Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

New Paper: Vulnerability, Calmness, and Nordic Leadership

I am pleased to share my latest paper, which argues that calmness, concentration, and a touch of coldness, when combined, cultivate a vulnerable leadership style that fosters trust and resilience.

In much of today’s leadership discourse, vulnerability is praised but often vaguely defined—sometimes confused with oversharing or weakness. My paper challenges this, contending that calmness, focus, and emotional coolness—although frequently underestimated—are essential to creating openness and psychological flexibility in leaders. Drawing from Nordic leadership traditions, I clarify how these qualities can empower leaders rather than hinder them.

Using a phenomenological lens, I weave a personal anecdote with leadership theory and psychological research. This offers a new perspective on how these understated qualities allow leaders to be both vulnerable and resilient, attentive and adaptive.

The paper suggests that calmness, concentration, and coldness are not barriers to connection but qualities that help leaders hold space for others, nurture trust, and strengthen teams. They form the backbone of trust-based leadership, which balances vulnerability and steadiness, ultimately benefiting both individuals and organizations.

You can read it here

This study presents a philosophy of attention that promotes authentic performance. As described here, attention is about training outgoing and ingoing attention skills, which can ultimately connect an individual to others and the world. This ability can help the individual remain focused and receptive to what happens while at the same time accepting their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. The ability to pay attention is crucial to performing and living authentically, regardless of the person’s area of expertise. The philosophy of attention presented here is rooted in existential philosophy, flow psychology, mindfulness, and acceptance-based psychology. It aims to help individuals and organizations examine what they can do and how they can actualize their potential more freely and with greater clarity. This results in better performance and increased existential meaningfulness and joy, leading to a more dignified life.

Read the entire paper in Meta: Research in Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, and Practical Philosophy.

Tag: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Vulnerability, Calmness, and Nordic Leadership

A Philosophy of Attention for Authentic Performance