Effective leadership is not walk in the park. Especially in this age of chaos, public lying, and duplicity, it may be difficult to remember why a wise leader is so essential to civic order and the strength of democratic institutions. We need thoughtful and strong individuals in leadership positions who can reinforce honorable institutions and honest strategies, as well as trustworthiness in business, life and work. One of the most compelling issues for today‘s leaders is our country’s need to restore the efficacy of concepts like honor, truthfulness and trustworthiness. This is not a burden that we exact. It is, rather, a privilege, a call to be honor bound in actions and ethics.
Every organization, including families, is characterized by a tone which is set at the top. Honorable leadership accepts the ethical responsibility that is required, and s/he sets that internal cultural tone with care and forethought. Let’s use Churchill as an example, the Prime Minster who led England through the worst of the bombing during WWII. Survival for the country seemed impossible, until he set a tone that sustained the English people when he commanded, “Never, never, never give up!” The words were decisive and memorable, but the tone was set by the power of his proven reputation, intelligence and invincible leadership.
The fact is that without women and men of integrity providing leadership models for the way we live, as well as the way we work, there is only leadership flabbiness in place of leadership strength. The connection between who we are and how we lead is ineradicable. More than ever, our country and the world now require that our leaders lead from core spiritual and moral values.
The standards we demand of ourselves become transformed into the platinum standards each of us can bring to the table as leaders. Such standards, however, require a mental discipline and rigor of thought. As leaders, we need metaphorical safety nets to catch us when we lose our footing. That safety net, for most of us, is to seek within for the spiritual intuition, instinct, inner guidance which is always accessible, if we choose to turn to it.
So, here are five ways to tap into and use our spiritual sides in life and work:
- Practice Mindfulness. No surprise that this is the first on the list! The power of this spiritual quality keeps our focus on the essentials: Who are we? Why are we doing what we do? By what core values do we live and lead? What are our leadership and life intentions in all matters? What is the state of our Souls? When over stimulation at home and work leave us frantic with stress, Mindfulness is the spiritual tool to bring us back to steadiness and peace. It reminds us that we can always be in touch with our spiritual side. All we have to do is recall the efficacy of spirituality. By keeping us present and out of the fray, Mindfulness also hold us responsible and accountable for how we lead. So, choose to pay attention. Remain present to your inner self.
- Hit the Easy Button. In other words, give up control. Oh, you don’t believe you can lead without control? Not only can you, but the woman or man who is in touch with their spiritual sides understands that controlling strategies at home and at work are self-defeating. Trying to control factors, other human beings, and outcomes results in feckless leadership which fosters distorted thinking, sloppy assumptions, erratic decision-making, and lack of compassion for people, organizations, and oneself. Unfortunately, we see those elements now played out everywhere we turn.
Control equals stress; the assumption that we can dictate results is futile. Anyone who loves to fish will understand this simple illustration. No matter how avid you are, how carefully you design your lures, how thoughtfully you choose the spot and the time of day for your sport, the outcome is unpredictable. The fish bite or they don’t. When I was 8 years old, my Dad taught me that we went bass fishing at five o’clock on Sunday morning just for the fun of it. Simply hit the Easy button and don’t have impossible expectations.
- Tap into the Awesome Power of Positive Leadership. It makes a demonstrated difference in life and work. This quote from the book How Full Is Your Bucket, validates the effectiveness of positivity. “Over the past decades, scientists have explored the impact of positive-to-negative interactions ration in our work and personal life. And they have found that this ratio can be used to predict—with reasonable accuracy—everything from workplace performance to divorce.” As researchers often point out, a ripple effect of actions and attitudes—either positive or negative—flows through all organizations.
An effective leader recognizes this reality. Let’s assume, for instance, that you have called a team meeting for 9:00 in the morning. You most reliable employee (because of Monday morning’s congested traffic) is 8 minutes late. Although you are irritated, you choose instead to welcome him to the meeting by saying something like, “You’re never late, Mike, so I know you have good reasons. Glad you’re here. Let’s get started on the agenda.” Welcomed instead of chastised, Mike feels included in the meeting, despite being late, and he passes on his positive feelings to his interactions with you and with the rest of the team. Positivity—or, conversely, negativity—spreads that quickly. So, keep it positive, sweetheart.
- Tap into Your Inner Spiritual Self. Of course, each of us has to pay attention to external events, people and things; it goes back to Mindfulness. However effective living and effective leading are enriched by attention to what is taking place in your inner life. Because who you are and what you believe are intrinsic to knowing your authentic Self, stop searching outside yourself for your real identity. It’s not there. Go within. Go into the silence where all things can be known. When the religious phrase “In the silence you shall know Me” is expanded, we can contemplate the complementary words, “In the silence you shall know your spiritual self.” To know ourselves is the greatest spiritual gift of our spiritual nature. If it helps, you may join spiritual or witchcraft classes or use rosaries or a praying hands religious figurine when praying and tapping into your spirituality. An Online Energy Healing School can also help improve your spiritual well-being,
- Remember—and Tap into—Your Zen Mind. Think of your mind as an empty rice bowl. Imagine that Universal Spirit has promised to fill it. However, the bowl can be filled—or the mind taught—only when it is empty. Only then are we prepared to be filled, to be taught.
Most of us lead at this time in history because we are moved by the work to be done, and by the needs of our homes and our home land. We feel the passion to strengthen our institutions and organizations for the sake of our country’s historic ideals. We lead to dedicate ourselves to long held cultural values of integrity, honor, trust, community. We desire to preserve the loving compassion of our hearth and home. We genuinely seek to create a better world.
To quote Churchill once again: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
