The most important leadership practice you need
Learning life's language for generative, meaningful and effective leadership
Over the last couple of weeks we have been talking about discovering purpose through reflective and embodied practices. How is that going for you? Leave a comment below to let me know!
Beyond it being a means of creating a fulfilling and self-actualized life, discovering and embodying your purpose is actually an essential part of being a psychologically mature adult who is capable of participating wholly and contributing meaningfully to the world.
I daresay its also an essential practice for effective and generative leadership, and we’re going to explore that today.
Embodied leadership is life serving life
According to many evolutionary theorists - from astrophysics to philosophers to developmental psychologists - Life will always aim to create more Life, or create conditions in which Life can thrive. A beautiful interpretation of this can be found in Steve McIntosh’s work around Evolution’s Purpose.
If you recall from one of my earlier posts, I believe that leadership is is about stewarding our collective capacity to create the future. I also believe that deeply embodied and soulful leadership aims to create a future that benefits all beings and the planet.
From an evolutionary perspective, leaders see that they are co-authoring the next chapter of our collective story with Life itself, and they take responsibility for their role in that.
When leaders are authentically embodied, making aligned decisions and actions, and taking responsibility for their healing, they naturally create outcomes that are more intentional, generative and life-affirming.
When you are creating outcomes from that place of deep aliveness in your body, your leadership results will be more meaningful and sustainable.
Moreover, when you lead from this place, you become exponentially more magnetic, influential and empowered. Not only are you purposeful with your actions, behaviors and results, you are also more capable of collaboration, partnership and authentic relating.
People want to help you bring your vision to life because their deep aliveness resonates with yours.
By being more attuned to your own and others’ embodiment and listening actively, you can better understand the perspectives and needs of your team members, family, partners, stakeholders and colleagues. You naturally build high-trust relationships and inclusive environments that thrive on collaboration.
Embodied leadership requires that you learn life’s language
If you recall from last week, at its most rudimentary form, Life is energy. Everything that ever has and will exist is made of this energy, and that same energy that created the universe courses through your body. It is your body.
And this energy speaks to you through sensations.
Building your awareness of this energy, and your capacity to be present with it in real-time, is an essential practice for fulfilling, meaningful, effective leadership.
It’s also essential for having influence. The beautiful thing about this animating life-force energy that speaks to us through our bodies, is that it’s evocative. It’s activating. When you live and lead from this place, it’s naturally magnetic and moving for others.
Speaking and creating from this place creates an energetic field around you that is alluring, interesting, and attractive.
People can’t help but feel something in the presence of a leader who is tapped in and turned on by this.
That’s because the same energy that is awakened and quickening in you, exists in them. It may be entirely unconscious to the people you lead, but they feel something in the presence of a leader who leads in this way.
It awakens their own longing to grow and be of sacred service to Life. It initiates their desire for a life of aliveness, wonder and purpose. It gives them the possibility and permission to live life this way.
Perhaps you are remembering a leader who impacted you in this way right now. Someone who you admired for some indescribable yet palpable reason. Someone who inspired and encouraged you to become the best version of yourself.
Bonus points if you take a moment to savor this feeling of recalling a meaningful leader in your life. Notice how your body responds to that memory. Extra bonus points if you reach out them and share your appreciation.
In this way, leading from this place of aliveness and purpose is a win-win-win. You are fulfilled in your service, Life gets to keep creating more Life through you, and the people around you are nourished on a soul and cellular level just by being in your presence.
What more could you ask for?
Some tools for your embodied leadership practice
Developing embodied self-awareness takes time and committed practice. Over time, it becomes an essential part of your leadership practice, too.
At it’s core, it is a mindfulness practice.
Use this 15 minute mindfulness meditation to develop your attentional stamina and presence using your breath as the primary focus of your awareness. Try it daily for a week and let me know how it goes for you.
Then, I invite you to begin adding in this 10 minute embodied presence practice, where we practice mindfulness with our embodied moment-to-moment experience as the primary focus of awareness.
Leave a comment after you try these and let me know how they land for you
And stay tuned for next week as we continue to explore purpose, psychological maturation and generative leadership.
May this work benefit all beings everywhere.
Soulful blessings,
E
Purpose coaching is one of my all-time joys, especially in the context of leadership. If you are interested in receiving some support in your purpose discovery and embodiment journey, book a free consultation call below and we can talk about options.