellbeing of those who are led and those who are leading in any organisation. I have lots of conversations with people, leaders or not, who tell me about the impact of organisations on their physical, mental and spiritual health. Their work cultures and environments have an eventual impact on their health that could lead to a detrimental effect on our plant too.

You have had a long commercial career in healthcare. When did you first realise the power of leadership in the healthcare arena?

I think pretty early on in my career I had some pretty great and not so great ‘leadership’ experiences. I recognised immediately the impact it had on me and how I felt about myself and the other people around me, I also recognised the impact that my leadership could have on others and the responsibility that I had to care deeply about the people who I led. I quickly realised that I needed to nurture others to get the best out of them and myself. Leadership is about serving others not yourself.

You teach people to connect with mind, body and soul. Why are all three so important for good leadership?

It’s my belief that all of those things are fundamental to our being and separating them out can be the cause of our ailments and troubles. Our body doesn’t lie to us, it tells us what’s going on via ‘gut’ feelings and physical aches and pains. Our minds link our body and soul by acting as amazing computers that allow us to navigate our bodies through the world. There can be real resistance in the commercial world to the word ‘soul’ or ‘soulful’ yet so much evidence points towards how unengaging and even damaging ‘soulless’ organisations can be. 

What are the key elements of resonant leadership?

1. Staying true to yourself and your aims: Do what you say you will do, be who you say you will be
2. Being honest with yourself first: Check in with what you say you are going to do and make sure it feels right.
3. Taking responsibility: Own the choices that you make every second of every day and recognise how often you make excuses - and stop making them!

Does good health help resonant leadership? Why?

Looking after yourself is likely to allow you to be your best self and therefore a better leader. When we are in touch with our health and feeling great we are more likely to stay true to our intentions. Acting in this way is also beneficial for your health, being the best you can be means you reap rewards of better energy and clarity. It’s a cycle. 

Why is increasing the education of resonant leadership so important for you?

I don’t believe that I am educating people. My job is not to drag people kicking and screaming into a better way to be. People aren’t broken and they don’t need fixing. It’s better to think of my work as increasing awareness, consideration and curiosity into the possibilities that being more resonant can bring. I lead people to realise that they can change if they want to but first they have to be aware of the person they are today. 

If you want to learn about how important great wellbeing is for your general health, why not take a look at our mymentalhealth hub? You will find loads of great, expert, advice!