The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast CNLP 309 | Terry Wardle on Why So Many Leaders Cave Under The Pressures of Leadership, Why Leaders Implode Morally, and How to Grieve Your Leadership Losses
50 snips
Dec 17, 2019 Terry Wardle, a university professor and founder of Healing Care Ministries, dives deep into the struggles leaders face, sharing personal anecdotes of his rise and subsequent emotional collapse. He discusses how unresolved wounds and identity crises contribute to moral failures and workaholism. Terry emphasizes the importance of grieving unacknowledged losses to prevent addiction to performance. With a focus on authentic healing and relational prayer, he inspires leaders to pursue genuine emotional wellness and create meaningful connections.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Identity Trumps Competence
- Leaders often succeed at skills but fail at identity, which drives unhealthy performance habits.
- Terry Wardle says unresolved interior life issues, not competency gaps, cause major leadership breakdowns.
Coal-Mining Childhood Shaped His Performance
- Terry Wardle grew up in a violent, coal-mining family marked by adultery, crime, and silence about trauma.
- Those early wounds seeded anxiety and a performance drive that later haunted his leadership.
Trauma Remembered In Detail
- As a child Terry experienced traumatic events like being hidden in a car with a gun and seeing a relative die nearby.
- His family shamed him as a 'nervous child' instead of processing those events, deepening his fear and anger.
