I once heard a leader say that “every decision a leader makes is a spiritual decision. It affects the spirit of the people that they lead.” That exposes another aspect of leadership that seems to be easily overlooked. This concept transcends the notion of religion and acknowledges that we humans do indeed have a spiritual dimension.
Did you know that the word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos, which means to ‘be inspired or possessed by a god’. So, when you are passionate or enthusiastic about things, that excitement and energy you feel is your spirit. Even our vocabulary affirms that we have a “spirit.”
Spirit can be defined as the nonphysical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul: those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person. Put more simply, a person’s spirit is congruent with a person’s mood.
The premise of this series is based on the idea that in order to lead others well, a leader starts by taking care of themself. A healthy leader leads others to health. Thus “hurt people, hurt people,” but healthy people grow people. In fact, one of my favorite leadership books on that topic is Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go.
When people are growing they have a sense of well-being, excitement, confidence, enthusiasm. As a result, their spirit: moral character, emotions, mood is healthy.
So, care well for your spirit and the spirit of others. How can you do that? First of all, acknowledge your spiritual side. If you have the CliftonStrengths® Belief® or Connectedness® talents in your top 5 talents that will probably be pretty easy for you. For many people, that also means that their spiritual life and beliefs are important to them. Make that important to you as well. Respect your own and others’ spirituality and religious practices, regardless if you agree with them or not.
Take time to reflect on how you feel. Allow yourself to be happy, sad, grieving, angry, scared, etc. Don’t punish yourself when you have negative feelings. Find someone with whom you can share those feelings and not receive judgment. Someone who will let you have those emotions rather than someone who will try to fix you. And be that person for others. Remember that we all have spiritual battles. So give yourself and others grace on those hard days. We are all human.
I also highly recommend that you look into ways to meditate or otherwise find quiet moments of peace and reflection. Even something as simple as just taking 10 deep breaths 3 times a day can go a long way to calming your spirit and those around you. You will think more clearly, and when you think more clearly you act more clearly, and you lead more clearly.
Remember: every decision that you make is a spiritual decision.
I hope that you enjoyed this series. If you want to discuss soul care or any other self-care topics, I would love to talk with you.
I am also accepting registrations for my next Positive Intelligence mental fitness training group. Through Positive Intelligence in just 6 weeks you will have a healthier brain and more resilient spirit – guaranteed.
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