Leadership And The Reality of Illusion
BIG IDEA: The `Consciousness Leader` is the next step
in the evolution of leadership in the 21st century
Tagline: It is an interesting phenomenon that while the leader must grasp the illusory nature of his role to make it real for his people, many team members may operate from a `reality` that they can independently define their space and the leader can be `managed`. What is illusion and what is reality itself is debatable, but adopting an `illusion model` to leading makes leaders more adaptable to the variables and realities of human behaviour.
Leadership is a deep subject. There are many models that provide a framework for leaders to operate from. However, the real test lies in having the ability to move beyond the frameworks and operate real time amidst the complexity that people create.
Great leadership hardly flows from one's technical expertise. The technique to handle people rises way above technical skills. The best part about technical skills is its relatively static nature, but people throw up variables which can surprise the most competent leader in the world. The leader of course must display decent technical skills to earn the respect of his team, but it is people handling skills that tower above any other dynamics in a leadership role.
The toughest thing about handling people is that they cannot be conditioned beyond a certain timeframe. One of the great differences in training animals and people is that the former get conditioned and stay conditioned, whereas the latter have reasons to get conditioned, yet find ways to break free. Animals are instinctive; so when the instinct is reined in, they give in, but people carry instincts along with a host of ohere emotional dynamics like ego, rationality, sensitivity, aspiration, etc.
A leader has to deal with all this, besides his own personality, complexes and complexities. A leader must possess great self-awareness and also have the ability to navigate through complex personalities in his team. Unlike animals, who, once trained, revel in being obedient, human beings can break off long-held relationships in a matter of minutes. This could result from a bad experience, a misunderstood communication or withering trust.
Human beings function from a complex set of factors and are governed by an abstract yet fundamental phenomenon called Consciousness. The nature of consciousness is such that it makes people oscillate between reality and illusion. A leader's great challenge is to grasp this crucial dynamic in a team's psychology. People fundamentally don't like to be led, they like to lead. The team may perceive the leader's role to be illusory and their own perspectives to be real. This has a major bearing on how they behave and respond to a leader's presence and personality.
It is an interesting phenomenon that while the leader must grasp the illusory nature of his role to make it real for his people, many team members may operate from a `reality` that they can independently define their space and the leader can be `managed`. What is illusion and what is reality itself is debatable, but adopting an `illusion model` to leading makes leaders more adaptable to the variables and realities of human behaviour.
Context plays a very critical role in a leader's life. With diminishing age for leadership positions in teh corporate world, the lack of experience can be made up only through well-built perspectives and a spiritual-intellectual approach to the role. It will help leaders to internalise the ephemeral nature of life, which will play out in their interactions with team members. No behaviour or relationship is permanent and no emotional connection beyond reach.
A leader must work not just on his competencies, but also on his consciousness. A leader's life is defined by the extent of complexity he has to handle. Complexity can become overbearing and at times impossible to manage. It is therefore imperative for a leader to be both a learner as well as a meditator. He must not just meditate on leadership strategies, but also practice meditation as a habit, as that will create within him magnificent detachment combined with emotional engagement with his team. Meditation will help him balance the illusory and reality forces that will confront him frequently and substantially. Meditation will help him come to terms with the `illusion of reality` as well as the `reality of illusion`.
Elevating leadership to a level of consciousness will make the leader approach the role with spontaneity and tenacity. A leader must `belong` and not just `be`. For this, it is imperative that he masters the art of adapting to people's behaviors and their varying levels of consciousness. A leader therefore has to manage the `clash of consciousness` and not just the clash of temperaments.
The `Consciousness Leader` is the next step in the evolution of leadership in the 21st century.
Great leadership hardly flows from one's technical expertise. The technique to handle people rises way above technical skills. The best part about technical skills is its relatively static nature, but people throw up variables which can surprise the most competent leader in the world. The leader of course must display decent technical skills to earn the respect of his team, but it is people handling skills that tower above any other dynamics in a leadership role.
The toughest thing about handling people is that they cannot be conditioned beyond a certain timeframe. One of the great differences in training animals and people is that the former get conditioned and stay conditioned, whereas the latter have reasons to get conditioned, yet find ways to break free. Animals are instinctive; so when the instinct is reined in, they give in, but people carry instincts along with a host of ohere emotional dynamics like ego, rationality, sensitivity, aspiration, etc.
A leader has to deal with all this, besides his own personality, complexes and complexities. A leader must possess great self-awareness and also have the ability to navigate through complex personalities in his team. Unlike animals, who, once trained, revel in being obedient, human beings can break off long-held relationships in a matter of minutes. This could result from a bad experience, a misunderstood communication or withering trust.
Human beings function from a complex set of factors and are governed by an abstract yet fundamental phenomenon called Consciousness. The nature of consciousness is such that it makes people oscillate between reality and illusion. A leader's great challenge is to grasp this crucial dynamic in a team's psychology. People fundamentally don't like to be led, they like to lead. The team may perceive the leader's role to be illusory and their own perspectives to be real. This has a major bearing on how they behave and respond to a leader's presence and personality.
It is an interesting phenomenon that while the leader must grasp the illusory nature of his role to make it real for his people, many team members may operate from a `reality` that they can independently define their space and the leader can be `managed`. What is illusion and what is reality itself is debatable, but adopting an `illusion model` to leading makes leaders more adaptable to the variables and realities of human behaviour.
Context plays a very critical role in a leader's life. With diminishing age for leadership positions in teh corporate world, the lack of experience can be made up only through well-built perspectives and a spiritual-intellectual approach to the role. It will help leaders to internalise the ephemeral nature of life, which will play out in their interactions with team members. No behaviour or relationship is permanent and no emotional connection beyond reach.
A leader must work not just on his competencies, but also on his consciousness. A leader's life is defined by the extent of complexity he has to handle. Complexity can become overbearing and at times impossible to manage. It is therefore imperative for a leader to be both a learner as well as a meditator. He must not just meditate on leadership strategies, but also practice meditation as a habit, as that will create within him magnificent detachment combined with emotional engagement with his team. Meditation will help him balance the illusory and reality forces that will confront him frequently and substantially. Meditation will help him come to terms with the `illusion of reality` as well as the `reality of illusion`.
Elevating leadership to a level of consciousness will make the leader approach the role with spontaneity and tenacity. A leader must `belong` and not just `be`. For this, it is imperative that he masters the art of adapting to people's behaviors and their varying levels of consciousness. A leader therefore has to manage the `clash of consciousness` and not just the clash of temperaments.
The `Consciousness Leader` is the next step in the evolution of leadership in the 21st century.
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