Today, we have more access to knowledge, frameworks and self-help content than any generation before us. And yet, leadership is harder than ever. ​That's because transformational leadership isn't about having information. It's a capacity that is reflected in our actions and emerges from our way of ‘being’ — in how one shows up under pressure. This ‘way of being’ is an embodied algorithm, something that lives in our cells and is activated by our nervous system when we need it; sometimes even contradicting what we know as ‘good leadership’. Why does that happen? Our way of being is an ongoing continuous response to the environment we are in and the explicit or implicit goals we create for ourselves. These goals are shaped by our core concerns as human beings that are neurobiological and biographical in nature. So, the essential architecture we work with is this: Core concerns --> Goals--> Way of being --> Behaviour patterns --> Results This becomes complex when two conflicting concerns arise at the same time. Here’s a simple example. As the temperature in the room changes, I feel I may need to put on a jacket to feel warm. That thought comes from assessing the environment and the body’s biological goal to regulate its own temperature and maintain balance. However, I also see that my jacket is old and not ‘good enough’ to be put on display in the room I’m in. So, I decide that tolerating the temperature discomfort is better than the appearing inappropriately dressed. That might come from an implicit goal of “I have to look good”, which may have spun out of a core concern around being accepted for who I am. In this case, a social goal vetoed a biological need. What might make it even more interesting is when someone asks if I’m cold to which I might reply “Not really, I’m ok, but thanks for asking.” We see the same principle in play for any life or leadership situation one may find themselves in – a career path dilemma, a growth question or a legacy threshold. Each of them requires careful dissection of the situation and unraveling the elements at play. Once we see ‘what is’ with acceptance and compassion, the path forward appears, often on its own.