Executive coach Stephanie Klein knows how to thrive despite disruption. She weathered the financial crisis of 2008 as the chief marketing officer of a financial institution, followed by a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, and more recently the global pandemic we all felt. Where many people may have been stymied by such adversity, Klein used it to create a model of transformation for business leaders.
In her book, Shining Through Disruption: 9 Mindsets For Igniting Growth To Become An Authentic Leader, Klein helps readers leverage disruptive road blocks into transformation that helps them flourish as leaders. One purpose of the book, she says, is to “light up the DNA of what we’ve always been to unveil our unique purpose.” Just as fingerprints are unique, our unique perspective and experience is what helps people grow into authentic leaders.
Klein’s approach to disruption offers a shift for leaders: instead of viewing disruption as an obstacle to overcome, see it as an opportunity for growth. She guides readers through a process to embrace disruption in mind-opening ways.
Klein’s methods are contrary to what one might expect from a business leadership book. Chock full of exercises designed to take readers on a journey of self-exploration, Klein serves as leader of the expedition into what makes people better leaders. The first section uses the elements of water, air, fire and earth to reframe experiences that can lead to growth. The second half is a model to put that self-knowledge into action. The process helps leaders become more impactful on a deep level.
“The leaders that people gravitate to have warmth and flow,” said Klein. “I help people get in touch with that, as opposed to the fight, flight, freeze that happens when we’re not in touch with our emotions.”
One of Klein’s most powerful concepts is the idea of being above or below the line. Adversity and disruption can make leaders feel like they are being forced under water, or below the line. Authetic leaders operate with an awareness of what helps them stay above the line, or in flow.
Klein takes inspiration from Daniel Goleman, psychologist, author and pioneer of Emotional Intelligence, and Bill Carmody, chief coaching officer for Positive Intelligence, along with a host of other experts in her quest to serve as a stealth advisor to bring a more empathetic leadership to corporate America.
According to Klein, emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of exceptional leadership. She points to decades of research showing that the most successful leaders possess high emotional intelligence.
“Understanding our emotions, and those of others, is really a deeper step to becoming a better leader,” she said. With this foundation in place, Klein unveils principles that drive an evolution that many leaders may not expect.
Here are a few of her concepts:
Step Into Intentional Disruption
While many view disruption as something to endure, Klein suggests actively seeking it out. She shares a powerful example from her own experience at a Designing Your Life workshop, where participants were asked to imagine their current career path becoming suddenly impossible, as well as writing her obituary where she reflected on imagined accomplishments at end of life. These exercises led her to discover new possibilities she hadn’t considered before, and can help readers outline their aspirations in a way that expands their current idea of identity.
Recognize The Importance Of Energy
Leaders often underestimate how their energy impacts others.
“If my tone and body language don’t match my words, that incongruence speaks volumes,” said Klein. She emphasizes that a leader’s energy can either amplify or undermine their message, regardless of how well-crafted their words may be. This awareness can help leaders understand how their energy impacts their team, as well as themselves.
Embrace The Journey
“Most of us, particularly high achievers, believe we’re on a linear path,” Klein said. “We figured out what we’re doing, we get good at it, we get paid more for it, rewarded for it, and we’re on this ladder going up this mountain. We don’t see another one.” But this approach does not have to be true.
By cultivating emotional intelligence, embracing intentional disruption and aligning energy, leaders can do more than just weather changes—they can use them as catalysts for growth.
“Let’s break through the guardrails that limit us and ask questions that open up new possibilities,” Klein urges. “You don’t have to follow every one of them, but when you start to get in tune with not just what your brain is telling you, but what your gut is telling you, that’s when true growth begins.”