ALIA Europe took place from January 10 to 16 2010 at Mennorode in the Netherlands and I am so humble and appreciative to be able to say that I was part of the hosting team.

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Working with Lenneke Aalbers (http://www.schoolofsynnervation.nl/en/people.php) and Chris Grant (http://www.14aconversations.com/) on the hosting team and the amazing people from ALIA itself and the wider faculty (see http://www.aliainstitute.org/programs/2010europe/home.html for details) was just such a pleasure and an all round wonderful experience.  As many people picked up, ALIA really do take event design, process design and event and process management to an exceptionally high level.

My relationship with ALIA started in 2007, when I asked myself  ‘if I could go to any event / conference / training, anywhere in the world what would I do ?’ – the answer for me was what was then the Shambhala Institute for Authentic Leadership Summer School and what has since become ALIA.  Have a look at the ALIA Institute website and see if the words resonate for you – for me this is a major focus for the most progressive thinking and action around leadership and leadership development in the world.

I am hoping that we can host many of the faculty members in Ireland for a variety of events over the next year or so – this will help us to really raise and broaden the bar in terms of peoples’ perspectives on leadership and leadership development in Ireland.   There are, of course, many very talented and able people in Ireland too and I’m delighted that exciting developments are underway to bring many of them together in a new leadership network based around the Cultivate Living and Learning Centre (www.cultivate.ie) in its new venue at The Green House in central Dublin.

(2010 will also see the establishment of a series of leadership based events at the new eco-village at Cloughjordan in Co. Tipperary (www.thevillage.ie) – there is so much going on that is so exciting.)

I feel a deep responsibility to bring home my learning and networks from ALIA Europe and look forward to working with others to change the nature of how we do leadership development in Ireland.  Please get in touch if you want to join in the conversations.