Welcome to Aspire 2 Lead.  

Leadership starts from within, and to enable a leader to aspire to extraordinary success, notable leadership expert Warren Bennis challenges individuals to embrace the following actions and make them their own by:

• resolving to lead an integrated life, one that balances career and personal roles harmoniously, with professional and private activities complementing and enhancing each other;
•  using your ambition, talent and capacity to learn to serve rather then enslave you;
• using those qualities to fulfil your own visions of excellence through the application of passion, energy, and focus;
• using your qualities to influence others fulfill their own visions.

A Māori proverb or ‘whakatauākī’ that is intended to
reflect the thoughts, values and advice of past generations of their people, captures the challenge for leaders to apply their learning and Aspire 2 Lead:  

Whāia te iti kahurangiKi te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei. (Pursue excellence – should you stumble, let it be to a lofty mountain.)

Aspire to Lead coaching, leadership learning and facilitation embraces Bennis' holistic view of leadership. Outcomes include leaders demonstrating and appreciating broadened and deeper reflection, changes in thinking and behaviour, and changed practice. Leadership and leadership learning is all about change.  A strengths based approach to leadership development will enhance the quality of learning experiences, will assist leaders in finding directions and sources for producing change and performance improvement, and create changes that are sustainable and transferable.

In a group context, learning conversations need to be focused on creating a learning environment that mentally and emotionally challenges all, and tests ability to develop, grow and thrive as individuals and as a group.

As a coach or facilitator, the aim is to provide professional support that is safe and confidential and has as its goal the nurturing of significant personal, professional, and institutional growth through a facilitated learning process that unfolds over time.  21st century leaders need to be ambitious about their learning and goals – they need to Aspire to Lead.