On International Peace Day, we are speaking with author, speaker, and leadership consultant, Kawtar El Alaoui to hear how creating a peaceful world can be an integral part of your life, as much as your organization’s business model.
Kawtar El Alaoui, Conscious Leadership Coach & Facilitator
Kawtar, the idea that peace can be the center of a business model sounds very intriguing. Tell us more about this concept. How did this come about in your work?
I have been exploring what creates wellness due to some realizations from my own journey to wellness as I recovered from trauma. I was highly surprised to find that the principles that create wellness and inner peace are universal and scalable to larger systems. When I met Dr. Scilla Elworthy, a three-time Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, in 2020, she confirmed everything I had learned. After 50 years of working with leaders to create world peace, she came to the realization that creating peace in the world can only happen if we make it a priority at the personal level. That was an important stepping stone in sharing my message that by focusing on personal wellness and peace for employees and leaders, companies could literally contribute to world peace.
Is that all there is to it? Contribute to inner peace, and you will create world peace?
It is more complex than that. Being a conflict transformation expert and mediator, I have learned that peace is an active process we engage in daily. The dynamics of conflict, which lead to wars at their extreme, are so deeply ingrained in our cultures that we must invest our time, attention, and proper resources to make peace sustainable. The good news is that by investing in employee well-being and organizational purpose, companies begin that shift.
What is the role of purpose in peace?
Organizations, as well as individuals that live with intentionality, and have a clear and compelling purpose tend to do better, not only from a health perspective but also from a wealth perspective. Purpose connects us to the core of what matters and makes it easy to implement what seems difficult. A level of resilience and clarity emerges from one being aligned with a purpose that is unmatched and cannot be found when operating from the paradigm of separation and lack.
Many companies seem to be struggling with successfully implementing change. What’s your take on that?
From what I see, many companies already invest in employee wellness; however, having several initiatives without measuring their impact and without real intentionality causes most wellness programs to fail, costing time, resources, and stakeholders’ trust.
I also noticed that most programs address surface-level problems rather than root causes. And to address root causes, we need to work at these 4 levels actively:
Personal
Relational
Cultural
Systemic
How can companies begin their journey to purpose and sustainable peace?
I map out a journey for leaders and individuals alike to create cultures of well-being, belonging, and peace in my book Unfolding Peace, found on Amazon, and my team and I create customized journeys for leaders to bring this work to their organizations or communities.
And the first step always begins with Self-leadership. We also created free monthly calls for anyone who wants to dive deeper into the book with us to join starting from October 2022.
I encourage anyone looking for more well-being to buy this book today and join us on the journey of unfolding peace personally and collectively.
Here are some of the amazing endorsements received for this book:
"In Unfolding Peace, Kawtar El Alaoui has sounded a trumpet call to emerging and seasoned leaders working in service of others, guiding us to recognize that we can't build healthy and happy cultures without first taking the time to do our own inner work. Through her words, Kawtar empowers leaders to leverage individual strengths and experiences to lead their teams with empathy, agency, and courage. She uses her own experiences to provide tools and approaches to help leaders build resilience and navigate within rapid-change environments while cultivating greater compassion and connection with their teams. This book is a powerful reminder that in order to create peace around us, we must first create it within us."
— Dimple Dhabalia, Writer and Founder of Roots in the Clouds, Former Senior Advisor to the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate "'I' has reached its limit. Without abandoning 'I,' our human family now needs to develop the fullness of 'We'—Conscious Togetherness. 'We' is the way forward. We need 'We' to solve our collective problems and take humanity to its next evolutionary level. This book is a beacon helping light this new path. Buy it, read it, and watch how it contributes to your 'We' and to a much better world." — Martin Rutte, Founder of Project Heaven On Earth "This piece of art that Kawtar has written is not just a book — it's a life-changing 'deep conversation' that shakes you out of everything and anything that has been bogging you down. I really appreciate how the book does not just stop at abstract talk and quotes. Instead, it delves into the science and practical methods by which you can change your life RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. Above all, I appreciate Kawtar's willingness to open up about her personal experience of struggle; her vulnerability made me feel validated and gave me the courage to begin taking care of my own emotional state. Especially at a time in which everyone all around the world feels so stuck and helpless, I hope this book can be a beacon of hope and the start of something amazing within each and every person." — Jiwon Lee, Author of The Third Culture Teen
