This article was originally published by The Holdsworth Center.

Hitendra Wadhwa, a guest lecturer for The Holdsworth Center, believes that leadership today is especially challenging because we live in times of great change and complexity, but that the key to great leadership comes from within.

Wadhwa is the founder of the Mentora Institute (formerly known as Institute for Personal Leadership), which works to help individuals, teams and organizations approach their full potential by creating ever-increasing outer impact through ever-deepening inner mastery.

He is also a professor at Columbia University, where his course on Personal Leadership & Success has been the most popular leadership course for many years.

Deeply inspired by the world’s mystical traditions, especially the ancient truth seekers of the Himalayas, Wadhwa believes in shifting our perception of leadership from external to internal. His philosophy is that we are being invited by life to bring the best out of ourselves and others, which will allow us to operate from our authentic selves. His unique ability to help leaders connect with their inner core and purpose is not typically a development focus in education. After hearing Wadhwa speak, one veteran district leader said, “I have never participated in anything that has touched my soul the way this time did.”

Wadhwa’s views on leadership can most succinctly be summed up with his quote: “You become a better leader when you become a better human being. And when you become a better human being, you actually become a better leader.”

This article was originally published by The Holdsworth Center.