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Do you have it in you? - Embracing new forms of Leadership

Written by: Christiane Pohl

Article Overview: Which are the qualities of an all-embracing leadership style? How can you be at the same time dynamic, confident and enthusiastic? I recently came across a list of leadership qualities that I consider the cornerstones of an all-embracing leadership model.

Do you have it in you? - Embracing new forms of Leadership

Interesting enough that list was put together by Sri Sri Ravishankar, the founder of the Art of Living organization and one of the most prominent Spiritual Leaders of our times. What are his ideas of good leadership?



The first major aspect of good leadership is letting go of wanting to control.

The second aspect is to lead by example

The third aspect is that a leader takes good care of those whom he is leading.

The fourth aspect is that he doesn’t create followers. A good leader creates leaders. And then a chain reaction happens. A leader should always delegate responsibility.

The fifth quality is that a leader does not depend on authority. He just does a thing, whether authority is invested or not. You may be a chairman of this committee, a president of that committee, or you are a barrister here or governor of that state — these are all momentary, temporary. They come and they go. And the respect you get because of this position is not genuine, it is not from the heart, it is not true. But the respect you gain because you are a nice person, is genuine, it lasts long. It is spontaneous.

The sixth quality is that a leader is alert and when challenges come, he is not disturbed. A good leader is one who does not drop things when challenges appear.

The seventh quality of a good leader is one who does not care for comfort, but who stretches him/her self beyond the comfort zone. Anything creative, dynamic and great can happen only when you stretch beyond your comfort zone where we are often struck.

The eighth aspect is that a leader should not mix head and heart. If you mix head and heart, you are in a mess! When you have to work, you work with commitment and you live with your head. In life, in situations other than when you are working, listen to your heart.

The ninth aspect is that the leader doesn’t depend on one-sided information. When you get some news from one side, don’t take any decision or conclusion till you hear from the other side also. A leader should be a good communicator.

The tenth quality of a good leader is not to judge oneself. You have this tendency of judging yourself, “Am I good? I’m no good.” The self-judgment is an obstruction. Stop doing that. Don’t judge yourself. When you judge yourself, you are judging others also. Then you oscillate like a pendulum. If you feel you’re good, then you are saying that others are not so good. So when you find that others are good, and then you feel that you are no good, you blame yourself. Judgment is very similar to self-blame and blaming others.

You may have already realized that all these aspects of good leadership are also very sound guidelines for living one’s life. We are all leaders in one area or another every day and we are setting an example. The big question is: What kind of an example do you want to set?

I would like to leave you with that question and urge you to give some time and thought to the answer. I believe that your own peace of mind and a lot of other people’s happiness may depend on it.

With my best wishes for your success,

Christiane Pohl

Life & Leadership Coach

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Article Tags: Aspects, Leadership, Qualities



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