Awaken the Leader in You

There are different types of leaders - family heads, corporate honchos, social a
ctivists, political leaders and spiritual masters. All these need a strong spiri
tual base as it is the Spirit that lends power. India has an enviable history of
Rajarsis
men and women of great power and wealth whose strength came from spiri
tual enrichment.
There are 11 traits that a leader needs to develop.
1. S/he must not want the position. A leader is first and foremost a servant. Hi
s focus must be on serving his followers. Gandhiji, Abraham Lincoln and Churchil
l were outstanding leaders because they served their people. A good leader has n
o value for worldly things which are temporary. He pursues higher aims that are
more permanent.
2. A leader must be established in higher values, and be able to communicate his
vision to the people.
3. A leader must have impeccable character and be above reproach. He must be ded
icated to the welfare of his people, not be driven by self-interest! When Swami
Vivekananda lost his father and his family were in dire straits he had the choic
e of serving one family or millions of families. He chose the latter.
4. A leader follows his inner calling, svadharma. Everyone is born with a unique
talent. It could be music, engineering or architecture. Identify it and invest
your energies in that field. Most people go for where they believe they can make
money and live frustrated lives.
5. A leader must follow the clear reasoning of his intellect and not get distrac
ted by whims and fancies of his mind. When there is conflict between the two, in
tellectual judgement should prevail. Disastrous decisions almost always originat
e in the mind while good decisions are those that are carefully thought out by t
he intellect.
6. Hard work is an essential aspect of a leader. Swami Rama Tirtha said, Intense
work is Rest . There are three types of actions
niyatam or obligatory actions, kam
ya or desire-driven actions and nisiddha or prohibited actions. Vedanta exhorts
you to perform obligatory duties free from attachment. Desist from desires. Once
they build up you cross the line of ethics and morality and break the law.
7. A leader must have a higher ideal. Today people work only for the paycheck. T
here is no vision of a larger ideal. Krsna s message in the Bhagavad Gita is Perfo
rm action for yajna, sacrifice. The world is bound by non-yajna actions. Yajna i
s to work in a spirit of service and sacrifice for a higher ideal. It is the fou
ndation of a good leader. Look beyond yourself. Give to gain. Grab you lose.
8. A leader loves his people, feels one with them. This evokes a powerful respon
se from them. Everyone then pitches in and work gets done in a spirit of camarad
erie, fun and cheer.
9. Objectivity or
of a leader. Take
it to the best of
then will you be
tually.

sakshi bhava, witness attitude, is an essential pre-requisite

the stand of an actor playing his role. You have a role. Play
your ability. Wholeheartedly, dispassionately, perfectly. Only
successful. And happy in all situations. You will evolve spiri

10. Cultivate the quality of sattva. All humans have three types of gunas or tho

ught textures
sattva pure, rajas passion and tamas apathy. Tamas is inertia and
lethargy. Rajas is an agitated state of mind that comes from desires and ego. Sa
ttva is calmness and serenity. A sattvika person is unselfish, creative and effe
ctive. A rajasika person blunders through life while a tamasika one is steeped i
n ignorance.
11. Walk the talk. Lead the way. Live higher values but do not preach. People fo
llow what you do, not what you say.
There is a leadership vacuum these days. Invest in internal enrichment. Get insp
ired with a higher ideal. Cultivate these qualities. You will become an outstand
ing leader.