Spirituality and (business) Leadership
I believe spirituality is the new (old) secret to success for leaders. In fact, during my MBA when we were studying leadership models and practices we learned that the top leaders are well rounded people - they set aside time for family, fun, exercise, eating healthy, spirituality, AND work. BUT the MBA didn’t give us instruction on spirituality or healthy self care. I think it was assumed that folks know how to self care already and the underlying message is (based on the intense MBA workload)…’just work your ass off’.
BUT I think most folks don’t know how to create balance in their life (we were not taught) and some of us ‘just work our asses off’ - we get all the things done but in the end, we suffer in some way. Apparently the top leaders do know how to succeed without as much suffering (they are few in number) so how did they learn? By reaching out to folks like me, coaches, practitioners and confidants who support them on their leadership journey…and by naturally being in tune with their spirit. Spirituality is like having a super power helping you access success in the path that’s right for you.
Being spiritual does not mean that you have to give up your possessions, become poor and start smiling thoughtlessly at everyone and everything. Nope. I had a friend say that all meditation teachers are poor. Nope, they’re not. Being spiritual does not mean you stop being YOU. In fact, you become MORE of you. So if you are a great business person and your passion is to make deals…with spiritual practice THAT is what grows, your passion, all the activities that bring you joy will start to grow.
Being spiritual also does not mean being religious. Being religious CAN be spiritual but as many of us have witnessed it is not always true that being religious means being spiritual. I will try to explain.
When you are spiritual, you become aware of your true existence as being infinite, your soul, if you will. It is not at all contrary to science by the way. Talk or listen to someone who knows or has read about quantum physics and you will soon become aware of the conundrum of consciousness, the breakdown of certain theories like time/space and the conclusion that we are unable to fully describe the human experience without talking about the infinite unknown, the nothingness from whence our consciousness comes, the universe, the Devine; these are all synonyms for spirit, soul etc. For the purpose of leadership, spiritual is the awareness that something beyond your control is underlying your human experience.
Successful leaders are in service of others. When you have a spiritual practice, what I mean is, a way of connecting to your true self, you naturally start to share your passion with others, you begin to spread your joy for your passion to others. You do not need to force it or contrive a situation where you are providing service to others. It will happen naturally. When you have a spiritual practice, you will be inspired to create and share and having access to this source of creativity and equanimity is truly important for healthy leadership.
Is it easy? Sometimes, yes. All the time? No. Everyone struggles (that is the human condition) but when we have a spiritual practice, this practice helps us get through the transition to the next phase when we struggle less and “joy” more. THIS is what top leaders know - that spiritual practice supports their passion and their passion is necessary for their success. I have not said anything that many authors haven’t already said (DM me for books to read). When you have practices such as meditation and natural self care you bring yourself into alignment with your nature and the nature around you. You begin to effortlessly notice people as being on their own path and your need to control things begins to ease off (equanimity). As the leader of your life or as a business leader, when you listen to your true self in silence, the words and actions that convey your vision come more effortlessly to mind; people cannot help but to listen and follow you when you express your true vision.
When you force, control, manipulate, use fear tactics or humiliate (gossip about) others as a way to get what you want, you will never have true follower-ship, you are not truly leading. I believe we are at a time in our history when we can increasingly and more easily see through those leaders who behave this way. We know when we are being lied to or when someone is trying to gaslight or control us. I believe when you connect with your true self (spiritually) you can more easily lead with integrity and honesty as well as be better able to discern the integrity and honesty of others - this guarantees true follower-ship, and healthy leadership.
Spiritual practices such as meditation and breathing exercises can naturally bring a person’s biology into alignment, back to their homeostatic baseline, so that they become their best biological self. When we take physical, emotional, nutritional, and spiritual care of our self - we can heal old and present wounds and become the leader we have always known ourselves to be. Why accept anything less? It’s your nature to be whole…you may have forgotten how to recharge and return to yourself but you can learn and return at any time. I teach a whole health body mind integrated, intuitive and natural health program based on ancient healing traditions that when learned and practiced, can give you access to your best life and return you to your original health. Send me a DM or Click on the Bookings link to reserve your own private time spot with me.
xoxoChristinexoxoxo
