Abstract
This article explores the leadership journey of an Indigenous leader working within a non-Indigenous institutional context in Canada, focusing on the ongoing processes of decolonization and reconciliation. Grounded in the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the article examines how Indigenous leadership principles are enacted in environments shaped by colonial structures and assumptions. Attention is given to the systemic, relational and personal obstacles that challenge effective leadership, including resistance to change, cultural misalignment, and the emotional labour associated with reconciliation work. The Medicine Wheel is employed as both a conceptual framework and a reflective tool, illustrating its role in guiding holistic, ethical and relational approaches to leadership and organizational transformation. By situating Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing at the centre of the analysis, this article contributes to emerging scholarship on Indigenous leadership in non-Indigenous spaces and offers insights for educators, administrators, and policymakers engaged in meaningful decolonization and reconciliation efforts.