For over 15 years, I’ve been doing leadership wrong. At least in the world’s eyes.

They said the last leadership team did everything wrong.
I saw a pattern repeating across industries, companies, cultures, and roles for my entire career.

They said they were improvement experts.
I found that real transformation happens inside before improvement begins.

They said I should carefully select who I interview.
I learned the most meaningful conversations arrive through deeper listening and synchronicity, not strategy.

They said clarity comes from frameworks.
I discovered it comes from removing my mind’s judgments and stories of what I see.

They said to trust the plan.
I learned to trust present-moment awareness instead.

They said leadership is about influence.
I discovered it’s about seeing reality without the mind’s stories and judgments.

They said people resist change and are disengaged.
I saw people respond instantly when they feel seen beyond the mind.

They said fix the environment.
I said don’t rearrange the furniture — rearrange the inner world of the leader.

They said it's a turbulent and fast-changing world.
I learned the turbulence is in the mind—not in who I truly am.

They said you need to strengthen your weaknesses.
I realized weakness is just a perception that dissolves when you step beyond the mind.

They said my work didn’t fit the usual categories. That might be true.
I wasn’t trying to fit anywhere. I was trying to see clearly.

In the end, I didn’t become a better leader.
I became more aware and conscious.

SEE DIFFERENT. billfox.co