The interior condition of the leader shapes the space for transformation.
Last week, we explored how expanding our heart space fundamentally transforms relationships and leadership effectiveness. We examined how moving from closed to re-opening to an expanded heart creates different possibilities for connecting with ourselves, others, and the world around us. This week we delve deeper into what researcher Jonathan Reams calls the "ultimate blind spot of leadership"—the self or source from which leaders act —and how understanding this blind spot can accelerate our journey toward more adaptive and effective leadership.
The Hidden Challenge: Who's Really Leading?
When we practice getting "up on the balcony" to observe ourselves as leaders—a core practice of adaptive leadership—we encounter a profound question: Who is doing the observing? If our "self-system" is what we're looking at, who exactly is looking? This isn't merely philosophical wordplay; it directly affects how effectively we can create what Reams calls "holding environments" for adaptive work.
The challenge is that our everyday sense of self—what we typically think of as "me"—is a construction. As Reams notes, drawing on physicist David Bohm's insights, we live within "images of self and the world that are inherently limited constructions of a system of thought" (Reams, 2022, p. 83). When we consider these constructions real, we fragment our perception and limit our capacity to lead adaptively.
This connects directly to our exploration of heart space in last week’s post. The "closed heart" orientation we discussed—where we experience disconnection from our inner world and operate primarily from thinking rather than feeling—often stems from over-identification with these limited self-constructions.
Four Principles for Leading from Soul Space
Integrating Reams' research with our understanding of expansive heart leadership reveals four essential principles:
1. Embrace the Virtuality of Self
Just as we explored how expanded heart space allows us to experience wholeness across all relational dimensions, understanding what Reams calls the "virtuality of self" creates similar freedom. Think of your everyday self like an avatar in a video game or a character in a movie—absolute and functional, but not the totality of who you are.
This week, a leader I'm coaching shared a powerful realization about how heartache in difficult leadership situations immediately triggered self-blame and assumptions of failure. The emotional pain led straight to questioning their competence rather than recognizing what the discomfort might be signaling—perhaps misaligned with values or a situation requiring compassionate attention rather than defensive protection.
This leader also noted the challenge of discerning truth when personal perceptions feel uncertain, especially when they differ from others' perspectives, making it difficult to know what action to take. This uncertainty isn't a failure of leadership—it's often a sign that we're operating from the constructed self that needs everything to be precise and controlled rather than from what Reams describes as the "creative being" that can navigate ambiguity with wisdom.
My research reveals that leaders who embrace ambiguity as a generative space for innovation rather than a problem to solve develop significantly greater adaptive capacity (George, 2024). The developmental progression shows us moving from seeking certainty and clear answers in the early stages to tolerating ambiguity while maintaining direction and finally embracing ambiguity as an opportunity for growth. This progression parallels the movement from closed to expanded heart space—as we develop comfort with not knowing, we create room for more profound wisdom to emerge.
This perspective echoes the expanded heart space where we operate more from being than doing, generating rather than just acquiring. When we hold our self-identity lightly, we can respond to situations with greater flexibility and wisdom rather than defending or projecting a fixed image of who we think we should be.
Practice: During challenging leadership moments, pause and ask: What if this situation isn't about protecting or proving my identity, but about what wants to emerge through this interaction? This shifts us from early-stage ambiguity navigation—seeking certainty and clear answers—toward the later developmental stage of holding multiple interpretations simultaneously and creating clarity within complexity.
2. Recognize Soul as the Observer
Reams describes the soul as "a creative unit of pure awareness"—the aspect of our being that can observe the self-system without being trapped by it. This aligns perfectly with the expanded heart space where we experience integrated self-awareness and can be present with our full range of human experience without being overwhelmed.
When we lead from soul rather than ego, we create what Reams calls space for "wise acting"—simple acts of engaging situations in ways that make things better. This is precisely what happens in expanded heart relationships, where curiosity becomes a form of love, and we ask questions because we're genuinely fascinated by the mystery of human experience.
Practice: Before meaningful conversations or decisions, take a moment to connect with the part of you that can observe your thoughts and emotions without being overwhelmed. This witnessing awareness naturally supports what my research identifies as making decisions with incomplete information while reframing uncertainty as an opportunity for growth.
3. Clean Up Limiting Assumptions
Our journey from closed to expanded heart space is fundamentally about what Reams calls "cleaning up"—bringing limiting beliefs into awareness so we can change self-defeating behaviors. These limiting assumptions, particularly those tied to identity, create what he describes as "unhealthy tension in the holding environment, making it less supportive for adaptive work (Reams, 2022).
Remember last week’s opening story from our heart space exploration: Who do you want to be all the time, with all people, in all situations? This question directly addresses the identity-based assumptions that often constrain our leadership effectiveness.
Practice: Regularly examine your automatic reactions and ask: What assumption about myself, others, or the situation is driving this response? How might letting go of this assumption open new possibilities?
4. Create Holding Environments from Wholeness
When we operate from expanded heart space and soul awareness, we naturally create what adaptive leadership theory calls effective "holding environments"—spaces that enable others to engage in the difficult work of growth and change. As Reams notes, quoting Bill O'Brien, "the success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervener" (Reams, 2022, p. 82).
This interior condition isn't separate from the relational quality we explored in heart-centered leadership. When we relate from wholeness rather than fragmentation, from soul rather than ego, we invite others into their own wholeness.
Practice: Consciously connect with your expanded heart space before facilitating important meetings or difficult conversations. Notice how this shifts the quality of attention and possibility in the room.
The Integration: Soul-Centered, Heart-Expanded Leadership
The profound insight emerging from this integration is that adaptive leadership isn't just about learning new techniques or frameworks but fundamentally shifting who we understand ourselves to be. When we recognize our everyday self as a functional but limited construction and learn to lead from the expanded awareness that Reams calls soul, we naturally create the conditions for others to do their best adaptive work.
This doesn't diminish the importance of the self; instead, it puts the self in proper perspective. Our personalities, skills, and roles become instruments through which something larger can work rather than fixed identities we become drawn to defend or project.
Your Leadership Edge
Practices for Integration
The Two-Minute Morning Intention - Before checking your phone or diving into tasks, simply ask: "How do I want to show up today?" Notice what feels rigid ("I must be the expert") versus what feels open ("I'm curious what we'll discover together"). No need to fix anything—just notice.
The Three-Breath Bridge - Before walking into any meeting or difficult conversation, take three conscious breaths and silently ask: "What does this person/situation need from me right now?" This gentle shift from your agenda to genuine service naturally creates more space for everyone's best thinking.
Reflective Prompts:
What limiting assumptions about yourself or others currently constrain the spaces you create for adaptive work?
How does connecting with your expanded heart space change the interior condition from which you intervene?
When facing uncertainty, am I seeking premature clarity or allowing ambiguity to reveal new possibilities?
The future of leadership lies not in perfecting our egos but in recognizing what lies beyond them. When we lead from a spacious soul and expanded heart, we create conditions where transformation becomes not just possible, but inevitable.
This exploration builds on our previous discussion of heart-centered leadership while integrating insights from Jonathan Reams' research on adaptive leadership and the role of soul space in adaptive leadership.
References
Reams, J. (2022). Soul space for adaptive work. In M. Raei & H. Thurber Rasmussen (Eds.), Adaptive leadership in a global economy: Perspectives for application and scholarship (pp. 80-95). Routledge.
George, M. (2024). Navigating ambiguity in leadership transformation: Insights from international school leaders [Doctoral dissertation, ProQuest]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
If I had a highlighter, I would have been highlighting every sentence. What a mine of beauty. There were a couple things that stood out to me... This following sentence reminded me of leader I work with in policing and had me translating it in my head to how I could offer it to them in a way they could metabolize...
"The emotional pain led straight to questioning their competence rather than recognizing what the discomfort might be signaling—perhaps misaligned with values or a situation requiring compassionate attention rather than defensive protection."
I think so often, that population subset feels deeply responsible and the conditioned response is to do rather than to be with, and the step before is to recognize the discomfort. What a great reminder...
Also, I especially loved Reams' definition of cleaning up!