Just the Facts Ma'am?
Leadership Excellence Requires More

by Beata C. Lewis, J.D.
Master Somatic Coach

Sausalito, California - Experts are often not the best leaders. Why? According to Leadership Coach Beata Lewis, it is “because they tend to lead with their heads, not their hearts.” Said another way, they tend to relegate the human and relational elements of leadership to low priority, giving primacy to what they perceive as “hard” variables.

But think for a minute. Who are the people in your life who inspired you to dedicate your expertise and enthusiasm to accomplish the “impossible?” You will probably remember them for qualities that made them human and really trustworthy. You will probably also remember them for how they made you feel about yourself and about what you were creating together. Those leaders could, by virtue of their communication and their very presence, mobilize you to take action for something you cared about.

Experts who are great leaders pay attention to “soft” variables—that realm of intentions, interpretations, and relationships that is at the core of value creation. If you are already an expert, how can you enhance your credibility and effectiveness as a leader?

Cultivate other aspects of your intelligence: emotional and somatic. They are fundamental to your leadership presence. Leading from an integrated, authentic presence you will get people’s attention. They can sense when your words and actions are compelling and have integrity and heart. That’s what they move towards.

Beata Lewis, Leadership Coach and Founder of Bridging Lives, works with highly accomplished individuals in business to cultivate leadership and collaborative excellence. Beata emphasizes that leadership is a way of being in life, not just fulfilling a role. Beata’s clients are leaders—and primarily women—in science, technology, and other professions that have high academic threshold requirements (e.g. law, education, medicine, architecture, etc.).

From personal experience Beata knows the limitations of leading from the head and the transformation that is possible when intellectual leadership translates into leadership excellence. “For one, you practice getting out of your own way.” Her first career was in law and then conflict resolution; she knows the business and human costs of relational breakdowns at high levels of leadership. For leaders who know that something has got to give…and are ready to go first in creating the changes they want to see in their world, somatically-oriented leadership coaching takes them to the heart and guts of the matter.

If you are ready to get your toes wet and take steps to strengthen your leadership, try Leading from Center. Beata offers this professional development workshop for professionals, entrepreneurs and organizational leaders to experience aspects of a somatic coaching approach. Individuals leading themselves through life transitions are also encouraged to participate. Information and registration: http://www.bridginglives.com.

Participants address current, actual challenges they face as leaders. By experiencing “center” and exploring ways to lead from center for greater effectiveness and satisfaction, participants walk away with more than a binder full of notes and great resources. They touch into something that can open entirely new realms of possibility.

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Beata C. Lewis, J.D., provides focused coaching for highly accomplished individuals and teams. Applying a somatic orientation that integrates mind, body, heart, and spirit, Beata helps them develop awareness and implement practices to achieve tangible and sustainable improvements in leadership, trust building and collaboration. Coaching and consulting clients range from leaders in bio-tech and high-tech companies, boards of directors, non-profit and arts organizations, federal and state agencies and entrepreneurs. In 2003 she conducted a study (The Feminine Face of Leadership in Science) about what women leaders need as they shape the character and practices of leadership in the business of science. For women, Beata leads Transformational Leadership Circles, or TLC for Women Leaders™.

For more information, also see Who.