NOBLE LEADERSHIP IN THE EMERGENT REALITY: UPLIFTING People, Planet and Prosperity

By Kenneth C. Bardach, Donna Maria Bordeaux and Darwin Gillett

Noble leaders interviewed around the globe embody and convey a new story of hope and optimism. These visionaries forge a path for an emergent reality with a brighter future: of an economy of integrity and a currency of care. Their profound impact illuminates a deeper awareness of Noble Leadership attribut

• Language: English
• Publisher: Audible Publishing Services
• Release date: Feb 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869197351

Book preview

NOBLE LEADERSHIP

IN THE

EMERGENT REALITY

UPLIFTING

People, Planet and Prosperity

Featuring Inspiring Stories

And Insights from Noble Leaders Worldwide

Darwin Gillett

Donna Maria Bordeaux

Kenneth C. Bardach

Copyright © Kenneth Bardach,2023

All Rights Reserved

This book is subject to the condition that no part of this book is to be reproduced, transmitted in any form or means; electronic or mechanical, stored in a retrieval system, photocopied, recorded, scanned, or otherwise. Any of these actions require the proper written permission of the author.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all who contributed to the creation of this book.

We begin by thanking our Higher Power, however he/she may express him/herself to us, and our steadfast faith in a higher purpose to bring forth Noble Leadership to the world. We are deeply grateful for our well-being and for the opportunity to realize and carry this collaborative effort to fruition.

We honor with heartfelt and profound appreciation our partners: Ara Gillett (Darwin’s wife), Karen Lefebvre (Ken’s life partner) and Paul W. Knoll, (Donna Maria’s husband) for their unwavering loyalty, love, and support.

We give thanks to our dear families, friends, and colleagues for heartening and championing our ideas and ideals.

With profound admiration, respect & gratitude we thank our Mentors & Trusted Advisors who have Nobly guided and uplifted us on our journeys:

●       For Dar, to Ara who reviewed much of the writings and offered valuable suggestions; to Martin Rutte, who advised us to work with Amazon as our publisher; and to John Todd, who provided ideas for our chapter on Capitalism. 

●       For Donna Maria, to Peter Dalton Cooper, M.S., P.T. her former business partner, chosen as a Noble Leader for this book; Marlene Myers, her Spiritual Mentor and Jodi Kelly, her SoulSister.

●       For Ken, to Bob Hawkins, Don Jacobs, Emerson Almeida, and Antonio Batista, all innovative deans at prominent business schools and great human beings who exemplified and modeled Noble Leadership for me and others.

We pay tribute and high praise to the esteemed Noble Leaders who shared their valuable time, expertise, experiences, and insights with us. Their stories enrich these pages with inspiration, integrity, passion, success, and wisdom. (a complete list of Noble Leaders we interviewed around the world can be found in the appendix.)

Special thanks to Judi Jones, our Administrative Assistant, for her outstanding organization and optimism.  To Alice Acheson, for consulting and advising us during the early stages of our work.  And to Linda Church and Ardene Harris, for helping to transcribe the recorded interviews of the Noble Leaders.

Thank you and much appreciation to the heads of leading business schools in the US, Europe, and South America, who intend to utilize NOBLE LEADERSHIP IN THE EMERGENT REALITY as part of their curriculum, and who have invited us to design and lead executive programs based on the book.

We give great credit and thankfulness to Mark Williams, Project Manager and our AMZ Pro Hub publishing team, for their expertise and dedication to complete this book with excellence.

Thank you to all of our readers endeavoring to be and become Noble Leaders.

Thank you to all present and future Noble Leaders, for being a beacon of light to guide and Uplift People, Planet and Prosperity.

About the Authors

Darwin Gillett

Darwin received a B.A. in Economics from Yale; then an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Then he worked in strategic planning in several companies, including as Director of Corporate Planning for a Fortune 500 electrical manufacturer.

He was President of a small beauty salon equipment manufacturer.  And for many years, Darwin was a Management Consultant serving senior executives of major companies.

He has written many articles about business.  In 2008, Darwin wrote the Noble Enterprise telling the story of the turnaround of Unitel, a Canadian Telecom company, for which the President was named a Finalist for Canadian CEO of the Year.  Noble Enterprise was used for many years in Fordham Business School in its Accelerated Executive MBA program

Darwin has spoken at numerous business conferences in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America.

Darwin loves singing (which is how he met Kenneth - in the Yale Glee Club).

Darwin met Donna Maria following a major stroke he suffered in 2010 which she helped him recover from.

Darwin found collaborating with Donna Maria and Kenneth to write Noble Leadership, a creative and joyful experience!

Donna Maria Bordeaux

Donna Maria Bordeaux, a High Honors graduate of Northeastern University, is the founder of award-winning holistic healing centers in the USA, and cofounder of To Live For, LLC. 

Donna Maria’s global outreach is felt through her teaching, speaking, writing, holistic healing, yoga, and dance. As a practitioner of meditation, Donna Maria is constantly seeking how best to serve humanity and the earth every day. She is extraordinarily grateful to be married to Paul W. Knoll & for their four amazing children; Marley, Quinn, Ally & Anne.

Donna Maria enjoys swimming in the ocean, surfing on the waves, and being still in nature. She loves to travel in order to broaden her impact while also gaining deep reverence from other cultures and people.

It was after being selected and interviewed as a Noble Leader when Donna Maria enthusiastically engaged as one of the authors of Noble Leadership in the Emergent Reality.

Kenneth C. Bardach

Kenneth C. Bardach has over 40 years of experience in the fields of executive education and development having held senior level positions for a variety of leading academic and corporate enterprises.  In his academic role, Ken directed Executive MBA programs and non-degree executive programs at the Lally School of Business (RPI); and non-degree executive programs at the Kellogg School of Management (NWU), the Weatherhead School of Management (CWRU), the Questron School of business (BU), and the Olin School of Business (Wash U in STL).  At Olin he held the Charles and Joanne Knight Distinguished Chair in Executive Education. 

Currently, Ken is an adjunct faculty member and senior consultant at Fundacao Dom Cabral (FDC) a leading Brazilian business School.  In addition, he teaches, consults, and advises globally for a variety of organizations.

Ken lives with Karen, his partner of 25 years, in New York City and enjoys time with his five children and five grandchildren. 

Bardach received a BA at Yale University and completed his MBA and doctoral studies at The NYU Stern School of Business. Ken served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Peru from 1967 to 1969.    

What is Nobility?

"There is nothing noble in being superior

to your fellow man.

True Nobility lies in being superior

to your former self."

Ernest Hemingway

What is the Emergent Reality?

At sunrise, just as the first light of the sun appears, one has the feeling of existing in two worlds.  First, there is the reality of darkness, what we call night.  It is there but diminishing.  And at the same time, there is the second reality: of light, of day, which is in the state of becoming.

In the case of the sunrise, the movement is inexorable and the outcome inevitable.  In the Emergent Reality in our book, there is an internal perspective between two clear realities, one historical and the other becoming.   It is a shift from a feeling of scarcity, conflict, struggle, fear and focus on self which we observe historically in many organizations; to a perspective of abundance, collaboration, love, joy and service both to others and to a Higher Purpose.  Like the sunrise, it is a shift from darkness to light.  However, the outcome is not inevitable.

This shift in focus to our inner reality in the Emergent Reality is becoming more apparent and widely recognized.  It has massive economic, cultural, and geo-political implications.  It has the potential to elevate the very consciousness of business, leadership – and humanity.  It affects how we live and how we work. 

We observe this shift as businesses redefine their purpose. Historically, the main purpose of business – some would say the exclusive purpose of business – was to maximize profits (or, more accurately to maximize shareholder value).

In the Emergent Reality, there is greater emphasis on stakeholder value where business’s purpose is to fulfill the needs of multiple stakeholders, including Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Financial Shareholders, the Community, the Environment and Humanity.  We sum up these constituent stakeholders by the phrase, People, Planet and Prosperity.  This Emergent Reality holds great promise not only for profitability for the few, but abundance, success, wealth-expansion, and well-being illuminating and enriching all the lives impacted. 

It is unknown whether over time we will fall back into the historical reality or move forward into the Emergent Reality.  What does seem apparent is the critical importance our youth will play in the process.  Like all major movements, the ideas, ideals, and commitment of our youth will play a vital role in shaping the future. 

Above all, the Emergent Reality is a reality.  But whether we get there, how we get there, with what speed we progress is yet unknown.  Noble Leadership in the Emergent Reality is intended as a roadmap to help set the course, provide the compass, and inspire commitment.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

About The Authors

What Is The Emergent Reality?

Introduction: A Vision Of Noble Leadership In The Emergent Reality.

Foreword: Emerson Almeida, Founder And Former President, Fundacao Dom Cabral (Fdc).

Preface:  Why We Wrote This Book

Part A: Business In Trouble

Chapter 1:  The Declining Brand Image Of Business

Chapter 2: A Dying Reality Has Caused Ignoble Behavior

Part B: Dawning Of The Emergent Reality

Chapter 3:  Welcome To The Emergent Reality

Chapter 4:  Business Economics In The Emergent Reality

Part C: Four Quantum Powers Of The Emergent Reality

Chapter 5:  Quantum Power #1: Higher Purpose

Chapter 6: Quantum Power #2: Living Values

Chapter 7: Quantum Power #3: Human Spirit

Chapter 8: Quantum Power #4: Oneness Consciousness

Part D: Thriving In The Emergent Reality

Chapter 9: Living And Working In The Emergent Reality

Chapter 10: Doing Business And Leading In The Emergent Reality.

Part E: Noble Leaders In The Emergent Reality

Chapter 11:  Their Deep And Wide Impact

Chapter 12: How Noble Leaders Uplift The Planet

Part F: Creating And Sustaining Noble Leaders

Chapter 13: On Becoming A Noble Leader And Helping Others Do Likewise

Chapter 14: Self-Care Tools For Noble Leaders

Part G: Making A Difference Now And In The Future

Chapter 15: Heart: The Invisible Power Source For Noble Leaders

Chapter 16:  Memo To Boards Of Directors Looking For A New Ceo

Chapter 17: Towards A More Noble Capitalism

Epilogue: Noble Leadership In The Future: Voices Of Our Youth

Appendix 1: Noble Leader- Interviewees For Book

Appendix 2: Interview Questions We Asked Noble Leaders

Appendix 3: Noble Leader Self-Assessment

Appendix 4: Suggested Readings

Testimonials

Introduction: A Vision of Noble Leadership in the Emergent Reality.

Our history and present worldwide challenges reveal the need for effective leadership in our countries, our businesses, and our very way of life.

On the one hand, we see leadership at times confusing, divisive, and detrimental to the well-being of our world and humanity.  On the other hand, leadership can result in the achievement of dreams beyond our wildest imagination. In sum, leadership can lead to constructive or destructive outcomes. 

Noble Leaders, through their higher purpose and living values are constructive and convey excellence of heart, spirit, and action for the highest good of individuals, communities, and society.  They may well be the saving grace for our lives and for future generations.

In Noble Leadership in the Emergent Reality, we tell the awe-inspiring stories, experiences, and insights of the Noble Leaders we met around the world.  Their higher purpose, living values, human spirit, and oneness consciousness – which we refer to as the four Quantum Powers -- are transforming and uplifting leadership for the Emergent Reality.

We also give voice to our younger generation, who have high ideals and oftentimes a strong commitment to the concept and implementation of Noble Leadership.  Their valuable insights include: Leading by Example and Living By Your Words and actions.  Our youth realize that Noble Leaders inspire people to step into their own authentic light. They lead with responsibility, integrity, and enrichment with less focus on self and more on enhancing others’ lives.  Our younger generation has much to say and teach us if we are willing and ready to listen and heed their ideals.  By doing so, we can become even better Noble Leaders together!

We are on the precipice of an evolutionary shift in business and humanity to a higher level of consciousness. This is a realization and awareness of the impact of our intentions, thoughts, and actions on all that is around us, for good or for bad. Noble Leaders utilize this higher awareness to inspire, to teach and to demonstrate through their actions, higher purpose and ideals: exceptional character, ethics, and integrity. This leadership, this Noble Leadership, honors and serves all life in nurturing and proactive ways.

As we redefine our best selves both personally and professionally in this time of re-awakening and reorganization, Noble Leadership in the Emergent Reality is both timely and timeless. This comprehensive book offers poignant, powerful, and clear guidance about becoming and evolving as a Noble Leader.  It is by learning and practicing Noble Leadership each day that we enrich our own lives and benefit those with whom we live and work.   

Choosing to be a Noble Leader elevates us all. From the stories and insights of the Noble Leaders we interviewed for this book, we see evidence of a new heartfelt and heart-centered Noble Leadership era emerging; We call this era the "Emergent Reality" where we observe increasing numbers of Noble Leaders who are seeking:

To serve a HIGHER PURPOSE;

To identify and LIVE THEIR VALUES;

To build and utilize HUMAN SPIRIT;

To operate from a higher ONENESS CONSCIOUSNESS

Noble Leaders embody these four quantum powers which result in kindness, caring, connectedness, and serving the Highest Good for All.  In addition, they build upon the following breakthroughs in leadership theory/practice:

a)      Authentic Leadership

b)      Servant Leadership

c)       Conscious Leadership, and

d)      The Power of Culture.

Noble Leaders continually strive to be their best selves and bring out the best in others. The quotation at the beginning of the book by Ernest Hemmingway expresses this well: There is nothing noble in being superior to some other person. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.

Transition into Noble Leadership in the Emergent Reality is needed now to offset characteristics of the old reality.  Namely, a) Employee morale at extremely low levels with most employees disliking their jobs; b) The public’s unfavorable thinking and distrust of business executives, one of the least trusted professionals in the U.S., surpassed in negative thinking only by used car salesmen; and c) Businesses falling significantly short of their potential in serving their stakeholders and society in general.

Some Leaders have trouble operating in our Emergent Reality. They cling to ideas of the Old Reality, such as:

a) Profit is everything and ‘we must maximize it;(and report it quarterly)

b) I am the Boss

c) I have All the power and make All the decisions.

d) My job is to get the most out of employees.

e) Employees are a commodity and thus highly substitutable

f) The ends justify the means

g) Business and life are a zero-sum game.

These lingering attitudes and behaviors undoubtedly shape the negative assessment of business and business leadership.

The Emergent Reality holds hope and provides excellent reasons and reminders for us to work together to create businesses and a world that operate in a balanced, harmonious, and fair way to the benefit of all.

The Emergent Reality is one of inclusivity, respect, and unity for all, as we give women, minorities, and our youth strong voices in leading us all towards a better world for all.

Noble Leaders create: a) turned on (and inspired) work force with high employee morale and superior performance; b) satisfied, loyal customers AND c) good financial returns- as well as d) contributions to the environment and e) contributions to all of Humanity.

At the same time, Noble Leaders need to focus on their own inner state of awareness and well-being as reflected out into the world and what we create. Thus, Noble Leaders have the capacity to share valuable guidance on how to nurture the well-being of friends and colleagues to create a multiplier effect of superior consciousness and skillful and wise action. This insight into our inner reality is also important for strengthening one’s Quantum Powers of Living Values, Higher Purpose, Human Spirit, and Oneness Consciousness.

We offer in this book the knowledge, insights, inspiration, guidance, framework, and essential tools to become and be a Noble Leader.  We are humbled and excited with this opportunity and great privilege to share Noble Leadership in The Emergent Reality with you and to serve all who may benefit and be uplifted by its teachings.

Foreword

Emerson Almeida, founder and former President, Fundacao Dom Cabral (FDC).

"Life is a dream, says the soul of those who have their eyes on the stars and their feet planted on the ground. In every gesture that changes the world, in every idea that comes true, lies a dream - unique, integral, driving."

The book you hold in your hands is the work of a team. In writing it, Darwin Gillett, Donna Maria Bordeaux, and Ken Bardach probably remembered leaders who contributed to the good of humanity and often sacrificed themselves for the common good: Gandhi, Mandela, Martin Luther King, Gorbachev, the latter awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War. Yet, they were certainly also inspired by the stories of organizations, some portrayed in this book, born of the desire to accomplish something remarkable for the collectivity, fruits of the dreams of their leaders.

The most emphatic definition of a leader was conceived by Kouzes and Posner: a leader is not one who tells others to do something; a leader is one who makes people want to do it. They achieve this by their attitudes and their examples. There is a transcendental subtlety to this statement. It is necessary to understand it to be able to distinguish a leader from a manager. Leaders don't command commitment; they simply inspire it by their attitudes and their examples. Leaders bring life to other people's hopes and dreams and enable them to see the exciting possibilities that await them in the future.

As in the story of the Cathedral, told for years on end at Fundação Dom Cabral, an executive education institution which I’ve founded 46 years ago:

When passing by a construction site, a person sees three stonemasons working and addresses the first of them, asking:

What are you doing?

The answer is laconic:

- I’m laying bricks!

He repeats the question to the second, who answers:

- I am building a wall.

The same question is then asked of the third, who, with a sparkle in his eyes, reacts with pride:

- I’m building a cathedral!

The story of the stonemason who saw himself building a cathedral helped reinforce the idea that Fundação Dom Cabral is all of us together. Nothing great is built without the help of other people. It is necessary to share the dream so that it is transformed into a clearer vision.

When we started Fundação Dom Cabral project, nothing could have predicted the future that awaited us. We were facing a bleak scenario: no financial resources, no physical facilities or teachers, and we were outside the main Brazilian market (Rio-São Paulo). Almost five decades have passed, and we are recognized today as a leading institution in the Brazilian market and abroad. I believe that one of the main reasons for this evolution has been the option for cooperation – a deep belief that has always guided our way of being. The preference for working together, establishing long-term relationships based on trust, reciprocity, complementarity, and shared decisions, has turned out to be an important strategy in overcoming these limitations.

Talking about partnerships reminds me of Don Jacobs, dean of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and mentioned in this book. I believe that the authors wanted to highlight the person who guided their school to embrace the world, contributing to the development of other schools in different countries, including Brazil, and Fundação Dom Cabral. After creating and chairing the International Advisory Board of Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, he was instrumental in creating the International Advisory Board at Fundação Dom Cabral, of which he was chairman for almost a decade. Generous, selfless and at the same time firm in his decisions, the authors certainly recognize in him the noble leader of the title of this book.

Charles Handy, a respected Irish thinker, faced with the question, What is a company for? replied, To talk about profits is not an answer [...], but profits for what other purpose? He argues that in order to make (the corporate) life worthwhile, one must have a purpose beyond oneself. We are important to the extent that what we do remains long in people's hearts and minds.

I have always insisted that Fundação Dom Cabral was created to serve. This certainty of being of service to others is, in my perception, something very deep-rooted among those who venture to create relevant organizations - it comes from the deep conviction of these people. Their existence only makes sense to the extent that the community sees it that way.

On the following pages, Darwin, Donna Maria, and Ken point out the prevailing notion in the job market that most employees don't like their jobs because companies fall far short of serving society. As a result, people think poorly of leaders and executives - and surveys show that entrepreneurs and politicians are the most poorly rated people in many countries, while firefighters, by contrast, are the highest rated.

The authors highlight the reasons for this aversion: profit must be maximized in the short term, and entrepreneurs and business people are allowed to do everything, including taking advantage of employees and replacing them at any time. Remember what is most perverse: the ends justify the means.

They explain that they decided to write the book because, here or there, they have identified changes that are reshaping the world. To write it, they interviewed more than two dozen distinguished leaders, bringing out what is common among them: in general, they are seen as a reference by society. In Brazil they highlight Pedro Passos who, together with Guilherme Leal and Luiz Seabra, runs Natura, a cosmetics company - and, they point out that it is the most admired organization in their country.

They draw attention to an emerging reality: instead of a feeling of deprivation and focusing on themselves, these people propose a perspective of abundance, of service to others and a higher purpose that ends up affecting their surroundings positively. Thus, they generate the idea of stakeholders, which means the awareness that they move among their various publics: shareholders, consumers, employees and suppliers.

There is a common point between the current that claims that the primary role of leaders is to transform their followers and help them to take charge of their own lives, and the current that advocates that one of their basic activities is to provide autonomy. In both currents, people have enormous talent, ability, intelligence, and creativity, much of it lying dormant. The task of leaders is to awaken this potential. When this happens, it is as if a spark is ignited inside people.

Reflecting on leadership, I am convinced that, at Fundação Dom Cabral, we have created the culture in which what seems impossible often becomes achievable: you just have to find a way to get rid of the feeling of impossibility. It is precisely the predisposition to see solutions that continually pushes us to try, despite obstacles and limitations.

You have on your hands a book to be read and recommended to those who believe in the common good.

An organization will always be the fruit of the imagination and the will of the people who are part of it.

Preface:  Why We Wrote this Book

We, the coauthors of this book, have seen and experienced changes in the world in general and in business specifically which we call the "Emergent Reality."  These changes are reshaping the purpose and goals of business, and the relationship among the organizations’ stakeholders and between the stakeholders and society as a whole.   

In an earlier book, NOBLE ENTERPRISE, written by Darwin Gillett, one of the three coauthors of this book, Gillett defined and described a Noble Enterprise, and he explained how it could thrive and prosper.  Often when he gave presentations based on the NOBLE ENTERPRISE, executives would ask, "What kind of leadership is needed to create and sustain a Noble Enterprise?"

This book is intended to answer that question.  We begin the book by examining the dire state of Business Leadership that persists even today as reflected by low employee morale, repeated ethics violations and, above all, misguided leadership – which we think is because many participants in business are still operating from an outdated playbook, which is based on an outdated view of reality.

Next we explain The Emergent Reality, which is a transition from one state of reality, based on a defined set of beliefs, values, and desired behaviors, to another reality where the beliefs, values, and behaviors are significantly different.  This shift in reality affects the way we, and others, Live and Work – and especially Lead. 

We believe the shift is less a change in external reality – the changes that are reported in the news, and more a shift in internal reality.  Indeed, the Emergent Reality is an INTERNAL shift in leaders’ consciousness, involving:

1) their sense of Higher Purpose;

2) their Values and how they Live them;

3) their view of Human Spirit; and

4) their view of Oneness and incorporating of that Consciousness in their leadership.

We believe further and provide evidence that moving into the Emergent Reality will have a significant positive impact on leadership, which we define as Noble Leadershipuplifting people, planet, and prosperity.

Lookingat the many leadership trends over the last several generations, we concluded that the business world has not yet grasped the power of a more positive and effective leadership, one which is in sync with the Emergent Reality.

Thus, we believe that, if leaders understand the Emergent Reality – and read about the inspiring examples of the Noble Leaders in action throughout the world, that we include in this book - they will realize that Noble Leadership is the kind of leadership that will help them be even more effective and thus will seek to become Noble Leaders.  In this time of remarkable awakening and raising of consciousness, Noble Leaders are agents of positive transformation, illuminating a brighter path forward for all. 

In sum, we felt called to develop a book of knowledge, insights, and essential tools to help both students and practitioners of leadership learn how to become and thrive as Noble Leaders. As Noble Leaders, they will more readily attract and motivate the human talent and spirit they need for their organizations to succeed as positive contributors for all stakeholders including employees, customers, shareholders and their communities and society as a whole.

Welcome to NOBLE LEADERSHIP IN THE EMERGENT REALITY.

PART A

BUSINESS IN TROUBLE

Chapter 1:

The Declining BRAND IMAGE of Business

In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks - Warren Buffett,