Sean Wilkinson: saying the truth is about caring personally

Today’s podcast episode is a bit different again. If we believe that leadership is, at its core, a relational practice resting on the power of authentic connection between people, then the primary challenge of leadership is gaining deeper connection and relatedness with others. That is why, in this episode, we explore the practice of Circling as it relates to the leadership, and especially to the practice of Surrendered Leadership. I had a fortune to spend an hour and a half with one of the most renowned Circling experts and practitioners in the world, a coach / trainer of Circling & Surrendered Leadership and Circling Europe co-founder Sean Wilkinson. He lives and breathes Circling and Surrendered Leadership, it is his life’s practice. He has passionately been practicing Circling for over 15 years now and has a deep desire for bringing it into the world. I am truly grateful to Rain Tunger for this opportunity to engage in a wide-ranging conversation with Sean, and I hope you will love it too!

“If you really start to be aware of the other person and, at the same time, you’re about to deliver them this raw truth, then it’s almost always that your truth changes a little bit. And I actually think it evolves and becomes a deeper truth. In these circumstances then it’s very rare that it’s just this blunt delivery. If you really want to tell someone something truthful, you actually want them to be able to hear it as well. And you care about the way they they’re going to be hearing it. It’s also the same the other way around; like, if you really care about someone, and you say, ‘Yeah, I just really love them; I, you know, I can't tell them these bad things because I really love them’. Well, hang on a second, if you really tune into them, and yourself, you’re going to know that they really need your truth. If you really want to get close with them and be a support to them, your truth is essential. So if you’re holding that back to be ‘caring’, you're actually being way less caring.” – Sean Wilkinson

Listen and enjoy!