(I032) This Isn't About Doing More...
It’s about returning to yourself. Simon Sinek says discover your Why, and I support you to align your why.
The last six months, I studied the kind of leaders I have helped, and I wanted to share who they are.
They are high-achieving, driven, and deeply caring. Leaders who carry the weight of expectation. Many have inherited roles or legacies and are quietly craving more than recognition. They want meaning. They want alignment. They want to feel whole.
But here’s what I hear again and again:
“I didn’t realize how much it was costing me to lead from what I was taught—rather than from who I truly am.”
They weren't looking for how to do more, they were looking for a new perspective and permission to slow down to make more impact.
What Traditional Leadership Misses
Most leadership development focuses on managing outcomes. Few invite you to return to your center. They teach hard skills, but skip over presence and how to connect. They focus on what you do, not how you show up.
But leadership isn’t just a strategy. It’s a state of being.
And that state is shaped in the ebb—the moments between “MA” 間, the pause where intention lives. Ma isn’t just stillness. It’s the dynamic in-betweenness where relationship, awareness, and transformation form.
The Japanese Path to Authentic Leadership
In Japanese culture, everything has a "Dō" 道 — a Way of Being.
My mother practiced the Way of Tea (Chadō)—where presence matters more than perfection, and hospitality is about your intention for your guest.
My Jiichan followed the Way of the Brush (Shodō)—drawing the Ensō circle daily to reflect the self.
My brother earned a black belt in Karate-dō—where mastery means breath, form, and stillness.
Each Dō a different discipline. Yet they all taught the same truth: Mastery is cultivated through self-discipline and practice.
Leadership needs a new perspective, and it is not about climbing the ladder to a new title. It’s about deepening your roots—and leading from calm clarity with a deep knowing for who you are through a rhythm of reflection, return and growth.
The Shift: From Reactive Leadership to Presence-Based Leadership
We’re living through a shift.
Leaders are realizing that performance isn’t sustainable without alignment. That cultural transformation starts with self-awareness. That innovation and psychological safety grow in the space between “MA” 間, the pause—not the relentless grind.
This is where the Ensō Mindset lives.
A way of becoming, rooted in traditional Japanese disciplines, to help reframe leadership in a calm, disciplined way. Shedding what no longer fits, and growing in a way that finally feels true. This way of thinking, acting and behaving in alignment brings synergy, creating authentic leadership.
These 3 things are proven to bring more calm…
1. Pause Before Reacting “MA” 間 - Read more…That 10-second pause when pressure presents itself can reshape culture more than a thousand strategy slides.
2. Lead From Observation, Not Assumption - Replace the need to “fix” with curiosity. Start with, What I observed is….. Pause and if your observation is correct. Then ask: And what else is happening here?
3. Realign With Your Why—Every Morning - Your “why” is your inner compass. Find it, Know it, and Speak it aloud before stepping into hard conversations. It’s really hard to align anything when you don’t know where the mark is.
My Bold Declaration for 2025
I’m guiding just 20 leaders ready to Dō Their Way.
The Infinity Growth Model - It’s a cyclic rhythm—a way to return to yourself.
To lead from disciplined presence.
To transform culture through confidence, connection, and conscious choice.
🪷 Join the Live Webinar: Dō Your Way – Leading Through the Ebbs, the Flows, and the Space Between
✔ 45-minute live session
✔ Tools to lead through uncertainty with calm
✔ Centered presence and cultural influence
✔ First 10 spots receive exclusive discount
🔗 Reserve Your Spot Now for Tuesday July 22nd.
Be the change to move your culture from pressure to presence. It’s about rhythm, return, and rooted confidence. Be the one who brings calm and flow to your team.
Ensō… Align Your Way
As I wrote in my book ENSŌ, A Tree Still Grows:
“The way of becoming—rooted in calm, shedding what no longer fits, and growing in a way that finally feels true.”
This is how we move from leadership performance to leadership presence. As you reflect, ask yourself:
What lies at the center of your Ensō Circle?
What does your growth feel like to you?
What would it feel like to lead from your own rhythm?
The Ensō Mindset reminds us: Alignment is not a fixed state—it is a living, breathing practice of return.
And so, begin again.
Explore More
🌿 Visit ensomindset.com for articles, coaching, and courses on presence-based leadership
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Your legacy doesn’t start in the spotlight. It begins in how you return to yourself first.
