Goodmorning!
How many of you work in a place that has “enlightened leadership”? Good question you ask. What exactly is “enlightened leadership”?
According to author Danna Beal, “enlightened leaders are authentic leaders–they leave their egos at the door or at home when they go to work”.
In any event these leaders are AWARE. They are aware of their own behavior and how their behavior affects others.
Here’s Dana’s definition of an authentic leader:
“Authentic or enlightened leaders operate from trust and faith in the universal energy (God, source, the creator) and they see everyone as equal regardless of their role in the organization.”
Many leadership courses today reflect this growing need for authentic leaders. In one course called “leading yourself” the students learn “powerful strategies for harnessing their strengths and overcoming their weaknesses.”
You can’t lead others until you can lead yourself and that means becoming enlightened.
Ego always seems to get a “bad rap”. Of course our egos play an important role in helping us to define who we are.
But what if someone is “ego driven”. We’ve all heard the saying “it’s all about me” and most of us will have worked for bosses who believe “it’s all about them”. These bosses operate from a place of fear and typically have no insight into their behavior.
Have you heard of the term “the imposter syndrome”? Well many leaders do not believe that they are worthy of the title or the position they hold. Even though they may be very talented they don’t believe in themselves, they haven’t tapped into their “authentic power”.
These are the leaders that micro-manage, steal other people’s ideas and take credit for them, bully other workers, and find fault or blame others to deflect attention from themselves.
On the other hand enlightened leaders demonstrate the following qualities or values:
- vision
- trust
- honor
- commitment
- affinity
- non-resistance (check out non-violent communication)
- patience
- acceptance
- integrity
- compassion
Enlightened leaders recognize leadership qualities in others and are happy to share the “spotlight” with them.
Danna Beal’s book, The Tragedy in the Workplace, is an innovative approach to understanding and healing our disfunctional workplaces. You can purchase her book and learn more about how to rebuild relationships in your organization by contacting her at www.theextraordinaryworkplace.com
Cheers,
Lesley
