Integral Voices

What is the true nature of inner freedom? How do we recognize the legitimacy of the other? How do destiny and humility relate to leadership? In this touching and emergent Integral Voices conversation between Peter Senge and Aftab Omer, they draw on ideas expressed by Martin Buber, Humberto Maturana and Peter‘s work in South Africa to explore these questions.

What are the enabling conditions for reuniting care and economics? Are these also the conditions for the birth of an ecological civilization? Can we get real about markets and what the social wealth economic indicators are that promote real thinking about the human future? In this Integral Voices conversation, three Pathfinders, Riane Eisler, David Korten, and Hazel Henderson, are joined by moderator Aftab Omer to engage each other’s ideas candidly and creatively to make sense of our historical moment.

Hanno Burmester's soon-to-be-published book by Perspectiva Press, Unlearn: A Compass for Radical Transformation, offers a doorway into understanding the role of "unlearning" in transformative change and transformative leadership. The panel conversation will also draw on Tomas Björkman's books The World We Create and The Nordic Secret, Monica Sharma’s book Radical Transformational Leadership: Strategic Action for Change Agents, and Indra Adnan’s forthcoming book The Politics of Waking Up: Power & Possibility in the Fractal Age. Hanno Burmester works at the intersection of societal, organisational and individual transformation. He is author of the book Unlearn. A Compass for Radical Transformation (Perspectiva Press), and a frequent speaker at international events and conferences. As Policy Fellow at the Berlin-based think tank Das Progressive Zentrum, Hanno designs, writes and facilitates around the future of democracy. With his company Unlearn, he helps companies transform towards cultures of self-organisation. Dr. Monica Sharma, a physician and epidemiologist, worked for the United Nations for 23 years, directed programs for whole systems transformation and leadership development world-wide. She led teams for policy, strategy and programme development in over 60 countries, building multi-stakeholder partnerships. Currently, she works with United Nations, universities, management institutions, governments, non-governmental organisations, civil society, business, media, and other organizations. She created a unique response model based on extensive application –a conscious full-spectrum response model- and generated equitable and sustainable results on several Sustainable Development Goals, worldwide. Monica Sharma is the author of the award -winning book “Radical Transformational Leadership”. Tomas Bjorkman is an entrepreneur in financial services, media, property and banking. He founded Investment Banking Partners AB and served as chairman of EFG Investment Bank. In 2009, Tomas established the Ekskäret Foundation in Stockholm, which aims to facilitate personal development and social change. A special focus of the foundation is supporting the development of social entrepreneurs and the understanding of the complexities of social change. The foundation operates a conference and retreat facility on its island Ekskäret in the Stockholm archipelago. Indra Adnan is Co-initiator of The Alternative UK political platform and been writing consistently about soft power, public diplomacy and the power of attraction and relationship in international relations for over a decade, in major UK and US publications. Indra has consulted to the World Economic Forum, Indian, Finnish and Danish governments, NATO, the Scottish Executive and the Institute of Contemporary Arts amongst others. She wrote over seven years for The Guardian and The Huffington Post. Her book The Politics of Waking Up: Power & Possibility In The Fractal Age will be published by Perspectiva Press in May 2021. Aftab Omer, Ph.D. (Moderator) is a sociologist, psychologist, futurist and the president of Meridian University. Raised in Pakistan, India, Hawaii, and Turkey, he was educated at the universities of M.I.T, Harvard and Brandeis. His publications have addressed the topics of transformative learning, cultural leadership, generative entrepreneurship and the power of imagination. His work includes assisting organizations in tapping the creative potentials of conflict, diversity, and complexity. Formerly the president of the Council for Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychologies, he is a Fellow of the International Futures Forum and the World Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Monica Sharma and Aftab Omer in Conversation What makes leaders trustworthy? How can cultural and system transformation be scaled? How do transformative leaders serve by engaging worldviews? In this conversation between Monica Sharma and Aftab Omer they identify some of the capabilities required for transformative leaders to systemically engage the fragilities and possibilities of our time. Monica Sharma is a physician and epidemiologist, who spent 22 years at the United Nations with a focus on developing leaders In many countries around the world. Her book, Radical Transformative Leadership, admired by authors like Peter Senge and Daniel Goleman offers a coherent model for practitioners of transformative leadership. In the midst of the interlocking and cascading crises that people around the world are enduring, Monica‘s work is of critical importance. View the full Integral Voices archive and sign up to stay updated on future episodes at https://meridianuniversity.edu/integralvoices. Integral Voices is produced by the Center for Transformative Learning at Meridian University.

Thomas Steininger and Aftab Omer in Conversation Can we respond to the multi-dimensional crises of our time with a different kind of speaking and listening? Can we protect and preserve the great storehouse of ideas, stories and practices embedded in human cultures?  In this conversation between Thomas Steininger and Aftab Omer, they explore the power of dialogue to deepen democracy and transform culture so that the great transmission of human capacities may endure. View the full Integral Voices archive and sign up to stay updated on future episodes at https://meridianuniversity.edu/integralvoices. Integral Voices is produced by the Center for Transformative Learning at Meridian University.