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aware that he/she is a divine being at the core and the
people he/she is leading are divine too. Also, it is looking
and being aware that people are not things to be used. It is
being aware and looking at people holistically as human
beings who have Intellect (Mind), Emotions (Heart), Body
(Physical needs), and Spirit (Conscience, sense of
meaningfulness). A Spiritual Leader does his/her best to
engage people at all these levels that stimulate their
intellect, provide for their needs, have an emotional
bonding with people and work and help them to connect to
a higher purpose. When Abraham Maslow gave his famous
'pyramid of hierarchy of needs' that motivated people he
talked of Self Actualization as an authentic need that
motivates intrinsically where people 'become everything
they are meant to become'. That's a level Maslow refers to
which transcends the ego to one's authentic self which is
Spiritual. Look at 'Apple' company's vision that has a
Spiritual angle to it "To make the best products on earth and
leave the world a better place than we found it." You get a
team of people with fire in their bellies when you help them
and motivate them to contribute to a purpose higher than
themselves.
2. Praxis:
Praxis means 'practice' or 'action'. It is translating the idea
into the doing. When we talk of Leadership and Spirituality,
we have to see that all our actions are motivated not by the
ego but by the 'authentic self' within us. It is to practice
leadership that says 'we' and not 'me'. Like the above story
of Arjuna and Karna and how their actions were differently
motivated. A leader who practices Spirituality always asks
'What are my actions motivated by ego or a higher
purpose?' A Spiritual Leader will always ask, 'Is there a
better or higher way to do this?' It is here that he/she will
be able to translate the energies of people into a synergy
that will always give a greater outcome. So, the Apple
company doesn't make products so that they can only serve
themselves and their stakeholders. It makes great products
to help people ease their work and, in the process, leave the
world a better place. When Edmund Hillary, who along
with Norgay Tenzing were the first humans to climb Mount
Everest, was asked about their feat, he replied, “It’s not
about conquering mountains, it is about conquering
yourself.” That is an answer insinuated with spirituality! I
attempt greater things so that I become more and help
others be more in the process! Action that helps us to be
more of who we are, be more aware and live on a higher
level of consciousness. The Spiritual Leader sees that in the
process of the ‘doing’ her people are becoming more too.
3. Detachment:
Detachment is not getting attached. Many of the leaders we
see today who lead organizations and institutes are attached
to their titles like CEO, Chairman, Director, Principal, etc.
Many of us feel that I am a leader when I have a title. But
Spiritual leadership is detaching yourself from the title. It is
connecting to your inner self and operating from this
authentic self all the times whether you are a titular leader
or not. Spiritual leaders commit themselves to a vision that
outlives them. Mohammad Yunus who started the Grameen
Bank, (Nobel Peace laureate) his vision is 'To free the world
of poverty' Now such magnanimous visions don't get
accomplished in one's lifetime. They may require a line of
leaders and people as followers who will carry on the
vision. That's what happened when Barack Obama became
the first Afro-American to be the President of the USA. The
vision was seen generations ago when Martin Luther King
Jr. declared, “I have a dream that one day my four little
children will be able to live in a land where they will not be
judged by the color of their skin but the content of their
character.” So just because you are not a leader by title
your vision, your dedication to a cause that is for the good
of all doesn't halt but people get motivated to carry it on.
Jim Collins in his book 'Good to Great' talks of Level 5
leadership, that is characterized by leaders who have a
fierce professional will and great humility. They don't want
to win at the expense of the organization or people but they
want the organization and their people to win even when
they pass the baton to a future leader. Like Wal Mart's Sam
Walton who chose David Gloss after him as a leader who
made sure that the organization further thrived in absence of
the charismatic persona of Sam Walton. A Spiritual Leader
plays his/her part, gives her best and when the time comes
to move, she moves making sure she has built a team of
competent leaders who can carry the baton, the vision
forward. Let's sum up our thoughts on Leadership and
Spirituality by the quote of Mark Twain, “Great people are
those who make other people feel that they too can become
great.” Indeed, Leadership and Spirituality cannot be
separated from each other and if someone thinks otherwise
his functioning as a leader will be sans authenticity.
16 | MAY 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com