Our movement is called "The Higher Ground Community®". It was formed in 1996 and our Cause is to Change the world by reawakening spirit and values at work through the application of Values-centered leadership® and the principles described in Reclaiming Higher Ground and Inspirational Leadership®. The Higher Ground Community® has grown into a worldwide movement of individuals who share a passion for making work meaningful and fun while building high performance organizations. We are an evolving, dynamic Sanctuary of people striving to enhance the experience we call work. Membership is open to any individual who supports the values defined in the Higher Ground Leadership® Challenge.
There are two groups of Higher Ground Community members:
1. Sherpas: Members at large of Higher Ground are called "Sherpas". We came up with this name to remind us of our Cause. Sherpas are an eastern Tibetan people living high on the south side of the Himalayas. They are the stewards and mountain guides of this great mountain range, often called "the roof of the world." We aspire to be like the Tibetan Sherpas who are spiritually-based people who use their proficiency and training to guide others to higher ground, building confidence in others and inspiring them so they gain their own inner voice and become independently proficient. Sherpas are servant-leaders, dedicated to those they serve, sharing the load with others along the path. Sherpas thrive in adverse conditions; provide protection and community for others while bringing the best out in them. They are familiar with the difficult terrain and are not intimidated by the ascent to the summit. We seek to practice the best characteristics of Sherpas.
2. Faculty: Faculty (click here for bios) The Secretan Center Faculty are members of The Higher Ground Community® who have completed a rigorous Learning Experience with The Secretan Center Inc., enabling them to implement and teach its work, including the concepts of Values-centered Leadership®, Inspirational Leadership®, Reclaiming Higher Ground and Keys to the Castle™. They are a potent team of spiritually aware, highly qualified and talented professionals, including management consultants, trainers and facilitators, healthcare professionals, executives, educators, artists, technologists, therapists and coaches. The Secretan Center Faculty coach leaders to regenerate their lives by helping them to discover and follow their calling and to practice Inspirational Leadership®. Leaders are then able to transfer these skills through their own Inspirational Leadership® style thus regenerating their employees and organizations. Secretan Center Faculty work with life-affirming public and private sector organizations wishing to reawaken spirit and values in their workplaces by providing learning programs, consulting interventions and coaching programs for individuals and organizations experiencing change or transformation. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profits, governments, industry associations, individuals and entrepreneurs. One in four of the "Hundred Best Managed Companies in the World" (as published by Industry Week) are clients of the Secretan Center.