Leadership Flow: Excerpt

In Leadership Flow: The Unstoppable Power of Connection, author Peri Chickering offers a refreshing approach to leadership development—a philosophy that is bold and current and yet, in many respects, as old as humanity.  

Peri proposes there is a flow—an underlying rhythm to life—that fuels and evokes effective leadership. We can all lead more productively and sustainably, in or out of the workplace, by learning to access our natural strengths and connect them with the power of the larger order of all things. 

Written in a clear voice and peppered with practical exercises, thoughtful anecdotes, and personal stories, this guide supports new and experienced leaders alike. Peri Chickering draws on the human relationship to the natural world, spirituality, the traditions of Taoism, and leadership structures of indigenous cultures to form specific tools and practices readers can use daily and invites them to understand where their natural skills fit within the ecosystem of life. 

At once accessible and eye-opening, Leadership Flow will help readers uncover a pleasant truth: It’s far easier to get things done when we open ourselves to other people and the ever-present invitation and engagement of our connected universe. We are each here for a reason, and we are all needed. 

In honor of the wisdom traditions of indigenous cultures, which are the foundations of Leadership Flow: The Unstoppable Power of  Connection, Peri Chickering has dedicated all proceeds from the sale of this book to First Nations causes.

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We are delighted to feature this EXCERPT!

Getting connected in the manner described in this book means embracing or at least entertaining the idea that most current ways of leading and living, intentionally or unintentionally, create separation and isolation rather than connection and community.  

Finding our way back to community, to wholeness, to connection in the deepest sense of the word is key. Searching for language and images to describe this concept of wholeness has been much of my life’s work. My experience with a range of spiritual traditions, from Taoism and Aboriginal art to shamanic journeying and sitting with the  Basarwa in the Kalahari Desert, is rich.

And nature herself has been my most important teacher. As a consequence, I find myself returning to the imagery and knowledge held in the web of indigenous traditions from around the world. These traditions honor and celebrate the whole interconnected web of life—human, plant, animal, and mineral.  Separating the good of the individual from the good of the whole—including the planet itself—is not an option in their way of seeing the world. In these traditions, rich with symbol, ritual, and ceremony, there exist many valuable images pointing toward a true and holistic way of understanding our place in the larger order of things. One image, in particular, has served as a steady anchor for much of my adult life, the Native  American experience of Seven Directions. 

In all honesty, I don’t remember when I first encountered this way of understanding the world. It seems as though it has always been with me, nested somewhere deep inside as a kind of “moral compass,” a way of understanding the ancient and timeless laws that govern life on planet Earth. Over the years it has served as a steady guide for how  I live, make choices, and contribute. When it came to writing this book, there was no other way I could see of describing the path we all need to walk. Therefore, I have selected this way of understanding as a guiding roadmap, offering readers a potential gateway into a worldview leading us back to rather than away from one another.  Leading back to connection with the earth and ultimately back to the deepest essence of ourselves.  

As a roadmap for your journey into a world of interconnectedness, the image of Seven  Directions offers landmarks and clues guiding you in the general direction of this intention. Although these landmarks are helpful, they are only landmarks. All the color,  vibrancy, momentary beauty, and unexpected detours come about only on the journey itself. Therefore, think of this book as “directional versus prescriptive,” pointing toward an experience with a few key starting ideas. This is done for one simple reason: The answers to all your questions live inside you. They cannot be given to you by someone  else—no matter how often people try to do this for us or we try to find the wisdom we  are seeking “out there.” 

Leadership Flow is a path to be walked—and with deliberate pausing, wondering,  experimenting, and walking on again.

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Peri Chickering is a coach, consultant, herbalist, and leadership educator. 

Her early career as a mountaineer and wilderness guide took her around the world, where she created wilderness-based leadership schools in  South Africa and Bulgaria.  

Taking her leadership experience from the outdoors inside, Peri has worked with clients in private, governmental, and nonprofit sectors,  including Disney Theatrical, USDA Forest Service, World Bank, Stanford  Woods Institute, University of Chicago, and Renaissance Reinsurance.  She holds a master’s degree in human development and a Ph.D. in human and organizational systems.  

For over 35 years, Peri has guided people towards richer and more fulfilling lives. Regardless of age, stage and professional background, she knows how to hear precisely needed next steps and life-sustaining new habits. Whether it be a personal or professional challenge, life transition or loss of inspiration and joy, she is there to walk with you, offering guidance,  unseen possibilities and seeing with new eyes. 

Situated in the small town of Hancock, New Hampshire, she, her husband,  their cat, and two horses steward 55 acres of beautiful woodlands passed down from her grandmother.

 

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing