Gordon has served as both a leader and a strategic advisor and consultant in the health care industry. He has identified, observed, and engaged the underlying organizational energies and social structures that shape the success or predict leadership failure—both for individuals and businesses. Awaking to his own disruptive inner dialogue, he experienced a growing sense of inauthenticity in his work and loss of meaning. Most disquieting was a belief that even with hard work and best effort, it never seemed enough.
Thoughout his years of leadership and consulting, he has encountered this pattern of inner discontent, restlessness, inadequacy, and what might be called 'frustrated altruism' in highly regarded and seemingly successful leaders of all ages and levels. He also noted how profound this discontent could be with its generative capacity to sense and shape individual and collective transitions in ways expected and unexpected, positive and negative. Recognizing this inner disquiet in himself, Gordon undertook his own strategic sabbatical to clear personal and professional clutter and focus his inner intent and future effort. What emerged was the formation of the Santa Fe Sabbatical.
Determined to encourage others in transcending these feelings of discontent, to use it to their own and their company's advantage, and to improve the overall health of the health-care industry, Santa Fe Sabbatical now helps both individuals and teams to step back, to recognize and engage their discontent and to clear away personal and professional clutter. These are but the first steps needed in order to sense one's future for oneself—and to trigger its transformative possibilities.