Leadership And The Influence Of One Man

This week I want to pay tribute to one of my leadership coaching role models. Dr. Neil Stroul died in October and I participated in an online tribute to Neil this past week.
 
Neil was one of the founders of the Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Program and contributed mightily to that program for 18 years.  He was the first coach and faculty member to whom I was exposed when I enrolled in that program six years ago.  Neal served as an inspiration for me and thousands of other leadership coaches.
 
His obituary in the Washington post gives you some sense of the kind of person Neal was day in and day out:
 
“Neil’s purpose in life was to help others realize their full potential…He helped those struggling to tell their own stories, to accept love and help, and to live life with meaning… he encouraged others to challenge the rules and to take the path less traveled…He accepted people on their own terms, listened patiently, asked questions and offered wisdom…
 
We can all learn from Neil’s role modeling and how he lived his life. 
 
He taught me the power of stories and to always know the stories we are in, striving to always be authentic in our stories. As Neal would say, “Don’t tell your story, live your story.”
 
Neil always encouraged his students and mentees to notice how they are showing up for themselves and for others. His philosophy is reflected in this beautiful and deep quote.  I encourage you to read it several times and think about it:
 
“The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is a little that we can do to change  until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.”
-R.D. Laing
 
Neal, thank you for everything you taught so many of us. Your impact stretches around the world and helped make it a better place.