As I have been busy promoting my new book Chosen: The Shifting of 21st Century Leadership, I am amazed at the response that I am getting from leaders around the world. I believe deeply in leadership and I have a passion for preserving leadership globally. However, as a leading empowerment specialist, I have been troubled at the corruption and corrosion taking place in leadership. For years I have observed and waited for others to address these challenges but it seems that the problems simply grew worst. Finally, I knew that I was being mantled with the responsibility of leading this new era of leadership. I have heard from so many people around the world and they have expressed sincere appreciation for me writing about a topic that is often overlooked. What the world needs now is soul leaders to arise and to bring change to the world. This is not just a book but a prophetic call for leaders to reposition and restore authenticity to leadership in the twenty-first century.
Decide to Be an Authentic Leader
You cannot continue to do the same thing and expect different results. In fact, Albert Einstein defined this as insanity. While we know this definition well, we continue to repeat the same mistakes when it comes to leadership. Scandal and corruption are at an all-time high. We are seeing the collapse of corporations, organizations and nations. Honestly, if we do not make course corrections soon we will see a total collapse in leadership. Deceptive practices and deviation from principles is destroying the foundation of leadership. Leaders must make a decision to lead authentically. Authenticity is not a cute expression that we put in our code of conduct. Authenticity is a choice we make that creates the climate of our organizations. Authenticity is not optional. Authenticity must be demanded from twenty-first century leaders.
Infuse Soul into Your Leadership
As I have been doing press over the last few months, I have often smiled at the odd looks I have gotten from leaders as I brought up the concept of the soul. So many people are baffled at why the soul is so important to leadership. However, as someone who has been developing leaders around the world for years, I know that without the soul leadership will continue to suffer. The soul is what has been missing in leadership. We have produced cold, callous and competitive organizations with no care or concern for the welfare of the people. When you infuse the soul into leadership you bring the heart back into leadership. For years we have relied on intellect alone in making decisions and leading. However, in this era we must now consult the heart. We must have a genuine love and appreciation for those that we lead. In addition, we must seek to foster a culture where the contribution of every individual is recognized and valued. Soul leaders are masterful at marrying the head and the heart and harnessing them both to create world-class organizations. Soul leaders understand that it takes people, passion and principles to create successful organizations.
We have a wisdom drought in leadership.
One of the things that I have noticed over the years is that we are lacking one key thing in leadership. While we have many smart and sophisticated leaders, we have a drought of wisdom within leadership. We have acquired a lot of information but we have not acquired wisdom. Sometimes you cannot rely on textbooks and massive piles of data to draw conclusions and make decisions. Sometimes you need to listen to the heart in making decisions. Other times you need to talk with people in your organization and assess how your decisions will impact them. Then, we all have moments where we simply have to do what we know is right. Wisdom is a rare commodity today and this has to change. We cannot become so rational that we cease to be real. Wisdom connects us to that authentic space within us all. Wisdom is not housed in the head. Wisdom is housed in the heart and collected through our experiences. One thing I always say to leaders is that in all your searching make sure that you find wisdom.
You will play a huge role in the next era of leadership.
As I continue to promote this new book, the one message that I want leaders to truly understand is that the decisions we make today will design leadership in this new era. With that being said, I want you to make sure that you are making decisions that support the type of leadership structure that you want to create. When we build without effort we create structures that become extinct. We must build with purpose and we must build according to the pattern that will preserve leadership for generations to come. You have a huge part to play in this next era of leadership. Make a decision right now that you are going to be part of the chosen that change the trajectory of leadership forever!