The Naked Leader by Dennis Akkerman | Leadership Trilogy Part 1

【Product Information】

The Naked Leader provides a simple yet insightful guide to set you up for bigger and more meaningful outcomes in life and in business.

Author Dennis Akkerman explains that greater things are not achieved by continuously increasing the stakes. It doesn’t work to add more stress, more working hours, more pressure on others or to force things to go our way by taking shortcuts. That is a zero-sum game; we cannot gain more by draining more energy and resources; we will hit a ceiling.

Transformation starts with you; when you change, the world around you changes and this is how you increase your impact as a person and as a leader.

Akkerman shares 7 powerful steps to effectively change your mindset, and ultimately becoming the best version of yourself, your Naked Self.

【Author Information】

Dennis Akkerman

MBA is the visionary founder and managing director of Orbis Business School. Drawing from his insights of his own life-changing transformation journey and more than two decades of transformational leadership experience, Dennis has emerged as a distinguished transformational coach, facilitator, consultant and captivating speaker on the global stage spanning more than 30 countries.

Dennis’ core belief is that transformational leaders are catalysts for positive change. This book is part of his mission to help leaders realise their fullest potential, transforming their business and increase their impact.

The Naked Leader blends visionary leadership concepts with practical aspects of self-transformation in a relatable and structured manner. This book is full of naked truths and inconvenient questions. When you are
ready to look deeper into yourself, you will find bigger answers and that is liberating! Are you ready?

【Table of Content】

Praise for The Naked Leader 3
Table of Contents 6
Foreword by Dr. Oleg Konovalov 1
Preface 3
1. Introduction 5

2. Who am I – Discover your Naked Self 7
Human needs …………………………………………………………….. 12
Your ego ……………………………………………………………………. 15
Your inner-child ………………………………………………………….. 29
Your inner critic …………………………………………………………… 34
Your irritations …………………………………………………………….. 35
Your cravings ……………………………………………………………… 35
Your physical clues ……………………………………………………… 38
Your voice ………………………………………………………………….. 39
Your attitude towards other people ………………………………… 42
Your attitude towards money ………………………………………… 43

3. Transforming yourself 45
Change is hard ………………………………………………………….. 46
The pain of changing ………………………………………………….. 49
The pain of NOT changing ………………………………………….. 50
Is it worth the ‘trouble’? ………………………………………………. 51
What exactly do you want to change? ………………………….. 52
Reframe your perspective ……………………………………………. 52
Change creates change ………………………………………………. 53
Space creates space …………………………………………………… 54
Decide to change ……………………………………………………….. 56
What it means to decide ………………………………………………. 57
Accepting the consequences of your choice …………………… 58
Threefold approach for Self-Transformation …………………… 59

4. Dealing with the past 61
Biased thinking …………………………………………………………… 62
Emotions …………………………………………………………………… 62
Letting go of the past ………………………………………………….. 66
Overcoming limiting beliefs ………………………………………….. 67
Embracing your ‘shadow self’ ……………………………………… 71

5. Focus on the present moment 75
Seven levels of Awareness ………………………………………….. 79
Level 1. Stress management – The Resilient Leader ………. 80
Level 2. Creative flow – The Focused Leader …………………. 82
Level 3. Self-Acceptance – The Confident Leader …………… 83
Level 4. Compassion – The Connected Leader ………………. 84
Level 5. Inspiring others – The Authentic Leader …………….. 87
Level 6. Intuitive awareness – The Visionary Leader ……….. 91
Level 7. Transcendental awareness – The Naked Leader … 93

6. Creating your future 99
The paradox of being in the present moment vs
creating your future …………………………………………………… 100
Aspiration ………………………………………………………………… 101
Goals ………………………………………………………………………. 103
Urgency …………………………………………………………………… 103
Letting go of fixed outcomes ………………………………………. 108

7. How does the world benefit from this? 109
Purpose …………………………………………………………………… 109
Vision ………………………………………………………………………. 114
Why Why Why? ………………………………………………………… 118

8. Make it real 121
Affirmations ……………………………………………………………… 121
Cause and effect ………………………………………………………. 125
Persistence ……………………………………………………………… 125
Sacrifices ………………………………………………………………… 126

9. What are your obstacles
(and how to overcome them)? 128
Stress …………………………………………………………………….. 128
Fear ………………………………………………………………………… 130
No time ……………………………………………………………………. 132
Lack of focus ……………………………………………………………. 132
Thinking too small …………………………………………………….. 133
Thinking too big ………………………………………………………… 134
Risk aversion ……………………………………………………………. 135
Thought patterns: the stories you tell yourself ………………. 137
Your ‘Plan B’ is too attractive ……………………………………… 139
Overthinking …………………………………………………………….. 140
Other people’s opinions …………………………………………….. 141
Ignorance ………………………………………………………………… 144
Greed ……………………………………………………………………… 144
Overspending …………………………………………………………… 145
Underspending …………………………………………………………. 146
Distrust ……………………………………………………………………. 147
Impatience ……………………………………………………………….. 148
Perfectionism …………………………………………………………… 150
Stubbornness …………………………………………………………… 151
Doubt ………………………………………………………………………. 152
Regret …………………………………………………………………….. 153
Procrastination …………………………………………………………. 153
Complaining about things you can’t control ………………….. 155
Worrying about macro-economics ………………………………. 156
Dealing with rejection ………………………………………………… 156
Dealing with adversity ……………………………………………….. 157

Acknowledgements 160
About the author 162

Endnotes 163