Cam Danielson is a co-founder and principal at the
Conscious Leadership Institute. His work focuses on assisting leaders and management teams to revise future direction and opportunity amid the turbulence of personal, organizational, and societal change. Cam has distinctive competence in delivery of mindfulness workshops, executive development programs, building and leading high performing teams, and executive coaching.
Cam likes to say that his work is to create, build, and support environments for self-exploration. He has worked with thousands of leaders within hundreds of organizations around the world through a variety of roles that includes Air Force officer, speechwriter, English teacher, university administrator, executive educator, management consultant, and leadership coach. He has spent the last 30 years building a practice of leadership development that integrates experiential learning with greater self-knowledge. Most recently Cam has been teaching sessions on Mindfulness in Leadership for global companies such as Danone, Brambles, Ingersoll-Rand, Schneider Electric, and through his coaching practice with senior leaders. He co-founded the
Global Leadership Program – a leadership development consortium of companies headquartered in Europe, India, and the United States. He has also developed a series of workshops on Conscious Leadership and Conscious Living.
Cam has researched the effects of various practices and leadership programs. His research has appeared in
The Integral Leadership Review, The Monroe Institute Journal, Academy of Management Executive, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Business Horizons, and
The American Benedictine Review. His current research on the effects of long-term practice in meditation has been published as a book entitled:
Beyond the Horizon: Glimpses into the Lives of Exceptional Leaders.
Beyond the Horizon is a book of stories, reflections, and insights about living and leading wholeheartedly in an age of rapid transformation. It is told through the lives of an extraordinary group of people who operate at a deep level of being. They have made the work of building a rich inner life—soul work—the means for greater adaptive capacity. This is revealed in their candid stories and lessons for continual growth and development.
Cam has worked with more than a thousand leaders in review of their individual goals and personal effectiveness to chart the next phase in their leadership journey. He has coached senior leaders at major international corporations. Cam developed the Global Partnership for Executive Development, a joint venture between the Kelley School of Business, The European Center for Continuing Education (CEDEP), and Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST), one of the first global consortiums to be offered by a leading business school.
Cam’s background includes 15 years leading the office of executive education at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. He was a speechwriter for the President of Indiana University and a member of the faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Cam received a B.A. in Classical Studies from the University of Kansas, a Medieval Studies Certificate and an M.A. in English Literature from Indiana University. He is a graduate of the Xerox Middle Management Program (1990), a participant in the American Center for International Leadership’s
US-USSR Exchange Program (1985), and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Squadron Officer School (1981).
Five Questions with Cam Danielson
What Makes You Come Alive?
Exploring what lies beyond the horizon. I mean this literally and metaphorically. I love discussing great ideas as much as hiking through mountains, exploring cities, and seeing new places because there is always the discovery of what lies around the next bend in the conversation, trail, or avenue. A teacher and early mentor of mine was described in the following way, "To wonder about wonder was his vocation." I share much in common with that statement in the way I approach my work as a leadership coach, executive educator, and researcher. There is a mystery to life that forever sparks new insights and my job is to help others tap the source of wonder that will inspire them.
Pivotal turning point in your life?
When someone once told me to keep my heart open. It was at a time when I was going through a significant life transition and didn't know how to find my way. My head was full of plans but my heart wasn't into any of them. It was the beginning of learning how to listen for guidance by attending to the life force that flows through us.
An Act of Kindness You'll Never Forget?
It is a marvel having adult children because they tell you the truth in ways that others often don't. They call BS and it means attuning to them with one's whole being and not just through the filter of old beliefs, former roles, and what we want to hear and see. That is a gift I have received from my children which has helped me become more patient, present, and compassionate.
One Thing On Your Bucket List?
The world has always felt open to me and I have not lacked for opportunity. My life has been blessed in that way, so I have never created a bucket list.
One-line Message for the World?
Conscious leadership means operating from a deep awareness of the guidance that lies behind our lives, working with that guidance to understand our purpose, and aligning our work with our purpose in service to others and the world.