radical-self-inquiry-leadership

Radical self-inquiry is the process of stripping away self-delusion to identify how your own internal narratives and unresolved personal history create the external challenges you face. By combining practical skills with deep self-examination and shared experiences, you build the resiliency necessary to lead without burning out or sabotaging your success.

The Leadership Equation

To cultivate enhanced leadership and greater resiliency, apply this formula: Practical Skills + Radical Self-Inquiry + Shared Experiences = Enhanced Leadership + Greater Resiliency

• Practical Skills: The "how-to" of your job (strategy, execution, technical domain).
• Radical Self-Inquiry: The process of asking "startling" questions that cut through your delusions.
• Shared Experiences: Telling the truth about your internal struggles in a trusted circle to break the "startup bullshit" cycle.

The Core Question: Complicity

When you face a situation that isn't going your way, ask yourself: "How have I been complicit in creating the conditions I say I don't want?"

• Complicit ≠ Responsible: You aren't necessarily the one "sticking up the bank," but you might be "driving the getaway car."
• Purpose: To evoke your own agency. If you helped create the problem, you have the power to change it.
• Example: You say you don't want to be "busy," but you feel unnerved when your agenda isn't jam-packed. You are complicit in your own burnout because a full calendar masks an insecurity about your self-worth.