What is Leadership?
Hello all,
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Now, to the post. Last week, we discussed what integrity means. It is to call back all the power we discarded in the many lifetimes we have spent as a Soul. These bits and pieces are very integral for us to function as a Soul. When we give off those pieces, we become half or quarter of a person. This is the same with emotions as well. We as a Soul, go through many experiences. Some shatter us, some encourage us and some totally disappoint us.
But when we emotionally get involved in something, we actually are giving away a piece of our own Soul or heart into that situation. But humans are humans. Some people treat us with respect and some people take advantage of us. But here, the first person also chose to invest their heart into it. That is why spiritual Masters like Buddha says, not to get too much attached to situations. Because in such situations, we are leaving a sliver of our Soul and heart into the situation. This leads us to a state as less of a Soul, giving away our own inner power to some situation, person or circumstances.
That is not how life is supposed to be lived. Our free will and choice should remain with us, the being. We, as a being should not exist as half or a quarter person. My dad used to say about a story about my paternal Grandma. I don't remember the whole story now. But one phrase she said to my dad or his sister, has remained with me," Okay, let the quarter kid, half kid do whatever they want. But why didn't this full kid, do anything about it?" It is much funnier when you say it in Tamil, my mother tongue.
She understood it, in her days itself.😃 It is not good to exist as a quarter or a half kid, but as a full kid. Same with the Souls. It is not great to exist as a quarter or half Soul, but as a full, powerful, authentic Soul. Only from this perspective, we can operate to our fullest potential- yes, the obvious as well as the hidden that is yet to evolve. So, it becomes very important to own all our values, talents and potential. Only then, we can operate as a full and authentic Soul.
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| The value system of a leader! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Values: This post is about leadership. So, the first point to discuss is values. What differentiates a leader from all others? Here, I have to mention, not the fake, "so called" leaders. But true genuine leaders, who puts the interest of others above themselves. True leaders always develop their own value systems. A golden rod of standard, that demarcates what is correct and what is wrong. The leader only operates within this value system. This value system also aligns with the values of their Soul or higher Self-what they think is correct and ethical.
Remember, here, we can perceive many things as correct, but the question becomes is it ethical and moral? For example, many a politicians or people with power may think, it is okay to use that power towards their agenda. But is that correct? Because millions of people think they are a leader, can they take advantage of the people? That is the question. A true leader deeply understands this and operates within this demarcation.
I have heard a story of the erstwhile Indian philosopher and minister of the King Chandra Gupta Maurya, Chanakya. Chanakya was considered a lion in shrewdness, intellect and intelligence. Once an ordinary person came to see Chanakya, in his minister's residence, at dusk. He waited patiently. Chanakya was involved in some work or writing at his table. He had two of the hurricane oil lamps on his table. When he looked up, he saw the commoner waiting patiently. Chanakya asked,"Official business or something involving personal matters?" The person said personal matters. Then, Chanakya blew the lamp which was burning and lighted the other lamp and asked the person, what is the matter?
Here, what did Chanakya do? Chanakya had filled the two lamps with oil. One, with the oil he bought from the money of the Kingdom, for official business. The second, oil with the money from his salary, for personal matters. When the person came to see Chanakya, he was involved in some official business for the King, and the official lamp filled with oil from the money of treasury was on. But when the person said- personal business, he blew off the official lamp and lighted the personal lamp. This shows Chanakya didn't use the power of his position towards his personal use.
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| Quote of Chanakya- minister of King Chandra Gupta Maurya Image credits - BrainyQuote.com |
The same scenario transformed to the modern times nowadays. When someone works for a company/organization, they can get business credit cards in the name of the company. This card should be only used for official company/office matters (office lamp) and not for personal use. For personal use, the person should use personal credit cards (personal lamp), not the business card. This is the same with a founder or entrepreneur. There should be a very clear demarcation between personal and office/ company matters. When business leaders are held in that standards, shouldn't the same standards apply to politicians and leaders who lead large group of people? They should.
This shows how a person operates. Do they have values? Do they operate according to the values or does money, power and influences topple, all those value systems? That shows, who is a true leader and who is fake. A fake leader falls for the glitz and glam of the position- Rahu, remember, Rahu- he cannot control his appetite for money, power and influence in lower vibration. The same Rahu gets exalted in the sign of Taurus. The highest vibration of Taurus is value and the material prosperity that value brings.
Nobody said, an individual should not have material prosperity, power and influence. But the point is are they keeping their values above wealth, power, money and influence. What is driving their ambition- values/ Dharma or money/influence/power? That shows who has true intentions. Yes, for a person who does not have core values, this realm becomes murky, swampy and grey. But a person who has a value system, it becomes the rod, that too an inflexible, tough one, that helps to traverse the swamp filled with crocodiles. Crocodiles who are ready to eat up a human due to lower vibrations of bad motives, evil intentions or ulterior agendas. The question that comes up in such situations-"What would you sell your Soul for? Whether you would sell it at all"? A true leader is always aware of this and transcends it, to embrace higher ideals and values.
Inner values of humanity: This brings us to the next point. Because a leader has deep value system for themselves, above their own integrity, they look after for the integrity of others. They understand, they are a beacon of light for many others and many look up to them. A true leader gets it. They are aware of their own values, their mind and their own aspirations. They understand the way they have dreams and aspirations, their followers also have dreams and aspirations. So, in their ambitiousness to get their objectives, they should never squash the dreams of their followers.
But people who more than leaders are managers, don't get this point. They only see their own ambitions to pursue and deals to make. They don't see people around them who also have their dreams and aspirations. So, they try to push others down rather than pulling them up while they also achieve their aspirations. This is the difference between a leader and a manager. Managers deal with small landscapes of the mind. But leaders see the bigger mental landscapes- sprawling meadows, deep valleys, breathtaking mountains and the idea of a mental vision that reaches to the end of their imaginative horizons.
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| The colors of humanity! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
This vision of "what can be", a Soul can never capture from the limited space of the mind; but it has to come from the limitless realm of the heart. When we capture our own heart, the very first virtue we come face to face is love, deep Universal love. This is the Krishna Consciousness, the Hare Rama, Hare Krishna movement or others preach. A deep love above ourselves for the humanity or the people we lead. Jesus saw this in his own people he was leading against Romans. Abraham Lincoln found this in his country men who were divided among themselves due to a civil war and racial segregation. (We can relate to it in the US nowadays with a pandemic war and the same racial segregation. Can you find Universal love for all and be the leader- the question? Answer- let us wait and watch.) Mahatma Gandhi sensed this in his freedom fighters who were fighting along side him in Indian Independence.
Same with Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela. Along with their own aspirations, they sensed the deep thirst for freedom, empowerment, ambition for value, for pure human dignity and a chance at a better life, all their followers were also aspiring towards. The points, I listed is the basic aspiration of all of humanity. To have a free, dignified life, to have a life of value, honesty, integrity, to be respected as a productive citizen of the globe. These aspirations never change whether it was Vedic ages, dark ages, medieval ages or modern ages. These values are wired within the human heart, when we are born as a Soul. So, a true leader who understands this along with their own ambitions takes care of other's aspirations as well.
Think about it. Jesus had to fight the Romans who were treating his folks as slaves. Abraham Lincoln saw that half his country people were slaves. Mahatma Gandhi saw his total country of people had no voice as well as value as free citizens. Martin Luther King Jr., realized his men were being treated subpar to others due to surface skin color. Nelson Mandela also saw that his tribe was being treated as apartheid (apartness in Afrikaans) due to the dark skin color. All of them were able to see the unity within all that diversity as individuals. They sensed the same thirst of the human heart- respect, recognition, living life as dignified, productive and happy individuals of the globe. So, simple. Leaders understand this concept deeply and strive towards everyone's empowerment rather than just their and their kin alone.
Trustworthiness: As they know this Universal humanitarian love concept, instead of just working for a small, selected group of individuals, they work for the upliftment of all, whoever is involved in the dynamics. We can see this play out in Jesus, Lincoln, Gandhi, King and Mandela's life. They never let go off this value. Remember the question- What would you sell your Soul for? They would sell it for nothing, whether it is money, power, influence or even freedom. Mahatma Gandhi did not fall for any half measures. He wanted full freedom for all Indians, not just his family or his kin alone. He could have very well settled in London or another foreign country in those days itself. But he didn't.
The followers see and sense this. They understand the leader is in it for themselves as well as the followers. How many can do that? When lot of people start to follow or look up to the leader, the leader who does not have emotional maturity takes advantage of the followers. That is the difference between true leaders and cult leaders. Cult is brainwashing. The leader's mind thinks for all. The mind of the followers are kept locked somewhere gathering dust. The same with many fundamentalist and even religious/political organizations.
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| Quote of Henry Clay Image credits - AZ Quotes |
Why are people being taught hours and hours of classes in many political or religious organizations? That too in some terror organizations kids are taken as young as six and seven. Why? Because that is the age the mind, perspectives as well as the brain develops. The young mind and brain are rewired according to the organization/ political propagandist agenda. Brain washing so deep, even the brain network itself is wired according to the organization's agenda. Think about the evil mindedness.
The kid is not allowed to develop naturally as they are supposed to. Instead, by hours and hours of deliberate, rote teaching and classes, the brain wiring itself as well as emotions aligned towards the propagandist principles. Humans many times don't see the true evil. Even the kids don't understand the ulterior motive of the Mastermind that has literally stripped them off, all their natural inclinations and tendencies. That too many of these gifts, the Soul would have acquired through thousands or millions of lifetimes.
A gag or stop lid is put on all those and in this particular lifetime the Soul acts exactly according to what another mind demands. This person's mind becomes a slave to another mind. We, as humans really don't understand the deepest evil underlying such propaganda based terror organizations. It is basically aligning a person even from within their mind according to the organization's beliefs and values. Now, the question becomes- What about the value of the individual, their mind and their aspirations?
Free will and choice! A true leader understands this. They understand the power of the free will and choice of an individual. Because the leader themselves have come to that place of leadership through their own free will and choice. They understand what an empowered position it is. They realize only from our innate passion of the heart, will of the mind, intentions and actions, the best possible outcomes are possible. Not from anywhere else. So, as they understand this, they never squash the free will and choice, another individual possesses.
Another point, a leader understands. Someone who follows another because they want to, is a very powerful position. This following is not driven by fear, underlying agenda or some other advantage. But the true following is because another finds value in someone else's guidance or leadership. True leaders never use the tactics of fear, power or mind tricks. They don't have to. Because they know and understand their own power. They don't need to usurp the other's value, power, influence or money. This is what keeps true leaders apart from others.
A person who accepts the guidance, leadership, values because they deeply align with the leader's values is operating from their own heart, mind, free will and choice. They are not operating against their own heart. They are not selling their Soul to the leader's agenda. But they are listening to the guidance because they truly understand the leader also has values that work for all, not just for a particular group or someone.
That is the difference between true leaders and people who come in the cloak of leadership. It is the people who even though first follow the path of leadership, later fall for the power, money, influence and the goodies that come with the position, because they never developed a value system or led a life of integrity, honesty and character. Such leaders later end up becoming autocrats or dictators. We have more than enough dictators in history whether Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, PolPot, Saddam Hussein or Qaddafi.
Here, the power of influence unravels towards personal gain and grab of power, wealth, money and politics. But the sad part is the second, the Soul makes the deal with the Devil, the Divine is out of the picture. A place where there is no wisdom of light (knowledge), the darkness of ignorance- negation of positive value and other lower vibrations of energy takes over. From here it is down hill. To grasp onto the fruit of power the person already tasted, they use every technique in their satchel and just try to hold onto that power. So, many examples.
Hitler, Qaddafi, Mussolini and Saddam Hussein used a regime of terror and strong arming to keep the people under control. Then, what happened? They were toppled out of power. Leadership is a powerful position. But it also brings deep responsibilities towards the people who look up to the leader. The leader should not take this responsibility lightly. Hence the phrase- "With great power comes great responsibilities"! So, a person who takes it very lightly would be taken to task by the Universal intelligence!
The question, then Brahman asks to the Soul is- "I gave you the position of leadership, to influence a lot of people. At such a point, how can you take advantage of others, when you were supposed to lead and guide them properly?" Correct, isn't it?? So, any leader who takes up the helm of leadership should never ever take it lightly. It is very serious, dedicated and disciplined position, one is given. So, it becomes the responsibility of the leader to maintain a gold standard and lead the followers to the shining city on the hill and not to a crocodile infested swamp.
So, leadership. A very powerful position. But with it comes great responsibilities as well. Next week, is the elections in the United States of America. Leaving with a quote from Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the USA, one of the greatest, US has ever seen, who took his leadership responsibilities very seriously.
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| Quote of Abraham Lincoln Image credits - AZ Quotes |
Next week: Satyameva Jayathe- Truth will prevail!
Image Credits - Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, AZQuotes, BrainyQuote
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