About the Center
Courageous wholeness is the experience of integrity that emerges when we confront our shadow and dedicate ourselves to serving something larger than ourselves.
How do you help people develop courageous wholeness?
Our approach is grounded in two key concepts: The Dual Journey, and The Flame leadership development model.
The Dual Journey is the belief that the processes of inner change and outer change are too interconnected to seperate.
When we focus on only one while neglecting the other, our efforts to create change are going to be limited and ineffective.
The Flame leadership development model clearly illuminates the relationship between the two dimensions of outer change (through our impact in the world) and inner change (what we know and how we are being). It also makes it clear that individual development always occurs within the context of a wider organiational culture that is animated by a particular set of values.
We believe that most organizations already operate with a focus on organizational culture as well as on the “Do” and “Know” elements of The Flame. Very few organizations focus on developing individuals at the innermost “Be” level of The Flame. Even fewer know how to engage large numbers of individuals in this inner development powerfully and at scale.
We want that to change.
What is “Developmental Infrastructure”
Developmental Infrastructure refers to the practices, mindsets, and spaces that help leaders confront their shadow, deepen their self-awareness, and grow into greater integrity and service.
Most institutions invest enormous resources in strategy, technology, and performance management systems designed to develop staff at the “Know” level of The Flame. But very little attention is given to the developmental infrastructure that supports individuals at the innermost “Be” level. Everywhere we look, we see evidence that this approach is no longer enough. Without the developmental infrastructure to engage people at the “Be” level of The Flame, even the best strategies eventually fail—because the inner capacity of the people leading them has not kept pace with the complexity of the challenges they face.
In other words, organizations that recognize the need to focus on inner development need to build a new capacity to do this work powerfully and at scale. The new capacity as the developmental infrastructure that we are dedicted to helping organizations and societies build in the years ahead.