Book Review "Nature Works" by Giles Hutchins

From the moment you pick up Giles Hutchins' new book, "Nature Works," you know it's special. The cover sets the tone with its night sky, sun, and magnificent tree. The four introductions from respected regenerative business leaders including Galahad Clark transformed by working with Giles build your anticipation, and even the unique typography invites a sense of something different before you begin.

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Hutchins' previous works have explored how regenerative leadership is a fundamental shift from traditional mechanistic and hierarchical leadership structures to more holistic and regenerative frameworks. His previous book, published in 2022, "Leading by Nature: The Process of Becoming A Regenerative Leader, gave us a compelling case for the practical workings of Regenerative Leadership.

"Nature Works" is a very different experience. This time, Giles Hutchins is focusing on the metamorphic shift in leadership consciousness required to embody that regenerative leadership. The book invites you to embrace personal transformation as a pathway to organisational transformation. It’s not just about a change in thinking, says Giles, but a transformation in sensing and being—a journey that mirrors the nature immersions that Giles runs for leaders at Springwood farm in Sussex. He describes the many experiences that can help you develop the right relationship with yourself and nature. When this alignment is embodied, says Giles, you can begin to sense and respond as a leader rather than control and manage.

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This importance of transforming one's inner nature to manifest outward changes is a central theme of “Nature Works”. Giles argues for a shift in consciousness and that a regenerative leadership journey is not for the faint-hearted. This process is not just a shift in worldview he explains, but requires a deep understanding of nature's workings.

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Perhaps this quote he shares from Iranian philosopher Saeed Hussein emphasises a central treatise of the book ; "The ecological crisis is only an externalisation of the inner malaise and cannot be solved without a spiritual rebirth of Western man."

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If you have met Giles, you will know that he models a balance of pragmatic problem-solving from 20 years as a business practice lead at KPMG with a profound understanding of consciousness and healing with nature immersion.

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Giles maintains that quantifying ecosystems isn't inherently wrong or counterproductive amidst the call to consciousness. Instead, he views it as a tool for regeneration. He emphasises that the shift to regenerative frameworks should transcend and incorporate previous mechanistic approaches, rather than oppose them.

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Reacting against mechanistic leadership, he argues, would be a mistake and would mirror the very limitations of the scientific revolution from 500 years ago.

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The metamorphic movement in Regenerative Leadership that Giles Hutchins calls for is not a neat, linear transition but a spiralling process of reawakening. The good news is that you are given the very clear steps on this journey as the book unfolds. This process invites modern mechanistic tools to serve our evolving consciousness from an egocentric to a life-centric approach.

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The worldview shift described in "Nature Works" invites us all to embark on a profound, personal, and collective transformation, recognising that healing from separateness to interconnectedness is crucial on our pathway.

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“Nature Works” is not just a book but an experience that will have you thinking, feeling, and most likely challenged. Certainly curious. Let Giles guide you through philosophy, business, regenerative frameworks, and the edges of a psycho-spiritual journey. It is a must-read for those committed to leading in harmony with nature.

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On a personal note, and as someone who has been on a regenerative journey for over a decade and who has experienced the alchemy of Springwood Farm Nature Immersions with Giles, I can assure you that you'll find yourself not just changed by this work but empowered to make a profound impact on the world around you with this approach.

Other books by Giles Hutchins

Leading by Nature

Regenerative Leadership (co-authored with Laura Storm)

Future Fit

The Illusion of Separation

The Nature of Business