Crossing Meridians

The Crossing Meridians method is based on my experience in corporate and legal settings, both domestic and international, and in community organizations. It also is based on years of observation and experimentation as well as lived experiences. It's a distillation of insights from tested leadership development—y own and that of leadership teams, mentees, colleagues, and others I've had the honor to work with through the years. This leadership development framework is informed by personal narratives, observations from leadership and mentoring opportunities, current events, and a lifetime of wide-ranging experiences. Crossing Meridians is refined by the perspective I gained through learning and leading as an executive, entrepreneur, attorney, board member, community activist, and mentor. And it's made complete by an iterative process of inquiry, reflection, and revision. My voice is that of an operator and leader in organizations in various stages of development (at start-up, during turnarounds, mergers or acquisitions, and expansions, and when innovating). As I was developing the Crossing Meridians method, I realized that, although earlier in my career I didn't have the wherewithal to articulate this leadership enrichment approach, I had been crossing meridians my whole life. Initially, it was out of necessity, then through happenstance, and eventually with deliberation and planning. Regardless of what prompted me to cross meridians then, I had been putting in the work. Admittedly, I stumbled through leadership development at first. It's in hindsight that I appreciate the many benefits of crossing meridians intentionally. Using the Crossing Meridians approach, you avoid a circuitous path to leadership development. You side-step fragmented attempts at development and the distractions that come with unclear focus on the ends or the means. Writing this book has been a journey of reflection and discernment. Along the way, I’ve parsed my career and leadership journey and extracted from that introspection the truths that form the foundation of this leadership enrichment approach. As I examined a lifetime of dualities—challenge and triumph, limitations and unbounded horizons, unsteadiness and resiliency I found commonality. Underlying it all is an urgency, nudged by curiosity, to forge a new path, a refusal to accept the status quo, and an abiding belief that we can make meaningful change through individual and collective action. Leaders who embrace the notion of engineering disruption to become a more effective leader feel this urgency and possess the curiosity to embark on an enrichment journey. They see an immediate need to improve. They try, learn from successes and missteps, and try again, all the while expanding their ambit of experiences and influences. If your leadership is sputtering because of your limitations or if you suspect broadened horizons will make you a more effective leader, join me on a journey of self-discovery and self-improvement by crossing meridians. I urge you to view the Crossing Meridians approach as a considered pathway for your leadership enrichment - one where you reject the known and comfortable as the dispositive path and instead engineer seismic shifts to gain the capabilities that enlarge your leadership. My hope is that this book inspires you to start your leadership development journey - one that welcomes disruption in order to shape you into a more accomplished leader. The time you spend learning about Crossing Meridians will make you a better person. The commitment you bring to Crossing Meridians will make you a better leader.