About

Integral Leadership in Action was conceived in an Open Space session in 2004 during an Integral Leadership seminar that was sponsored by Integral Institute. It featured Ken Wilber and Fred Kofman, and Jeff Salzman was a major organizing force. Dan Noble originated the idea of creating a follow-up group, and core collaborators from year one have been Cindy Wigglesworth, Victoria Wilson-Jones, and Terry Poling. Their shared intent was twofold: 1) Continue the conversation that Ken and Fred stimulated and 2) Create a conference that each would personally like to attend.

2005

In 2005, the first ILiA took place at the Westin in Westminster, CO. It was a heartfelt reunion of 40 people. Fred Kofman and Jeff Salzman joined in, and the structure was relatively loose and open. People received 20-minute time slots to share how they were using Integral Leadership in their lives and work. Our goal was to break even (we did) and experience the joy of being in a community of like-minded cohorts (we succeeded).

2007

The second conference (ILiA2) took place in partnership with Integral Institute (II) at the Westin in Westminster, CO. This conference represented a shift – it was more formal and structured and featured cutting-edge integral speakers:  Susanne Cook-Greuter, Diane Hamilton, and Willow Pearson. Two compelling case studies were shared: 1) Using integral to help with homelessness and 2) Integrating integral models and approaches to assist multi-sectorial, local leaders in developing together and creating “action-learning” solutions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. There were 75 participants, and a significant proportion were students in the JFK Master’s program. Because Integral Institute participated as a partner (to the great relief and appreciation of the planning team), ILiA broke even (that was the goal).

2008

We remembered the founding idea that ILiA is a “gathering of tribe” and is invited to be a conference that the organizers themselves would want to attend. A typical conference structure relies heavily on information-imparting authorities and is often didactic by nature (i.e., talking heads illuminating passive participants). We also recalled an intention to be “in action” and our desire to activate all four quadrants.

In the spirit of embracing a BOTH/AND perspective, ILiA has developed a new configuration where ILiA structured itself as a collaborative—meaning the participants, presenters, and organizers are all ONE within the conference container. Moving forward, we set the intention for ILiA to become a true collaborative - cooperative, dynamic, interactive, and carrying an inherent capacity for co-creation.

Returning to the geographical Integral Heartland, but with a twist, ILiA partnered with the newly created Boulder Integral. Along with their Boulder Integral partners, Jeff Salzman and Ross Hostetter provided a fantastic venue for Jeff and Diane Hamilton to demonstrate facilitation as perspectival interpretation in real-time. Jeff Carreira, Elizabeth DeBold, and Carter Phipps joined Steve McIntosh, Clint Fuhs, Terry Patten, and many other Integral leaders in interactive, experiential, and collaborative sessions.

2009

In 2009, ILiA did not officially team up or partner with another group but did develop ongoing relationships with sponsors and partners. We broke loose from Colorado and headed to The Crossings in Austin, Texas. The theme was: Consciously Leading and Living Through Turbulence and Change with keynote presenters like Don Beck, Rand Stagen, Barry Johnson, Fran Johnston, Bert Parlee, and Bill Joiner. There was a large variety of break-out sessions from prominent Integral contributors. The goal was to earn seed money (we succeeded).

We attained 501(c)(3) status. No longer a “club” or an unaffiliated group requiring that a member or members be repaid after financing an event, ILiA could accept donations, and could bank surplus monies generated by event registration fees.

2010

Inspired by our post Integral Spirituality Conference ILiA’s leaders’ retreat, we began organizing a truly “emergent” event. Utilizing Mike Hohnen’s interest and expertise in European versions of World Café and other such we-space methodologies, we dreamed of an open-ended event. We were too early; America wasn’t ready. We decided to cancel when we realized the event would not draw enough participation to ensure solvency.

2012

Based on the results of a prior survey, we conducted our fifth conference gathering, “Evolving Leadership for an Awakening World,” on the West Coast of the US for the first time. Intended to be a smaller and intimate venue, we maxed out at The Chaminade in Santa Cruz, CA, with over 70 participants. Large group sessions were led by Don Beck, Jeff Carreira, Barrett Brown, Allison Conte, Bert Parlee, Brett Thomas, Cindy Wigglesworth, Willow Dea, and Dana Carman. For the first time in ILiA’s history, we not only succeeded in doubling our seed money prior to the conference but also received several generous pledges and contributions from participants who attended.

2013

After initiating movement towards a repeat Chaminade experience, several months prior to the event, the ILiA Board recognized that financial parameters would render the event unviable. We decided to listen deeply and shift. The resulting cyber event presented learning opportunities for all—including many for all of us organizers.  Hosted by Eric Troth via the Maestro platform, multiple strategies were employed, including individual presenter sessions, panels, variations of virtual experiential exercises, and slideshows. By using breakout technologies, participants brought more of themselves to the experience and were more fully engaged in it.

2014 to 2020

Before launching into another event, we decided to allow the organization time to slowly, deliberately cultivate several ideas for both online and in-person Integral learning spaces. In this period, we gathered a diverse group of Integral leaders on two separate occasions (and coasts) to harvest the fruit of our cultivation and savor its sweetness, while also attending to Integral’s rotting shadow. In an ironic twist, we nurture healthier dynamics amongst us as we planned for a 2020 conference, but were forced to cancel due to the COVID pandemic.

November 2022

Our group re-ignited after the What’s the Future Integral event in Sedona. Board members were inspired by Nomali Perera’s presentation on the future of Integral Leadership.

ILiA is back! … and is reviving our intentions for creating deep, powerful, and richly applied learning spaces. The first step is to renew and reactivate our members, and the second is to plan new events and new ways to support the integral community.

May 2024

Partnering with ICON to create the new Future Human event in Denver, CO.