Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be

by Hortense le Gentil

Have you ever felt like you were on a roll? Time slows, and you see everything clearly. You instinctively know what to do, and have the profound feeling that you are on the right path. This is what leadership coach Hortense le Gentil calls alignment : the congruence of who you are and what you think, feel, and love on a fundamental level with what you do, say, and envision for your future. It’s about becoming more of yourself—and transcending the limits you once thought were holding you back. Hortense first experienced alignment as a competitive show-jumper, realized its wider application in her entrepreneurial career, and fine-tuned its message as a leadership executive coach. Now in Aligned , she delivers an essential three-part guide for anyone wanting to lead with ease, joy, and impact—and to become even more successful. Alignment helps organizations reach their full potential, and people realize their personal goals. Alignment does not happen by itself, however. In Aligned , Hortense uses real-life examples to show you how to connect with who you truly are, do the work to become who you want to be, and project your aligned self from your inner world onto the outside one. Told through the personal and professional victories of her clients, revealing case studies, and Hortense’s own journey towards alignment, her book is an inspiring and intuitive approach to a concept as enduring as it is momentous.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Self Help

230 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2019

About the author

Hortense is an Executive Leadership Coach and the President and Founder of JAY Consulting. She works with decision makers in the business world, including many C-suite executives from Fortune 500 companies, supporting them in their development and leadership by working with them on the alignment between their personal values and their professional activities.

Prior to coaching full time, le Gentil spent over 30 years in business in various industries, working for leading multinational companies in the areas of media consulting, marketing, and advertising. She then founded and spent 10 years as CEO of an entrepreneurial start-up (in metals recycling).

Hortense is part of the MG100 Coaches, Marshall Goldsmith’s Pay It Forward project, and is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered™ Coach. She has been selected to receive a Thinkers 50 coaching award for excellence in her field. She is the author of several articles about leadership and coaching in such publications as Leader to Leader and Les Echos.

Reviews

[Karren Hodgkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t find much new in the pages, but then I have already focused on these aspects, investing time and effort to better understand who I am, and what I can bring as a leader in an ever-changing environment. To be clear on the goals and the progress being made is essential as it is to recognise the importance of acting as a whole, rather than looking at only one aspect in isolation of the others. Many topics are covered in the book, for me the treatment felt relatively superficial compared to the list of activities at the end of each section.

I concur that this is a journey rather than a destination.

With thanks to NetGalley, Page Two Books and the author for my free copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Natalie Mallak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this leadership book! It was quick, easy to comprehend and incorporated a ton of relatable stories!

[Ale Nieves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a very interesting book, and I really liked how it helps us reflect on the concept of “alignment”, which she defines as “the congruence of who we are and what we think, feel, and love on a deep and fundamental level with what we do, say, what we envision and where we’re going”.

Many great points throughout the book 📖 . One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 9 “The Gift of failure”, which has to do with the lessons we learn from our mistakes. Hortense refers to them as gifts in our development/growth journey. She practiced horseback riding when she was a child, and in the book, she tells us about 3 valuable lessons she learnt from failure, from practicing that sport.

First, she reminds us how riders 🏇🏻must fall at least a hundred times to be considered good at what they do. It’s about falling and getting back up, over and over again, and the more one falls, the less intimidating it becomes to ride again and potentially fail.

Second, she says that failure is a very effective teacher, and there’s always a chance to keep on learning, especially when things don’t turn out well for us. The important thing is not to focus so much on the feeling of failure itself, but on the lessons we need to learn from that.

And finally, Hortense points out that the horse 🐴 is never to blame when things don't go as expected, only the rider is. I loved this because excuses will never take us out of our comfort zone, they will not let us grow. She also makes a great point about the need to take risks, to innovate, no matter if we try and fail.

"It is in the failures we find interesting stories we can learn from."

👉🏻 Go buy your copy of this book, and get ready to start aligning your true self with your path, and the world around you.

[Jmac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the thread of Hortense's experience as an equestrian that runs throughout the book, this is a nice backbone through which to share leadership and personal alignment lessons.

This is a compassionate and authentic book designed to help us align with ourselves and then others and the environments in which we operate.

Bravo!