As we enter the Christmas season, it is a good time to reflect on the importance of spirit in leadership.
Spirit reflects our purpose. Leadership reflects guiding or commanding from the front. From a young age, we are trained to follow. This brings order to families, schools and organizations. It is important to know how to follow to help achieve great things. But our spirit is alive with a purpose that is unique to each of us. We need to listen to our spirit and have confidence to step forward to fulfill our purpose.
The challenge is that our early training to be followers often makes it uninviting, uncomfortable and unacceptable to lead. It can be much safer to be one of the crowd and just do what is expected. We also receive a steady stream of cues to stay in our place. We may know what needs to be done but there is a mysterious force that holds us in place. We may not like it. We get stressed. We hold things in and we lash out. We react.
My work has been to let go of the energy that holds me back and influences my reactions. I admit I still have work to do. The results are subtle but fascinating. I notice a shift in the way I feel more than in the way others see me. The technique is Logosynthesis. A simple and graceful tool that simply requires my trust in the process. I recommend a great book by Dr. Laurie Weiss to get started.