Who Are These Modern Day Pioneers?
An authentic leader is someone who understands and practices embracing every moment as an opportunity to make a conscious choice rather than default to a conditioned pattern or the expectations of a culture, company or loved one.
They are willing to travel the vulnerable and courageous journey to expand their awareness and capacity to respond consciously in each moment. This path of expressing our uniqueness, and leading our lives in a genuine way, is a journey of the modern day pioneer.
They are committed to the practice of staying present to what is true even when the stakes are high. It takes great courage to challenge assumptions, beliefs and conventional expectations when there are so many messages asking us to comply or blend.
To consciously lead our lives requires a willingness to express our unique self even at the expense of not receiving approval, fitting in or ‘failing’.
Each one of us is a leader. The way we express our role as a leader may vary based on many factors such as our role in our family, profession, etc. Regardless of the form or expression, the foundational principles apply across the board.
Our expression of leadership is an outgrowth of our relationship to ourselves.
How do we respond to our conditioned responses? How do we show up in our intimate relationships with a romantic or business partner? How do we run a family, company or country? The principles are the same and the way in which they are expressed through each of us is as vast as the stars.
It Begins With You
The invitation is available to each of us to awaken to the realization that we are part of the interconnected whole, the universal consciousness. Transforming this experience of separation to one of wholeness is the key to important human transformations: personal, relational, business, corporate and global.
Learning and opening up to how we can respond rather than react under stress and challenges is the direct path to leading from the inside out. A good leader understands and receives their strengths and gifts and creates a team of people who compliment the gaps.
Lead By ‘Being’
Leadership starts inside each of us and like a raindrop in the ocean it ripples larger rings to the whole of humanity. Our capacity to be still, listen, meet our conditioned responses, emotions and beliefs is the gateway to true freedom, both inside and out.
Life As Our Loyal Teacher
A leader allows their life to be their teacher and embraces each encounter and experience as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. When a situation arises they look for the lesson, the gift and the invitation to be more authentic and see through their limiting beliefs back into the wholeness of what they are.
They know they can’t control the universal truth that change is constant. They commit to opening their minds and hearts to new ways of engagement. This is accomplished through creating practices to increase awareness. The result is a greater capacity to reflect and respond rather than react.
The Unknown is Our Beacon
True brilliance is a collaborative effort between humans, nature, art, business and most importantly the stillness of the unknown.
An authentic leader knows who is in charge and where the true power resides. A leader flips the traditional leadership paradigm upside down. They start with themselves as the foundation and ground in which they stand. They radiate this sense of confidence and trust in the unknown…and from this place words don’t even need to be spoken.
They trust not knowing and the mystery that unfolds when they don’t hold on to ‘how’ things should be but rather remain connected to the threads of authentic movement through conversations, contemplation and listening.
They understand that leadership is not about authority or telling others what to do but rather evoking deep listening and questioning assumptions and anything that doesn’t feel true. If we aren’t listening to what we are telling ourselves or how our thoughts and stories create a sense of fear, stress or disconnect, how can we genuinely hear others? True leadership starts from within and ripples out through modeling the journey of the modern day pioneer.