Leading by Nature while Navigating Through Transformative Times

This is a guest blog by award-winning CEO & Co-Founder, Derek Moore sharing insights on his regenerative leadership coaching journey with Giles Hutchins.

I was first made aware of Giles’ work by a chance encounter with a fellow sustainability advocate on LinkedIn. She recommended his recent book ‘Leading by Nature’ which piqued my interest. I ordered it from Amazon and got stuck in. I had a powerful realization while reading it of its inherent truth and importance and thoroughly recommend it. I would never normally try to reach out to a ‘famous’ author, but somehow I felt compelled to tell him how much I appreciated his work and explore if we might work together. I didn’t expect a response, so I was pleased when he replied a short while later agreeing to connect over Zoom.

I have been growing my business (Coffee & TV, a creative studio) and myself, for many years now. I came across the concept of regenerative agriculture on a retreat in Costa Rica and had become convinced of the benefits and wisdom of working with nature rather than struggling against it. When Giles helped me to realise that the same can be true in business; that companies, and indeed leaders, can flourish by following some of the basic principles of nature, something shifted inside me.

We started Coffee & TV back in 2012 as a small act of rebellion against the toxic, burn-out culture prevalent in the VFX industry at the time. Failing fast, being kind to yourself and to others, and taking sufficient breaks to rest, reset, and go again were intuitively very aligned to nature’s processes, even though we didn’t know it at the time.

I started working with Giles on a monthly 1-2-1 coaching basis in early 2023, in his beautiful woodland at Springwood Farm. He helped me to get clarity on the way nature really works. It is a system beautifully evolved for long term success, resilience and progressive change. 2023 was a tough year for our industry and also for us, so learning to accept the way things really are and working with what is, rather than what the ego desire’s, was very helpful.

What I didn’t know when I started working with Giles was what a year of massive transformation 2023 would be for my company and for me personally.

Coffee & TV had a clear intention to be ‘regenerative’, in that we planned to become an Employee Owned Trust, passing control to the next generation of talent. So we weren’t looking to sell or exit. However, in the summer we were approached by a leading global agency network who were aligned to our values and ethics. We went through an intense period of due diligence and in November sold a majority stake to them.

At almost the same time, I ended my 26-year marriage, which had been floundering for some time.

It was unbelievably helpful to have access to Giles’s wisdom, energy, compassion, insight and intuition as I navigated these huge shifts in my personal and professional life.

Unlike other coaches I have worked with, Giles doesn’t only ask questions.  Sometimes he intuitively knows what you or your business needs and he doesn’t shy away from vocalising that. His combination of intuitive insight, practical leadership expertise (he’s been a business leader himself for many years), deep empathic listening and practical application of advanced adult developmental psychology I found particularly unique as a coach. There are also times when you just need to go deep inside yourself to get clarity. Giles holds space wonderfully for this. An overnighter by yourself, under your favourite tree in his ancient woods, is a great way to reconnect with yourself and with nature, to gain perspective on business and life challenges. He helps provide structure to this process with thoughtful questions to ponder and exercises to do. The chance to simply sit and reflect in the deep-space of Springwood without the distractions of everyday life is a precious gift that I would encourage anyone undergoing a significant period of stress or change in their life to embrace.

I have emerged a more connected leader. I think I am kinder, with a bit less ego ( I still have work to do there!), and more empathetic and patient. My way of dealing with complexity has subtly upgraded. I am really grateful to know that Giles is there and I can go back to refresh my world view and call upon his intuitive business insights at any time. It is a remarkable and valuable resource for any business owner to draw on.

In this world of constant competition, high-octane performance and unrelenting pressure, why wouldn’t you take a little time out to reconnect with what really matters? Giles provides the wisdom, space and intuition to do just that.

For more on coaching with Giles, visit his website here.

You can also sign up to his newsletter here.

There is a special one-off overnighter immersion with Giles at Springwood Farm on 23/24^th May, see here for more details.

Giles Hutchins is leadership coach and author of five books on Regenerative Leadership, and Business Inspired by Nature.  His latest book and podcast series Leading by Nature can be found here.

“Leading by Nature is THE handbook for conscious leadership. A must-read for every business leader who genuinely cares about the future of humanity.’   Jayn Sterland, CEO of Weleda UK

Giles Hutchins is a pioneering practitioner and senior adviser at the fore-front of the [r]evolution in organizational and leadership consciousness and developmental approaches that enhance personal, organizational and systemic agility and vitality. He is author and co-author of several leadership and organizational development papers, and the books The Nature of Business (2012), The Illusion of Separation (2014), Future Fit (2016), Regenerative Leadership (2019) and Leading by Nature (2022). Chair of The Future Fit Leadership Academy and Founder of Leadership Immersions, co-founder of Biomimicry for Creative Innovation and Regenerators, he runs a 60 acre leadership centre at Springwood Farm, an area of outstanding natural beauty near London, UK.  Previously held corporate roles – Head of Transformation Practice for KPMG, Global Director and Head of Sustainability for Atos (150,000 employees, over 40 countries). He provides coaching at individual and organizational levels for those seeking to transform their personal and/or work lives. Giles is a keynote speaker on the future of business and regenerative leadership. He is also a Reiki Master, a certified advanced coach, trained in advanced Integral Solonics leadership development, certified in Adult Developmental Harthill LDF, and other modalities.

“Leading by Nature is a truly exceptional and timely book that redefines the locus of power in relationship to leadership; leadership that seeks harmony and alignment with nature. Giles reminds us to bring awareness/presence to everything that unfolds. This book is the teacher we all need.” Sue Cheshire, Founder and former CEO of The Global Leaders Academy

You can join the LinkedIn Immersions Group here