Aired 6 August 2019 – 5:00 PM EDT
Interview with Karen and Henry Kimsey-House, Co-Founders of Co-Active Leadership and Co-Active Coaching
“It’s time for we the people to follow our hearts and lead our leaders.” — Swami Beyondananda
For most of us when we think of “leadership” – unless we identify as a “leader” – generally think of somebody else out there. And now at a time when dissatisfaction with our “leaders” is at an all-time high, we might consider that leadership must now evolve to activating many different varieties of leadership talents.
Our guests on Wiki Politiki this week, Karen and Henry Kimsey-House, have spent the past three decades coaching and teaching leadership that “harnesses the possibility of many rather than relying on the power of one.”
They write:
“Top-down, one-dimensional leadership models are hopelessly outmoded in today’s rapidly changing world, and they waste the leadership ability that is present throughout an organization. This revolutionary five-dimensional approach recognizes that leadership has to be fluid and flexible and that the roles leaders and followers play must shift to suit the situation. Co-Active Leadership invites all of us to share our expertise and allows collaborative solutions to emerge that would never have been possible otherwise.”
One of the first professional coaches in the 1980s and the co-founder and lead designer of Co-Active Training Institute’s provocative, experiential learning programs, Henry Kimsey-House is also the co-author of Co-Active Coaching and Co-Active Leadership. An actor since age 9, Henry honed his insights into human emotion and the narrative process through classical theatrical training and years of stage, television, and film experience. With deep conviction that education should be driven by immersive, contextually based learning and not dry information dumps, Henry is committed to creating richly engaging and transformative learning environments where retention approaches 80% rather than the traditional 20%.
One of the earliest recognized luminaries in the coaching profession, Karen Kimsey-House co-founded Co-Active Training Institute in 1992 with Laura Whitworth and her future husband, Henry. Together, they co-created the Co-Active philosophy of relationship that informs CTI’s world-renowned coaching and leadership programs. Karen is also the co-author of Co-Active Coaching and Co-Active Leadership. A successful entrepreneur, Karen founded and directed the Learning Annex San Francisco adult education program in 1986 and grew it into one of the most admired programs under the national Learning Annex brand.
If you’re curious about how new forms of collaboration using diverse leadership styles can impact the world at large and the world “at small”, please tune in.
To find out more about Henry and Karen Kimsey-House and download a chapter of their Co-Leadership book, please go here.