Interview with James Wanless by Denise Marts
(New Times, Seattle)

DM. How do you view leadership in the 21st century?

JW.  Leadership is changing.  It is changing from the military-industrial hierarchical model of "chain of command" to a more consensual and empathic process.  Leaders, now, must walk in the shoes of those they lead.  They must know what others are feeling and what they aspire to.  They must be able to effectively  communicate, which is the ability to listen as well as inspire.  Leaders must offer a vision and a practical plan that others must also share and believe in.  Leadership becomes almost a kind of "followership," which in good taoist fashion means to lead in a way such that the led don't feel that they are being led.  It's almost like a zen koan.  Indeed, things have become reversed.

DM.  What is the role of the feminine in leadership?

JW. Huge!  Women are on the ascendance... did you know that 3 out of the 6 auto divisions of the male corporate bastion, General Motors, are now led by a woman?  And women lead differently than men.  Women lead more from the heart, not from abstract ideas.  With an open and compassionate heart, women administer to people, in service of their feelings and their growth.  Her leadership is people oriented and toward what "feels right."  She is the heartfelt conscience of the human psyche.  Systems and flow charts are not her thing.  Women lead through nurturing rather than authority, not governing by decree, but by guiding, mentoring and facilitating.    But let's not be fooled, women leaders are no soft pushovers, they can engage in tough love and be warriors in the defense of the common quest without aggressing on others, however.

DM.  What is the role of intuition in leadership?

JW.  Imperative!  In this fast-paced world of change, complexity and uncertainty, only our intuition can keep up, be comprehensive enough, and manage the unknowns brought about by change.  In fact, studies have shown that the most successful CEO's, for example, in business are highly intuitive.  And as intuition is ultimately a feeling, it's an empathic ability to feel what another is feeling, and that is how people are moved, by their emotional connection with a leader.  Intuition is also the core of innovation, and in this day and age, creativity is the name of the game, so great leaders "feel it and follow it."  Because women seem to be more trusting of their feelings, again this is a big reason for the emergence of effective female leaders.

DM.  How does intuitive leadership affect the way we conduct our personal and professional lives?

JW. Greatly!  When we listen to our inner voice, we are acting from our core of authenticity.  We are being true to ourselves.  This is why so many of us refuse to work for others, we are self-led, doing our own thing, our own business in our own way.  The intuitive way results in a greater individualism, in which we can truly express our unique gifts and realize our unique destinies.  Intuitive living also  means greater respect for another and their truth, hence the change toward consensual and synergistic co-creation and co-leadership.  Intuition, as a feeling, demands emotional intelligence, feeling our feelings, and this is a fundamental shift in how we live, away from the thinking logical mind, which is too linear, slow and exclusive for today's world, to an open hearted emotive way.  This shakes up the entire system, from education to business to governance, in how we proceed.  Intuition, I feel, is the human technology that must come along to mirror and match our outer material technologies.  It's really our savior, for we humans are in danger of being outworn and outpaced by our machines which think faster than our own minds.