Leadership as a Spiritual Practice

A leader with a position has a more significant role than directing the actions of others. It is to be the filter of love for the environment.

Leadership is not a position of power, but a spiritual practice. An experienced gardener knows to take the waste and turn it into nutrients for the environment. A tree is ‘inhaling’ carbon dioxide and ‘exhaling’ clean oxygen for us to breathe. Likewise, we, as human beings, have the capacity to take in ‘harmful’ energy, transform it, and release it back to the world as ‘healthy’ energy.

A leader functions much like a gardener and a tree. Taking in the ‘harmful’ energy from its human environment and transforming it into fertile soil and nutrients for the growth of each individual in the group.

Think of an old-growth sequoia or redwood tree. It has this immense, undoubtful presence - and think of the skillful ways the gardener transforms the garden; a leader combines these two qualities; being an undoubtful presence and transforming the air of the environment while acting in skillful ways to turn what appears as waste into fertile soil for growth.

The more you follow the natural ways of all living beings, the less you need to do, and the more you enjoy the beauty of the wholesome seeds you have planted. A gardener will never plant a fake seed or work the soil with a hidden or harmful intent. Your leadership is determined by the wholesome seeds you are planting.

A body of water becomes murky over time if we throw unnatural ingredients into it. One drop does nothing, another drop does nothing, and a third drop does nothing, but at some point the water becomes murky.

Same with our mind-body. One harmful word does nothing, one negative thought does nothing, and one hidden intent does nothing until suddenly the mind becomes murky and the body heavy. The cleansing process takes much more energy than planting wholesome seeds in the first place.

It isn’t necessarily easy. The world offers us endless opportunities to judge, close our hearts, act selfishly, and to stop trusting and this is precisely why it’s called leadership!

Leadership is a spiritual practice of keeping a big smile and an open heart, trusting unconditionally, acting with kindness, taking care of the environment, and acting with no-self.

What wholesome seeds would you be planting today?
Where can you be the filter of love?