Leadership in Spiritual Dimensions

Spiritual Leadership and the Role of Self Knowledge in Accepting God's Grace
Barton (2018) describes the soul as that “part of you that is most real—the very essence of you that God knew before he brought you forth in physical form” (p. 13). For me, this definition makes perfect sense and I cannot see any way to improve upon it. The soul is the essence of the self: one can think of oneself in so many different ways but unless one is really tuned in to one’s soul he is not going to be understanding himself perfectly—i.e., the way God understands him. Part of what keeps us from God is this lack of self-awareness. Instead of realizing and addressing our weaknesses or the issues that cause the soul to be dragged down, we cover them over and apply slipshod solutions in an attempt to keep going in the way we are going. A soulful self-examination will reveal that change is often needed, and change is often hard to do. Yet to grow nearer to God, to do God’s will, and to be after God’s own heart requires simplicity and humility, and it very often requires that we strip away from ourselves the pre-conceived notions we have of ourseslves—i.e., the old man—and allow God to make us after His own heart. The desire to cling to some aspect of personality or some perception of the past can be strong and can prevent me personally from getting over that hump in my spiritual journey that keeps me back. God is calling all of us, and He is calling me, and part of heeding that call is letting go of the cries of the self, which are like the cries of a child for some sweet or some toy. Children look for consolations and instant gratification of the senses. But as St. Paul tells us, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). This paper will show what it means to “put away” the childish things and address the manful aspects of spirituality and leadership that I aim to address in my own life. It will begin with a discussion of my soul and leading assessment, and follow with supports and challenges related to both. Finally, it will discuss the implications of these insights for my leadership.
My Soul and Leading-Assessment
The three indicators that most concern me after taking the Assessment for Leaders tool are: firstly, that I find myself often “rushing from one thing to the next without time to really pay attention to what’s going on in and around me”; second, that I sometimes notice that I am merely going through the motions of the Christian life—i.e., “championing things that I am not currently experiencing in my own life, manufacturing emotion that I am not feeling, engaging in kingdom action but aware that sometimes I don’t really care”; and, thirdly, that I sometimes feel deep down that I have lost touch with who I am in God and what he has called me to do” (Barton, 2018, p. 242). There is a common characteristic to these indicators: they reveal a shallowness of intention and fervor; instead of focusing on my service to God and taking satisfaction in that service I move from one work to the next in an effort to be busy. As a result, I do not feel any strong interest in working for God; rather, I seek distractions in other work. The issue that needs to be addressed here is that I need to ease up from other work and allow myself to do God’s work even if there is no immediate emotional impact. I should take solace in knowing that I am working for God. But first I need to discern what that work is that God wants me to do.
As Barton (2018) states, “the soulful leader pays attention to such realities and the questions that they raise rather than ignoring them and continuing the charade or judging himself or herself harshly and thus cutting off the possibility of deeper awareness” (p. 25). This is an important point to consider because it reminds me that even when I uncover my shortcomings I should not be so harsh on myself that I cut myself off from addressing them in a positive way. Too often people see their flaws and then turn away from themselves in disgust and never address them but rather go back to burying their heads in the sand. The soulful leader must not do that and must instead be patient with himself and understand in humility that Rome was not built in a day nor all the disciples of Christ converted all at once. Conversion is a process that leads one to God but it is a road that is fraught with peril. Perseverance is crucial to success (King, Altman & Lee, 2011).
When I have experienced Loss of Soul or something not quite right at the Soul level, I notice that it is usually when I am caught up in bad and unhealthy habits like drinking too much alcohol or eating unhealthy foods. I understand and believe that a healthy mind-body-and-soul balance is crucial in order to be completely in soul, as John Wesley explains in his holistic style of healing. Christian spiritual formation really is a holistic concept that should incorporate good physical health habits with good spiritual health habits (Chandler, 2014).
The challenges of the Spirit that resonate with me right now are related to the indicators discussed above: mainly the challenge is staying involved with my soul. I don’t have a problem getting the soul to show up. Rather, I have a difficult time getting into working the system and learning how to speak in fruitful ways. It is like the soul is there and ready to go but I do not know how to navigate it; I have the keys to this wonderful machine and yet am not sure how to make it work.
This uncertainty plays into how I should consider my own coping strategies. For example, I realize that when I get into the contemplative mode or go sit by myself to collect my thoughts I need to have realistic expectations of myself. What lies beneath this strategy is very likely the desire to be better and to be accepted. I sense a need for approval, as though I were not quite comfortable with the knowledge that I am serving God simply by seeking to be in my soul so as to be in His Spirit. Instead of thinking I am going to be a great contemplative or mystic like John of the Cross, I should be content to collect my thoughts in Christ and give myself over to the Spirit so that the Spirit can direct me more completely, giving me the confidence I seek in God.
The phrase that Barton (2018) uses to describe solitude that most deeply resonates with me is the “purgative way” concept—the self-simplification of the soul. I have always lived in solitude throughout my life, so being alone is not something I am afraid of. What I find that prevents me from being alone in the Spirit, however, is this rushing about habit of mine that I have: I tend to move quickly from one thing to another and I lose that sense of living in the soul. I need to simplify my mind and not seek to distract my attention with new works so frequently.
What I identify with in the patterns described by Barton (2018) in “A Look in the Mirror” are those of the leader who experienced significant emotional and physical deprivation in childhood. For instance, I was adopted at age 4. My biological parents were drug dealers and spent more time in insane asylums than in a normal setting. I did not know normal until way after age 10.
In response to the John English quote – Those things we cannot accept in ourselves we project upon others—I can testify is very true. Once the faults are projected onto someone else, it is as though I do not have to face those faults in myself. It is a very dangerous way to live and I admit that I have done it a lot. Additionally, I have in the past found people just as broken as I am and have used them as a crutch to ensure I was not the only one broken. Instead of fixing what was or is broken inside myself, I surround myself with others who are also just as broken so that I do not have to feel that I am any worse than anyone else. Instead of comparing myself to the ideal Christian, I compare myself to the dregs of society and then feel better about myself. Obviously, that is a fault that I must work on addressing. The statement that Barton (2018) makes is very relevant here: “The temptation to compromise basic Christian values—love, community, truth-telling, confession and reconciliation, silent listening and waiting on God for discernment—for the sake of expedience is very great” (p. 27). I have frequently felt this temptation and given in to it. Unaware of the dangers beneath the surface, I have ignored them or chosen not to look—but Barton (2018) again offers this great quote to encourage me: “If by God’s grace, we become aware of the dark creatures lurking below, the best thing we can do is to get out of the water—fast!” (p. 39).
My Soul and Leading-Support
To improve oneself as a leader and in one’s own spiritual journey, it is important to heed the counsel of the wise. Just as Jethro told Moses that what he was doing was not good, I too had a mature leader tell me something similar once upon a time. However, I did not pay much attention to this counsel at the moment, though I did reflect upon it later. In my rush too get on with my life, I did not like having someone point out to me some of my follies.
Now that I am older and have gained some insight into my own affairs, I now see myself in a much different light that I did before. I see that there are limits to what I can do as a human being, and these limits are not bad in and of themselves but rather placed there by God so that I may learn to rely on Him more and more. The human symptoms that tell me when I am trying to function beyond my limitations are disconnectedness from my identity and calling, and a general feeling of restlessness.
Still, I can recognize that God is indeed inviting me to the grace of living within my limits. For instance, I have recently started chemotherapy, so I am literally forced to sit down and rest and contemplate and listen to my body. Since I am prone to try to do too many things at once, I perceive that this is God’s way of telling me that I need to slow it down and focus on what matters in life, which is my relationship with God. I have attended to this grace with a humble spirit of submission.
Business can be a kind of bondage. As Barton (2018) notes, establishing rhythms in life is important to the spiritual journey, and if life is so busy that these rhythms are interrupted it creates chaos: chaos distracts from the spiritual life and puts chains around one’s soul. In my own life, I have often thought that being busy allowed me to be in control. Yet, I now understand that this was a false sense of control and security. By lending myself to the chaos of life without God, I was lacking a genuine spiritual rhythm: the rhythm of belonging and knowing God and my purpose.
The statement in Barton (2018) that stands out most clearly to me from the reading is that “part of Moses’ job as a spiritual leader was to establish rhythms for life in community that would sustain the people and help them live as human being in the presence of Almighty God” (p. 116). Barton (2018) explains what some of these rhythms were: “First of all there were daily rhythms of receiving their sustenance from the hand of God—quail in the evening and manna in the morning” (p. 116). When I say my prayer of thanksgiving before meals, I think of this gift of God that was given to the Hebrews as they wandered seeking their home. When we are away from God, we are like lost children wandering, and yet He sustains us even if we do not realize it. Getting into the rhythm of mindfulness and attentiveness for the ways in which God sustains me is a good way to prevent myself from succumbing to the chains of business. My plan is to develop my character through spiritual leadership as Sweeney and Fry (2012) recommend doing: taking time to pray, meditate and make room for God in one’s life.
My Soul and Leading-Challenges
When it comes to challenges that I have faced as a leader, I cannot say that I have much experience in this department. I have always worked for myself and owned my own business all these years. As such, there have not been any occasions in which others have had the ability to vote me off the island, so to speak. I have always answered to myself and to no one else. Thus, when Edwin Friedman speaks about this type of challenge, I understand where he is coming from but it has not been my personal experience.
I have, however, found myself accepting the larger than life role of playing God in people’s lives. For example, at times when I have had to make a decision about whether to fire a team member, I had to stop and think about if it was really the right thing to do. Letting an employee go or retaining an employee is a decision that impacts the business, but it is also one that impacts the individual employee. So I have definitely felt that I have had power over others the way God has power over us.
Still, leadership has never really frightened me. It is a lonely endeavor, but I am also used to that, since I was adopted and raised as an only child. Unfortunately, the loneliness that I experience as a leader is not without self-criticism and self-sabotage. I tend to get in my own way at times by trying to do too much or trying to move through things too quickly. The good thing about my journey thus far is that I have always felt God’s goodness. This does not mean there are not moments of profound loneliness (Barton, 2018). But being a leader means you must be able to endure those moments (Cashman, 2017; Van Velsor, McCauley & Ruderman, 2010). Being a leader takes a lot of energy and I have found that I need a great deal of down time to stay rooted and connect to the source of goodness, to the divine. Like Moses, I have learned to love loneliness, especially since it comes naturally being an only child. If I sense that the world is against me, I take solace knowing that God is always near.
Being self-aware is one of my strengths. Mindfulness enables me to notice that my cynicism and anger can be cover for tender emotions such as sadness, despair and loneliness. Indeed, I notice it all of the time: it is not hard to realize these emotions and how I cover them and try to hide them. Yet, I believe I am honest about this with myself all of the time. Because of this honesty, I am not afraid of being alone. Even though my isolation has increased right alongside my success in life, I do not let it faze me in a negative way. The main challenge for me is that I have found myself clinging and grasping unwisely at those who may not have the spirit to walk with me. All too often I surround myself with the wrong people, hoping to make myself feel better, when the answer to my loneliness and self-loathing is God all along (Boa, 2001).
Implications for My Leadership
The key lessons from Barton’s work that I believe will have a positive impact upon my role as a leader are, first, that I must strive to be in the soul: this means not allowing life to distract me from the time God wants me to set aside just for Him. Second, a leader should exude stability and consistency and as Barton (2018) shows, this means having a spiritual rhythm that is ingrained in one’s daily life. Making sure that prayer is central to this rhythm is one way to go about setting the rhythm in place, but another way is to be habitual about the positive routine of giving thanks to God for the daily bread He sends us. Third, honesty is the best policy—and a leader who is not honest with himself is not going to be able to be honest with others either. Therefore, even if it means facing the ugly truth about myself I need to recognize my own faults and take steps to address them. Thus, instead of clinging to people who satisfy my personal vanity, I should be content in the loneliness that comes with leadership and recognize that the best companion in this journey is God, Who is always there waiting for me to see exactly that. To address the main issues that concern me, I aim to establish a routine that is rooted in the spirit so that I am not constantly rushing about from one thing to the next. That way, I can give focus to the things of God and take satisfaction in knowing that in doing so I am where God wants me to be. Establishing a spiritual rhythm is what is missing in my life, and making a habit of prayer in the morning, afternoon and night is the best way to orient myself towards the will of God (Barton, 2018; Houghton, Neck & Krishnakumar, 2016).
Conclusion
Being a leader means putting away the things of a child and putting on the new man that is Christ. Committing myself to the rhythm of God’s grace is the manful aspect of spiritual leadership that I aim to pursue. The path towards this goal will focus on striving to be in the soul, establishing a sense of consistency and continuity by embracing the spiritual rhythms of life and giving thanks to God routinely and habitually; and recognizing that as a leader I must walk with God and not seek out the companionship of those who are not of the same spirit.
References
Barton, R. H. (2018). Strengthening the soul of your leadership. InterVarsity Press.
Boa, K. D. (2001). Conformed to his image. Zondervan.
Cashman, K. (2017). Leadership from the inside out (3rd ed.). Berrett-Koehler,Publishers.
Chandler, D. J. (2014). Christian spiritual formation. InterVarsity Press.
Houghton, J. D., Neck C.P., & Krishnakumar, S. (2016). The what, why, and how of spirituality in the workplace revisited: a 14-year update and extension. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, 13(3), 177-205.
King, S. N., Altman, D. G., & Lee, R. J. (2011). Discovering the leader in you: How to realize your leadership potential. Jossey-Bass.
Sweeney, P. J., & Fry, L. W. (2012). Character through spiritual leadership. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 64(2), 89-107.
Van Velsor, E., McCauley, C. D., & Ruderman, M. N. (2010). Handbook of leadership development. Jossey-Bass.