We've always been asked: ''Why the name 'Heart-Centered Leadership Foundation?''.
The founder of this foundation worked in the Aruban education system for years and noticed a primary focus on cognitive growth and preparing our youngsters for careers in terms of vocation instead of helping young people to discover their true selves:
♥️ Who am I?
♥️ What are my abilities?
♥️ What do I want to achieve?
There is a lack of emphasis on building social emotional resiliency, building character so that young people can be happy and successful in life - both personal and professional! The name of our foundation is inspired by the work of Susan Steinbrecher and Joel Bennett, they defined heart-centered leadership as the following:
Having the wisdom, courage and compassion to lead others with authenticity, humility and service.
The difference between the 'regular' definition of leadership and heart-centered leadership is that heart-centered leadership encompassess all the leadership skills ánd thakes the next step into a more powerful dimension. Heart-centered leadership assumes that everything you do, resonates with you. A heart-centered leader, leads from principles, values and virtues. Steinbrecher and Bennett also introduces 7 guidelines for behavior:
Know thyself (commintment to personal growth)
Don't judge, don't assume; instead, come to understand (open-minded)
They need what you need (authenticity)
Letting go (detachment)
Know the impact of your words and actions (integrity)
Associates have a choice; they ultimately will decide to go along or not (humility)
Care for the heart (self-care and emotional health)
These principles have been incorporated in all of our programs with the aim of enabling young people to become heart-centered leaders.
