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Michael Jones reminds us that, beyond all techniques and advice, leading is about bringing fresh new realities in line with our deepest aspirations. Leading arises from awakening us as human beings, from developing our unique gifts and cultivating our sense of connection - with one another, with our work and with the Universe. And leading ultimately manifests in the health of the whole, the commons that defines this uniqueness. — Peter M. Senge. Author The Fifth Discipline and Founding Chair SoL (The Society for Organizational Learning) writing on Artful Leadership, Michael Jones (2006)

Over the years, Canadian Michael Jones has quietly established himself an inspired speaker and facilitator, an accomplished pianist/composer, an evocative storyteller and a thoughtful coach, mentor, writer and communicator. His unique approach to exploring artistry, leadership and community has enchanted audiences across diverse sectors and led to him being a featured presenter in a variety of forums such as; The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, The International Leadership Association, Towers Perrin Tillinghast (The Netherlands), Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Innovation Groups Transforming Local Government, Pegasus Communications, The Canada School for the Public Service, Zachry Construction Corporation, The Hollyhock Center Thought Leader's Forum and The Creative Education Foundation among others.

Michael is a Leadership Fellow and Associate Faculty with the Executive MBA and business leadership programs at The Center for Professional Excellence, University of Texas, San Antonio; a Charter-Consulting Member with The Society for Organizational Learning (SoL); a Senior Fellow with The James McGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland and a contributor to the Connecting for Change programs with The Dali Lama Centre for Peace and Education, Vancouver. He was also a Senior Associate for many years with The MIT Dialogue Project and the Cambridge- based consulting and education company, Dialogos, facilitating programs on The Art of Thinking Together.

In addition to his presentations, Michael conducts seminars on Artful Leadership and convenes dialogues with community and organizational leaders to help them prepare for their emerging role as stewards restoring the health of the commons, discovering creative connections and generating a more participatory and imaginative vision of our world together.

In 2007 Michael was selected to serve on a stewardship team engaged in a unique project to explore dimensions of transformational leadership. This project is being undertaken through a partnership with The McGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, The International Leadership Association and The Fetzer Institute and will include dialogues with leading practitioners, theorists and exemplars in the field. It will extend through 2009 and include a series of publications with Jossey Bass Publishers leading to a program stream at the International Leadership Association Conference in Prague in 2009.

In 2008, he will be presenting, performing and facilitating at a variety of leadership forums including return visits to the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, Dialogos, the Creative Education Foundation, Zachry Construction and The International Leadership Association as well as The DeBaak Management Center Arts and Leadership Forum (The Netherlands), Peace Health/ St. Joseph Health Care, The MD Anderson Medical Center, Tamarack Communities Collaborating Institute, The Shambhala Authentic Leadership in Action Conference, The Vine Conference with cellist Stephanie Winters and Connecting for Change conversations on social networking and transformation through The Dali Lama Center for Peace and Education.

Michael has had more than thirty years of experience exploring the synergies between artistry, leadership, collective learning and innovation. His perspectives as a thought leader- combined with his artistry in music and story - have received special mention in Fast Company, Personal Excellence, Business Spirit, Across the Board, Management Review, The Washington Post and The Dutch Financial Times.

He is the author of Creating an Imaginative Life (1995,2006), which received The Body Mind and Spirit Books To Live By Award of Excellence and Artful Leadership, Awakening the Commons of the Imagination (2006). He has also contributed essays to Focus on Leadership; Servant Leadership for the 21st Century, The Dance of Change; The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations, Reflections; The SoL Journal, The Journal of Quality of Participation and others.

Michael's first original solo piano recording, Pianoscapes (1981), was also the first recording issued by the newly formed Milwaukee -based Narada Productions. Immediately upon its release, it served as one of the benchmarks for the popular emerging genre of contemporary instrumental music. Since then he has composed and recorded fifteen more original piano recordings, performed widely in the US, as well as Korea and Japan, been nominated for a Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) in the category of Best Instrumental Artist and been recognized as one of the most influential piano artists of our time.

Michael lives with his partner Judy, a healing practitioner and fine artist, in a lakeside community north of Toronto.