About 40 years ago, while doing my Ph.D., I enrolled in an advanced Italian literature course to fulfill the language requirement. I chose Italian because of my Italian heritage, having studied the language for three years in college, and growing up in a large family that spoke it.
I was expecting a serious academic hurdle, and this was it. However, I found myself reading Dante Inferno in its original form in Italian. I found myself admiring not only the poetic form, but also the allegory and hidden meaning of this masterful work. Only decades later, then coaching Hundreds of CEOs and senior executives have realized that Dante has quietly handed me a map of human development that will be the missing piece in the psychological work puzzle of not just me, but my clients.
Dante begins in Hell, not Heaven, but there is a descent before an ascent. The Greeks called it katabaz– a journey to things hidden beneath the surface. This image stayed with me because so much leadership development emphasizes only ascent: becoming more resilient, more strategic, more reliable, more efficient. These aspirations are important. But that only tells half the story.
In republic, Plato argued that our deepest problem is not lack intelligence but lack of self-awareness. Ignorance is not just not knowing; it mistakes our assumptions, fears, and habits for reality. We are divided within ourselves. A part dreams wisdom the other quietly defends old identities and familiar defenses.
Over the years, I have seen personal and leadership development manifest itself in three actions.
First of all, we need to understand the quality we are looking for.
Then comes the more difficult act: stepping into the shadow that blocks it, acknowledging it, fully owning it, and then understanding its role and purpose in our lives. It may look like a defense mechanism or a finely tuned habit that has become ineffective.
Finally comes the practice—slowing down to notice the uncomfortable feelings in our stomachs or the quickening of our breathing and speech. Ultimately, we hold the conditioned response pattern to guide us back to our neocortex, decide to respond to our desired trait, and ultimately respond. Over time, we live our lives differently, until virtue becomes what we do and we become more human.
Endurance describes the pattern. We admire a leader who never gives up, but what seems like resilience can actually be rejection. It often lies under non-stop work fear looking weak or hurting others.
Similarly, trust can mask worry. One leader I coached, who was impressed by his agility, believed that the presence of a leader meant greater clarity. Together, we discovered that his confidence protected him from vulnerability. As awareness grew, presence came naturally. He no longer needed to show his confidence as he began to feel comfortable with himself.
Projection often it is a gateway to deeper work. The qualities that most irritate us in others often reveal conversations we haven’t had with ourselves. Katabasis suggests another question: What part of this reaction is mine? Conflict becomes less of a problem to solve and a window through which we see the fragmented parts of our own souls.
None of this happens without psychological safety. When we feel threatened, we defend. When we feel safe, curiosity takes the place of certainty, and feedback becomes a judgment rather than a gift. A trusted mentor, colleague, or friend can provide a place for honest self-observation.
Modern neurology Unexpectedly, it reflects ancient concepts. Lisa Feldman Barrett argues that our emotions are constructed through predictions formed from past experience. We do not simply perceive reality; We interpret without realizing that we are doing it. Plato philosophically defined ignorance. Barrett helps explain this neurologically. Both call us to be aware.
Looking back, I smile at the younger version of me laboring over Dante’s epic prose. I thought I was just learning the language to fulfill a requirement for my Ph.D. To be honest, I started all my life education in leadership and in the human heart.
Every meaningful life requires us to make two journeys. One of them strives for wisdom, courage, compassion and excellence. The second is fear, projection and looking down unconscious the assumptions that silently rule our lives. Dante could not escape hell and enter heaven. Neither can we.
Perhaps the path to development can be summed up in three simple words: Aspiration. Illumination. Experience. We strive for the qualities we value. We illuminate the hidden fears, projections and assumptions that hide them. And through deliberate practice, we embody those qualities until they become our character rather than our work. Sometimes the bravest step up starts with the desire to go down.
