In my first post explaining the background of Global Leadership Foundation, I mentioned in passing the role of QuantumThink®. The importance of this concept and the processes behind it can’t be overstated in its influence on the way Global Leadership Foundation started, and continues to operate today.
Put very simply, QuantumThink – developed by Dianne Collins – is a system of thinking that involves a new way of seeing and interpreting the world, and that is very different from what most people do every day. Based on the principles of quantum physics, it encourages a vastly broader outlook in your thinking, opening up ‘infinite possibilities’ well beyond what you would normally consider. (I have shared some of the QuantumThink principles, or ‘distinctions’, including ‘intent’ and ‘both…and’, in previous posts.)
I had been introduced to the program at the end of 2002. As I went through the sessions, I shared what I was experiencing with Malcolm, who quickly grasped the ideas and concepts of what was being offered. Exploring and understanding the principles of quantum thinking together had a profound effect on our early conversations about the concept of a leadership foundation.
We were both so inspired by the possibilities of quantum thinking that we were able to conceive of the establishment of Global Leadership Foundation as an experiment in the ‘quantum world’: an opportunity to put the principles into practice and, essentially, see what happened.
What did this actually mean? To start with, it meant avoiding many of the ‘traditional’ approaches to setting up an organisation.
One of the QuantumThink distinctions we applied was that of ‘allowing’*. Rather than planning the growth of our new entity in a structured and mechanistic way, we put a lot more emphasis on ‘allowing’ the business to unfold and reveal itself to us.
We agreed that Global Leadership Foundation would not have a traditional structure, with significant overheads and formal alliances. The Foundation would be a social enterprise without being a not-for-profit organisation. Our profits would be (and are to this day) placed into a philanthropic fund managed by the Australian Communities Foundation with the intention of developing leaders in community.
‘Allowing’ also enabled us to be more open in our thinking, creating ideas and sharing our knowledge as widely and freely as we could. Our aim was to develop leaders in the community, no matter where they are or who they are, and to broaden awareness of emotional health. Sharing what we had created without conditions, while building self-sufficiency and capability in others to use and deliver what we offered, was a natural progression towards achieving these aims.
Collaboration has been central to everything we do because it allows all of us to grow and develop. Over the years we have looked to find others with similar principles, philosophies and mindsets and, as a result, the team of Global Leadership Foundation ‘Fellows’ across the world contribute to the organisation’s success every day.
Our approach may not seem consistent with ‘normal’ ways of doing business, however the fact that Global Leadership Foundation continues to prosper in our tenth year says a lot about the success of our experiment in the ‘quantum world’. We very much look forward to seeing what the next decade will bring.
* ‘Allowing’ is one of over twenty distinctive approaches to thinking which make up QuantumThink®. Each of these distinctions stands on its own as well as contributing to the whole, so in some ways it is oversimplifying to pull out just one. However, to explain all of these properly needs a book, not a blog post.
