Hi! Welcome back. I’ve been studying the topic of leadership lately and trying to ascertain first what constitutes leadership by reading and listening to various authors who have either been in leadership positions or who have written about the subject. In my two most recent blog posts I’ve taken a look at how Lee Iacocca and Billy Graham viewed the subject and today I want to introduce the thoughts of Deepak Chopra on this subject and in successive posts explore more fully what Mr. Chopra’s acronym for a leader means to him.
The information I’m presenting today was obtained from Mr. Chopra’s book entitled “The Soul of Leadership”. Most leadership material, at least those I’ve read are written for the business community and having been a business student for most of my life I’ve arrived at the subject with that frame of reference. I wanted to alter my perspective with this book because my current client isn’t a business but a church and I thought Mr. Chopra’s insights could be of benefit not only to me but others.
Now here’s an introduction on the subject of leadership by Deepak Chopra. At the deepest level, a leader is the symbolic soul of the group. His role is to fulfill the needs of others and when each need is met, to lead the group onto fulfilling ever higher needs, lifting the group’s potential at every step. The inspired leader’s power base comes not from other people but from her very being, and the path she walks is guided by her soul. Its hallmarks are creativity, intelligence, organizing power and love.
Chopra’s acronym for leaders:
L = Look and listen. Do this with your senses, as an unbiased observer who has not judged anything in advance. Do it with your heart, obeying your truest feelings. Finally, do it with your soul, responding to the vision and deep purpose it provides.
E = Emotional bonding. Leading from the soul means going beyond the melodrama of living in crisis mode. It requires recognizing and clearing away toxic emotions so you can clearly understand your own specific needs, and those of others.
A = Awareness. This means being aware of the questions that underlie every challenge: Who am I? What do I want? What does the situation demand? A leader must continually ask these questions of herself, and inspire her team to ask them for themselves.
D = Doing. A leader must be action-oriented. In whatever he does, he must serve as a role model, holding himself responsible for the promises he has made. This requires persistence and tenacity, but also the ability to view any situation with flexibility and humor.
E = Empowerment. The soul’s power comes from self-awareness that is responsive to feedback but independent of the good or bad opinion of others. Empowerment isn’t selfish. It raises the status of the leader and team together.
R = Responsibility. Responsible leadership includes choosing considered risks rather than reckless ones, walking the talk, having integrity, and living up to your inner values. Seen from the level of the soul, a leader’s greatest responsibility is to lead the group on the path of higher consciousness.
S = Synchronicity. This is a mysterious element from the underlying universal field of consciousness that all great leaders harness. Synchronicity is the ability to create good luck and find invisible support that carries one beyond predicted outcomes to a higher plane. In spiritual terms, synchronicity is the ultimate ability to connect any need with an answer from the soul.
Okay, with that brief introduction to leadership by Mr. Chopra what are your thoughts? Have you heard of leadership described in terms of love and soul before? I haven’t. Do you believe that we can actually rid ourselves of “toxic emotions” in the course of being a leader? I’d love to have your thoughts on this subject, please stop and write a comment and thanks for reading my blog; until next time all my best! Jer
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