I was watching a TED video of Elizabeth Lesser, the founder of the Omega Institute. The presentation was about overcoming the divisiveness that permeates our politics today. In the beginning of the talk she said something about leadership that struck me profoundly. In talking about Nelson Mandela and other well-known leaders she said they had both “the grit of the warrior and the grace of the mystic”. Both the image of that and the sense of it just sent me into a reflective place. How many leaders today can we say hold both of those capabilities! Elizabeth thinks we all have the innate capacity for these leadership characteristics. Perhaps we do.
I, however, began to think of how we can develop the ability to hold both simultaneously so that we can come from a place of both strength and wisdom. To tap into the mystic requires reflection – something in short supply in our world today. Meditation is becoming more popular among leaders today. The grit of a warrior seems to come from practice.
Throughout history warriors have practiced and been completely connected to the ground and their bodies. Will we take time in this busy emotionally trying world of today to do each – reflect and be consistently more grounded?