A former banker and CEO committed suicide last weekend after killing his wife and daughter. In a press statement his family mentions that he led from a ‘severe depression.’ When he had to leave the bank a couple of years ago he got (after going to court) 8 million euros.
It is shocking to me what a depression can make you do. Otto Scharmer wrote in his last book that there is a spiritual crisis: globally more people commit suicide than that are killed in wars. That was something that took me by surprise and I found hard to believe.
To realize that there is so much suffering even with people that belong to the 1% richest in the world (as we all do who have a computer and a mobile phone) is disturbing me. We separate our inner world from our outer world in a sickening way.
I just applied for a course by Daniel Siegel who wrote the excellent book ‘Mindsight.’ Siegel is a psychiatrist and known as a mindfulness expert and for his work developing the field of Interpersonal Neurobiology. Especially attractive for ‘left brainers’ (as many rational top managers are) he developed a framework of therapy and coaching that is proven scientifically. He knows how to support people to connect the inner world to the outer world again and live a meaningful life.
In my coaching practice I am always grateful how much people want to share with me. As soon as you pass the outer veneer, beautiful and quite often sad stories are told. Generative listening helps them to connect with their true feelings, when that happens solutions emerge. I expect with some Interpersonal Neurobiology to be even more of service to topmanagers who suffer from loneliness and a not fulfilling life.