Overview 

Leadership requires more than strategy and skill—it requires alignment between values, purpose, and presence. In the Hawaiian Islands, the word aloha means both hello and goodbye, symbolizing beginnings, endings, and the reflection required to move forward with integrity. Inspired by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow, this sabbatical uses the wisdom of the mana as a powerful framework for leadership growth.

Mana, often understood as spiritual energy or life force, is a foundational principle within Native Hawaiian culture. It is believed to exist in all things: people, animals, plants, places, and even objects. Within this worldview, leadership is not defined by authority or control, but by service to the collective and stewardship of both people and place. Leaders are expected to honor mana and kapu (the sacred laws that guide relationships, behavior, and responsibility) by making decisions that sustain balance and harmony within the community. Leadership is inherently collective, with every individual contributing to the well-being of the whole.

Rather than focusing on internal metrics or competencies, this experience reframes how leadership manifests across people, decisions, and organizational systems. In this program, we utilize the concept of mana to guide us through leadership themes of consistency, creativity, decisiveness, compassion, communication, vision, and wisdom. It is understood that when mana is honored and held in balance, leaders inspire confidence, foster trust, and act with clarity and purpose. When it is neglected or disrupted, leadership becomes reactive, fragmented, and disconnected from the collective good.

Throughout the week, participants engage in daily cultural excursions and reflective practices designed to illuminate a distinct expression of mana as it relates to leadership. Grounded in the understanding that leadership is not about authority but service, the experience encourages executives to examine how responsibility, care, and accountability show up in their leadership decisions and relationships. By integrating Hawaiian cultural wisdom with modern leadership challenges, participants gain insight into how mana moves through their own leadership, where it is strongest, and where it requires more intentional stewardship. This journey supports leaders in restoring balance, strengthening leadership capacity, and leading in a way that is purposeful, grounded, and oriented toward long-term impact. 

Why O’ahu Hawaii? 

Hawaii offers an environment that naturally invites leaders to step out of urgency and into deeper reflection, and Oʻahu serves as a compelling living classroom for this work. As the cultural, political, and economic center of the islands, Oʻahu holds a productive tension between modern leadership demands and deeply rooted traditions. Sacred sites, working communities, and urban centers exist side by side, creating a real-time context in which leaders can examine how values, decisions, and responsibility intersect. The island’s geography—from the Koʻolau Mountains to the surrounding ocean—reinforces perspective, reminding participants that leadership unfolds within larger systems shaped by history, memory, and relationship to land. Rather than retreating from complexity, Oʻahu invites leaders to engage it thoughtfully, making it an ideal setting to explore alignment, accountability, and long-term impact across interconnected organizations, communities, and futures.

What You’ll Experience 

Guided by the mana framework and grounded in Hawaiian cultural traditions, each day pairs a leadership quality with an immersive experience. Through this journey, you will: 

Engage in cultural excursions to sacred sites like heiau (Hawaiian temples) or ancient fishponds, discovering how strong foundations sustain teams and organizations. 

Ignite creativity and innovation through Hawaiian hula and storytelling, discovering how cultural expression fuels problem-solving and new ideas. 

Practice compassionate leadership in community-based projects, experiencing how empathy strengthens relationships and fosters inclusion. 

Learn collective communication practices that strengthen team effectiveness while honoring individual voices.

Cultivate visionary thinking during sunrise summits and stargazing tied to celestial navigation, aligning long-term goals with purpose and inspiration. 

Integrate wisdom into action in a closing reflection at a culturally significant site, uniting insight, values, and practice for lasting leadership impact. 

Learning Objectives 

By the end of this experience, participants will be able to: 

• Understand how leadership influences the flow of mana through people, decisions, relationships, and organizational systems. 

• Evaluate their leadership style to identify how imbalances (overuse or neglect of certain qualities) impact team trust, effectiveness, and culture. 

• Strengthen decision-making, communication, and vision by drawing from both internal reflection and external cultural inspiration. 

• Design actionable strategies to realign leadership values and behaviors with organizational mission and personal purpose. 

• Establish reflective practices that sustain confidence, clarity, and authenticity in leadership long after the sabbatical ends. 

Transform your leadership journey into a spectrum of balance, harmony, and inspired action.