It may be an unpopular opinion but I believe during uncertain times, what leadership needs is greater spiritual intelligence and courage. Against a backdrop of the way things have traditionally been done, this may seem a woolly, even delicate approach.
In my experience, I think there is real strength in these things.
What do I mean by spiritual intelligence and courage, how do we make them more than soundbites and how does this mindset get us through tough times? Where do we find strength when we feel our courage is low?
Dipping back into October’s wonderful podcast with author, speaker and The Henka Institute™ CEO Rachel Treece PCC CPCC FCIM , I love what she had to say about the subject.
Spiritual intelligence is about understanding that there’s something bigger than us and having a broader vision allows us to transform through hope rather than fear.
Rachel says, ‘It’s not necessarily religious, it’s about bringing wisdom, compassion and healing in some ways to a system. It’s about connectedness. I’m a scientist and we are taught at school that A+B+C. That’s Newtonian.’
She goes on to explain that heart and spiritual intelligence are more Quantum in nature and I love this. What we’ve learned recently about matter is completely at odds with how it seems to work in the real world.
So just as we’ve had to shift our mindset about what we understand about our surroundings, we’re also opening opportunities to transform the way we see relationships and behaviours in our working culture. It’s a huge change in direction but there’s something very natural about it.
Which brings me to Rachel’s second point, courage.
The word comes from the French word cœur – or heart.
‘Therefore courage means leading with heart.’ she explains.
When you think about leading with heart you may think it’s soft but actually denotes toughness. It’s tough love and passion.
I’m interested to know what she thinks about the implications for the modern working environment, particularly as she has been through the financial sector, recruitment and marketing in her career. These areas aren’t well known for their touchy-feely reputations and there have been many universal changes to the workplace post-pandemic.
‘There’s a bit of ambiguity around hybrid working. At the end of the day, if there’s a leader there that’s leading with heart and courage, it doesn’t matter. People won’t even question whether they’re at home or in the office, it won’t matter.’
And this dovetails so well with the first point about spiritual intelligence. If we’re open to the bigger picture, if we’re brave enough to release the tight grip now and again, things will be OK.
I hope I’ve sparked a few ideas for you today but I’d love to know how you feel about this.
Enjoy your day.
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PS – if you’re someone who needs more information then please watch out for the details of the next LinkedIn Live session I’ll be part of with Dominic Monkhouse and Karol Popa – Scaling Up Coach. It’s a great way to learn more and ask questions or get in touch.