Show Notes
In this episode of Edgy Ideas, Simon Western is joined by Maria Guerrero - social entrepreneur and leadership educator - to explore leadership, power and human development.
Starting from Maria's work in education, faith-based institutions and social transformation, the conversation asks what kind of leadership is needed when expertise and authority are no longer enough. Drawing on Adaptive Leadership, Maria asserts that many of today's challenges require collective learning, shared responsibility and the willingness to engage with uncertainty rather than seeking quick answers.
Simon and Maria examine how power operates in organisations, churches, universities and society, often shaping whose voices are heard and whose knowledge is valued. They discuss the importance of recognising lived experience alongside expertise and explore how leadership can emerge from unexpected places.
The conversation also moves into the embodied and spiritual dimensions of leadership. Through stories of facilitation, peacebuilding and contemplative practice, they reflect on silence, discernment, movement, fragility and interdependence. In a time marked by polarisation and rapid change, Maria offers a vision of leadership rooted in connection, purpose and our shared humanity.
Key Reflections
- Leadership is less about position or authority and more about the capacity to help individuals and communities navigate meaningful change.
- Many of today's challenges are adaptive rather than technical, requiring participation, experimentation, and collective learning rather than expert solutions.
- Power is often embedded in organisational cultures and social norms, influencing whose voices are heard and whose perspectives are overlooked.
- Real transformation requires the ability to stay with uncertainty, discomfort, and not-knowing instead of rushing towards certainty and control.
- Embodied practices such as movement, silence, and deep listening can reveal forms of wisdom that are inaccessible through rational analysis alone.
- Human fragility and interdependence are not weaknesses to overcome but realities that can deepen connection, compassion, and collaboration.
- Engaging constructively with difference is essential for leadership, peacebuilding, and creating communities capable of addressing complex challenges.
- Spirituality, understood as connection to self, others, nature, and something beyond ourselves, remains a vital but often neglected dimension of leadership development.
Keywords
Leadership Development, Adaptive Leadership, Power & Authority, Human Development, Embodiment, Interdependence, Spirituality, Social Change.
Brief Bio
María Guerrero is a social entrepreneur, leadership educator, and facilitator working at the intersection of social change, collective learning, and human development. Trained as a lawyer and economist, she began her career in corporate law before leaving the profession to found Acción por la Música, a pioneering organization in Spain that uses collective music-making as a platform for inclusion, community building, and social transformation.
Over the past decade, María has combined her practical experience leading social innovation initiatives with a deep exploration of how people, organizations, and societies navigate complexity. Her work draws on Adaptive Leadership, collective sensemaking, adult development, conflict transformation, and traditions of spiritual discernment. She has designed and accompanied large-scale participatory processes in educational, social, and faith-based institutions, helping communities engage difficult questions, navigate polarization, and develop the capacity to learn their way forward together.
María teaches leadership at Comillas University and works internationally as a speaker, facilitator, and advisor. She is part of global leadership networks connected to Harvard Kennedy School and Acumen, and is currently pursuing doctoral research on leadership development and organizational transformation in complex systems.
At the heart of her work is a simple conviction: many of the challenges that matter most cannot be solved by expertise alone. They require people to learn, adapt, and discover new possibilities together.