Success, Emptiness, and the Leader Who Served the System

When you, the leader, are fully seen - without fixing, judging or rescuing - something cracks open

‘I’m an Organisational A**hole’, said a senior leader at our chemistry meeting, moments after I introduced myself.

“I haven’t heard of that role before,” I replied. “Could you tell me more?”

There was no holding back.

“I’ve led multiple turnarounds. I’ve restructured, digitised, made people redundant. I’ve offshored, outsourced, streamlined, liquidated. I’ve disinvested, reinvested, merged, and unmerged companies. I always did what was required to push the business forward - to keep it a viable, ongoing concern. I did it well. I was good at it. I served the system.”

Pause...

“And I feel empty. Utterly empty.”

A deep, pregnant silence filled the room.

“I get it,” I said. “I see you. I hear you. I feel the emptiness of a successful career.”

The silence deepened. Longer. Wider. A vast space.

When you, the leader, are fully seen - without fixing, judging or rescuing - something cracks open. A portal to a different dimension of leadership opens up. Solace makes you be seen in your totality. In that space a new way of being takes root. Core purpose emerges to unleash your true essence.

Calmness, fullness, balance and sustainable prosperity follow.

That is the unfathomable journey I guide leaders through – from success that feels empty, to leadership that feels whole.

Pause for a moment today and ask yourself: what do you truly serve...and at what cost? Have you served the system too well?

If you’re a leader who has achieved success and feels something is missing, let’s talk.