I am currently guiding a select group of leaders at Ace Metal Crafts Company, USA through an experiential journey of developing spiritual intelligence. This article is the second one that invites the readers to join us in the discovery. The first article described some of the ways this journey differs from traditional leadership development. In this second article, I invite you along to our first group session.
As mentioned in the first article, this developmental journey neither comes with a plan nor a defined framework or theoretical concept of transformation. It is guided by selected core principles and an intention. This allows us to be fully open to what emerges from our sessions and follow the guidance of the collective and personal development of the group. And it is also a reflection of the ability to be present to and lead from the moment, we wish to develop.
However, we do need a shared language and understanding of the territory we enter into, and to outline expectations. It will be the bedrock for the unpredictable journey, we embark on. The guideposts we can return to amidst the wilderness.
Hence, in the first group session we laid out the map that will guide us on this particular kind of transformational journey of personal growth.
Intention as a guide
As mentioned, the map includes an intention that guides this journey. When we set a powerful intention, we set in motion a process within to fulfill that intention. Intentions are powerful directors of energy/consciousness.
When we set a powerful intention consciousness responds. Consciousness is put in motion and events start to unfold in support of that intention. It sets the direction for what need to emerge for our intention to come into reality.
Intentions also invites clarity in ourselves and direction for our journey. In alignment with responsibility for self-learning and discovery of inner truth, each participant is invited to set their own individual intention for their developmental journey alongside our collective intention.
As we begin to work with intentions it also teaches us to trust in the unfolding of life. That life unfolds in the support of our intention.
Awakening spiritual intelligence
The intention for our work together is for each leader to discover their potential through developing spiritual intelligence. Developing spiritual intelligence means discovering new and more expanded ways of thinking and being that better equip them, and thereby the company, to handle the complexity and challenges of an unpredictable, interconnected and changing reality.
In a broad sense, developing Spiritual Intelligence is about growing our capacity to behave with wisdom and compassion while maintaining inner and outer peace regardless of the circumstances. More specifically, it is a mastery that translates into critical leadership skills. It among others enables our capacity to handle the complexity and challenges of the true nature of reality (uncertainty, interconnectedness and always changing) effortlessly, without losing inner or outer balance.
Perhaps to some this sounds like an abstract ideal or lofty goal, but in reality, it is within reach for each of us and has a huge impact on our leadership skills. To be more precise, these are not concepts we need to learn, but an inner capacity and natural ability we need to remember. The purpose is to help the leaders remembering a way to BE, which is natural to them, and opens up inner capacity and connection to something greater than themselves. In essence it is about remembering who they truly are.
Consequently, for me, the key to developing leadership capacities is always discovery of inner truth. The ancient mystics knew this to be true:
“A wise man should strive for knowledge of Self, for there is no knowledge that is higher, or that brings more satisfaction of power than a knowledge of his own being. If a man knows his real self, he cannot do otherwise than discover his latent possibilities, his concealed powers, his dormant faculties. “
To deeply know ourselves and access our inner potential is a deep and life-long discovery. Most of what people know about themselves are internalised ideas and concepts, conditioning, norms and old patterns. The richness of authentic truth and potential is hidden in the unconscious.
Recognizing that our leadership capacity is about how deeply we are connected to our true nature, the only true purpose for each individual in this program is to develop their spiritual intelligence by discovering more of who they are. Remembering this becomes important as we carry on.
Rather than learn about concepts or desired leadership qualities, the focus for our work is to discover inner truth. Not through precedent nor tradition, but through lived experience in the moment, and in accordance with spiritual principles of service and alignment to higher values.
I find it much more efficient to go straight to the discovery of inner truth to develop leadership capacity – that discipline will teach us more about mastery of life than any concept we try emulate. As we discover inner truth, we discover that we have access to an intelligence that support us in creating the greatest outcome for all involved. As we set this intention, what naturally emerges is what stands in the way of inner truth to reveal itself.
The Discovery Of Inner Truth
I have found that using guiding principles are the most supportive to develop inner capacity since we can never outgrow them but only use them to discover new understanding.
Consequently, in all the work we do, we adhere to some foundational principles that are also reflective of the capacity we wish to develop. As you’ll see, all the principles underpin what is also needed to learn and grow;
Awareness
Awareness is an essential key to self-mastery. In leadership it among others enables our ability to maintain inner peace, and is directly linked to how much and how many dimensions of information we can access and process. It is also the container of transformation. We can transform limiting patterns just through awareness.
Openness
In an environment where the limbic brain is easily highjacked, and the tendency is to operate by assumptions and patterns, it is difficult to stay truly open. When we practice openness, we among others, begin to shift our nervous system into being relaxed and open to receive new information and flow naturally with change instead of being in resistant and protective mode.
Discovery
Most leaders operate from an assumption that they know and need to know. It is so deeply rooted in them that they need to be the one with the answers. Instead, we wish to develop the ability to discover and embody a state of discovery where we are open to discover answers to challenges rather than ‘having’ the answers.
Be curious
All children enter this world curious. It is their natural state of being. As we enter adulthood that curiosity is mostly overtaken by hardwired assumptions and protective behaviors. Curiosity is the foundation for creation. Practicing curiosity, among others, supports the development of our openness and ability to discover.
Take responsibility
Blame, judgment and projection are some of the most poisonous behaviors in the workplace. Developing the ability to take full responsibility for one’s own behavior as well as state of being is essential to high level leadership and to create a thriving culture. Consequently, all is about practicing taking full responsibility for all that arise from and within one self.
These are some of the core principles that we keep returning to and are guided by as we dive into the transformational work.
Becoming the principles
As you can see these are not just principles, but qualities that are fundamental to learning, creating, transforming and innovating. We can talk about these principles, their meaning and importance, and thus acquire an intellectual understanding of them and their importance. But to master these principles, they need to become natural to who we are being and operating in life. They need to become who we are.
By applying these principles to all that you do, you begin to embody these principles and open up to a deeper natural capacity to learn and grow effortlessly and process information from multiple sources. It becomes your natural way of being in the world.
Also, when we develop ourselves, it supports our level of awareness, understanding and compassion for others, and our ability to support others in living into their potential. When we begin to be more open to what happens within, we begin to be more open to what is around us. When we are curious and engage in discovery of ourselves, we begin to discover and be more curious of that which exists outside of us.
In other words, these principles invite our true nature and consequently leadership capacity to the table.
In my work, I often see what a big challenge it is for people to embody their knowledge. We can know the words, the ideas, have read the theory and quote experts, but it does not enable us to authentically be what we know. When we primarily learn through the mind, we expand our intellectual capacity. As we learn through our own personal growth, it becomes embodied knowing that we naturally act from. It is relevant to have the intellectual understanding, but essential that all aspects of our multidimensional being embody it. There is always a greater inner capacity we can reach and develop, which translates into greater life mastery.
Consequently, developing SQ and grow one’s leadership capacity can only be done by applying oneself. To jump in and get dirty. It is not enough to read the book and consume the material.
One only learns by looking within and discover what exists within the layers of consciousness that make up our entire being. What we have essential embarked on is a deep journey of transformation and discovery of inner truth, and how that translates into our leadership mastery.
Read the first article
Read more about my book Leadership Alchemy about spiritually intelligent leadership