
It’s easy to see why the business world is seemingly obsessed with brilliance —hitting KPIs, scaling teams, launching new products and securing profits is the aim of the game. It's perhaps these concerns have brought you here in the first place. As a former Commercial Director and fellow insecure over-achiever, I deeply empathise. The numbers matter.
In many ways, brilliance is what keeps organisations moving forward and delivers measurable results. But brilliance alone is not enough to sustain real, meaningful leadership. According to Forbes, 50-70% of CEOs fail within their first 18 months and it's usually nothing to do with their intelligence or their intention. The answer lies deeper. I firmly believe that it's only when leaders step into their wholeness i.e. aligning with a higher purpose, getting out of their own way, developing their emotional maturity and softening their ego etc — that they can truly unlock their full leadership potential.
Brilliance without wholeness is like a dazzling fireworks display: impressive, but fleeting. For long-term impact, fulfilment and legacy, leaders need both. In this post, I make the case for wholeness. For brilliance, see my other posts.
The Outer Game: Brilliance and Its Rewards
When we talk about brilliance, we’re referring to mastery of the “outer game”—the highly visible aspects of leadership. It’s the metrics-driven world of productivity, performance and profit. There’s no doubt that brilliance matters. Research shows that organizations led by highly competent, strategically minded leaders usually see a significant uptick in business outcomes and employee engagement. Leaders like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Steve Jobs have long been admired for their supposed brilliance — delivering technological breakthroughs, unprecedented business growth and innovation. We need all these things.
But here’s the reality: brilliance alone can lead to unsustainable performance. It can lead to burnout (I've been there twice). It can also lead to stark inequality and environmental destruction. A recent study by McKinsey revealed that toxic behaviors at the top, coupled with a relentless focus on external results, are driving rising levels of crisis across virtually every sector. Brilliance, without a deeper sense of purpose and a more integral, holistic outlook, often results in poorer outcomes. 'Perma-crisis' is the word now most often used to characterise the world we live in, supplanting the popular terms 'VUCA' (volatile, uncertain, complex & ambiguous) & the lesser known 'BANI' (brittle, anxious, non-linear, incomprehensible).
The Inner Game: Wholeness as the Missing Ingredient
If brilliance is about getting results, wholeness is about the “inner game”—the less tangible, but more profound aspects of leadership that focus on who you are rather than just what you do. Wholeness requires self-awareness, emotional intelligence, alignment with values, and a deeper connection to both purpose and people. It involves working on yourself as a leader and ultimately becoming a more developmentally mature individual. It's sometimes referred to as vertical development (growing as a person) as opposed to horizontal development (growing your skillset).
Growing up
One critical aspect of wholeness is growing up. To understand how leaders evolve toward wholeness in their motivations, we can look at the Spiral Dynamics model originally created by Clare Graves. This extraordinary framework, grounded in decades of empirical observations, describes how human value systems evolve through different stages, from survival to planetary concerns. Here's how the levels show up for leaders:
1. Survival (Beige): Leaders focused purely on survival are reactive. Their decisions are based on immediate needs — think of early-stage entrepreneurs scrambling to get funding. They are brilliant at hustling, but this is where burnout begins.
2. Kinship and Power (Purple and Red): Leaders here prioritise tribalism or personal power. They might have loyalty from close-knit teams but struggle to collaborate with broader networks. Examples include earlier-stage startups and traditional family-owned businesses where founders often hold power closely and are hesitant to delegate.
3. Process and Profit (Blue and Orange): This is where most corporate leaders operate — focused on metrics, efficiency and profit maximization. Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg operate within this paradigm. They are brilliant at what they do, but their leadership style has often been criticized for lacking the human touch.
4. People and Paradox (Green and Yellow): Leaders at this stage prioritize inclusivity, collaboration and systems thinking. They seek to balance profitability with broader societal impact. Satya Nadella at Microsoft embodies this shift, with his focus on empathy and inclusive leadership, transforming Microsoft’s culture into one of collaboration and emotional intelligence.
5. Planetary Concerns (Turquoise): At this stage, leaders focus on the well-being of the entire planet and future generations. Think of Greta Thunberg or Al Gore — they operate from a place of deep wholeness, recognizing the interconnectedness of all life.
By evolving through these stages, leaders begin to embrace paradox, ambiguity and complexity. They move from narrow, ego-driven leadership toward a more expansive, compassionate and holistic orientation. They also leave behind narrow 'them' and 'us' thinking and embrace pluralism and shared humanity. Yet shockingly, according to pioneering leadership firm Complete Coherence's 20 year data set, less than 2% of leaders globally have made it to the yellow stage or above. This means we don't have enough leaders who are capable of delivering more than shareholder return with a nod towards inclusion and employee wellbeing (at best). Looking at all the red and amber lights flashing on the dashboard of civilisation, perhaps it's no surprise we're in the mess we are.
Are you curious what level you're operaring from in your leadership? If so, this is something we can determine by partnering together in coaching. I use Complete Coherence's 'Values for Leaders' instrument to peer into your motivations and place you on the spiral.
Showing up
Another critical cornerstone of wholeness is showing up for everthing that matters. Drawing on frameworks like Ken Wilber’s AQAL (All Quadrants All Levels) model (see below), leaders who cultivate wholeness think and operate across multiple domains: subjective (inner personal experiences), inter-subjective (relationships, culture), objective (observable behaviours and hard results) and inter-objective (wider systems and environments). By integrating all these dimensions, leaders see reality more clearly and also make better decisions. They move from reacting impulsively and myopically, oftentimes based on ego, to responding wisely with a broad perspective. In Wilber’s model, leadership that embraces wholeness takes into account not just immediate business concerns, but the well-being of the wider organisation, its people, the environment and society. It's all about making conscious (and usually imperfect) tradeoffs between these domains.

Cleaning up
Another critical component of wholeness is cleaning up. Have you faced your demons? Turns out they're part of your leadership, whether you like it or not. To avoid derailment, leaders must confront and integrate their “shadow” —those parts of themselves that they hide, deny, or may even be unaware of. Modern psychology suggests that unacknowledged parts of ourselves often manifest in destructive behaviours, both personally and professionally. They can also lead to neuroses, obsessions and even addictions (I've been here too btw). Shadow work involves bringing these unconscious patterns into the light and resolving internal conflicts.
In leadership, unresolved trauma or unintegrated shadow aspects can lead to toxic environments and outright failure. The popularity of films based on bad bosses is testament to our deep recognition of this. Travis Kalanick, the former CEO of Uber, was widely regarded for his brilliance in scaling the company. But his total lack of wholeness seen in a machiavellian leadership style that fuelled and tolerated toxic behaviours — ultimately led to his downfall. His failure to address his shadow created a culture of harassment and aggression, undermining Uber’s long-term reputation and success. Donald Trump and Jack Welch are other infamous examples of leaders who've created incredible toxicity, most likely driven by a wounded or fragmented psyche. What about your boss? What about you?
If you're interested in understanding you 'dark side', I'm certified in Hogan Assessments and we can shine a light on your derailer tendencies. Shadow work can result in a more whole and healthy you — and a much more effective leader.
Wholeness also involves ego development, a process first mapped by pioneering psychologists Robert Kegan and Jane Loevinger. It turns out that our sense of ourselves evolves, much like babies become children who go through tantrums, puberty and eventually reach adulthood. Leaders stuck in earlier stages of ego development (and there are many who are) are often focused on power, control, and personal gain, much like toddlers. Think of Victor Orban and Vladimir Putin. However, as they grow and develop, leaders can begin to see beyond their self-interest. They can start operating from a place of wisdom and compassion, seeking outcomes that benefit not just themselves, but their teams, organisations and even society at large. A good example is Jacinda Ardern who embodies this selfless approach. Her focus on compassionate leadership, emotional connection and purpose-driven decision-making — combined with her ability to lead in a crisis — illustrates the power of blending brilliance with a realistic sense of self. Studies have shown that leaders who exhibit higher degrees of selflessness are better able to avoid bias, to foster trust and boost engagement, which in turn improves both individual and team performance. Get over yourself. No, really.
There are many other aspects of wholeness, especially concerning spiritual development i.e. waking up and also opening up, which concerns embracing multiple forms of intelligence (beyond merely IQ), but the most salient ones for leaders to consider are above.
How Wholeness Unlocks Truly Brilliant Leadership
When leaders cultivate wholeness, they unlock a new level of depth and range in their leadership. They become more adaptive, resilient and capable of seeing the broader picture. This clarity enables them to lead with more acuity, courage and care - qualities that are increasingly necessary in our interconnected permacrisis filled world.
Leaders who integrate wholeness are also more attuned to the long-term wellbeing of their teams and organizations. They don’t just focus on immediate profits; they consider the wider social, cultural, and even environmental implications of their decisions. Research confirms that leaders who emphasise these factors not only enhance individual performance but also reduce burnout and turnover. In other words, wholeness leads to more sustainable, long-lasting brilliance. It's a virtuous cycle.
My Enlightened Leadership Model: Bringing Brilliance and Wholeness Together

Most leadership frameworks are partial. They focus too much on leaders (rather than followers), prioritise the outer game vs the inner game, aren't situational and there's no mention of wholeness or any of the above dimensions of it. In my proprietary Enlightened Leadership Model, the competencies are designed to help leaders balance brilliance and wholeness. Competencies like Efficient Executing and Performance Managing speak to brilliance — they are the gears that keep the organisation running smoothly. But the competencies that deal with wholeness — like Developmental Maturity, Sense making, Empathetic Connecting, and Courageously Owning — are what sustain organisations in the long run. All competencies are required to lead well. They also need to be expressed differently according to the culture, context and situation to produce authentic followership. That's the real measure of good leadership, incidentally. People choose to follow you. In this way, enlightened leadership is competent inside and out, holistic in orientation and situational. It certainly can't be learned in a week, but it can be learned over time.
If you'd like to explore how this model could elevate your leadership, I use it in both my training programmes and my 1:1 coaching engagements. Get in touch.
The Future of Leadership is Both Brilliant and Whole
In today’s world, leadership that focuses solely on the outer game of brilliance is becoming obsolete. The challenges we face — climate change, inequality, failure in governance and unrest — require leaders who are deeply aligned with their purpose, who see beyond personal profit and power and who lead with wisdom and compassion. Leaders who cultivate both brilliance and wholeness will be the ones who create not just successful organisations, but also sustainable, meaningful futures for us all.
So, the next time you’re focused on hitting those KPIs, ask yourself: Am I showing up as a whole person? Am I aligning my leadership with my values? Is my shadow in check? Am I serving my ego or something larger? Am I considering everything that matters? Because the truth is, when you integrate brilliance with wholeness, you don’t just lead — you transform — and you also become a transformer of others .
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