Quiet Mind, Active Leader
If you are a high tempo “Type A,” read on:
When I was younger, I believed that one aspect of leadership was to be constantly on the go. Playing football, running track, multiple clubs and organizations, student body officer, and many jobs was part of my everyday life. I thought this was leadership. What I didn't realize was that a high tempo doesn't necessarily equate to clear thinking, which is required of all great leaders. Many a humbling moment was created because I was juggling too many balls in my mind at the same time. When the mind isn't constantly bombarded with a million tasks, ideas, and things to do, clarity of thought enables leaders to move in a purposeful direction.
Inner stillness is the key to all. Leaders just don’t possess it, they radiate it. Stillness allows us to unlock our genius and allows us to do the same for our teams. Leaders use stillness to see what must be seen and act.
Leaders see all the way through to the end:
The first obligation of a leader and decision maker is to see all the way through to the end. This allows the leader to see the problems of others and offer appropriate resources. The most impactful know how to use time and patience as a tool.
Leaders must also be present. They can observe what they have and make the most of what they are given. It may be frustrating, but scarcity of resources is one of the best drivers of innovation. Innovative leaders know and balance the dichotomy by keeping a quiet brain by limiting superfluous inputs.
The mind is an important and sacred place, keep it clear:
Great leaders ask themselves in every moment, is this necessary. They take charge of their information diet and rid themselves of toxic thinking. How many times have each of us experienced moments of great frustration because we just can’t make progress? Most times, our lack of progress is caused by our cloudy, noisy brain. Slow down, think deeply, because what’s essential is often invisible to the eye. The world and our challenges are like muddy water, to see through it we must let things settle. When we have a clear mind, we build stronger and healthier relationships. When things go wrong, humble leaders look to others to assist. When things go sideways and we have great relationships, there will always be people ready to jump in.
To keep a clear mind:
- Start writing your thoughts, ideas, and lessons down
- Cultivate silence for inspiration and solutions
- Seek wisdom: The combination of knowledge and experience
Transformational leaders know that what makes people wise is the awareness of the fact of their ignorance. Once this is accepted, they read. Reading allows you to learn from the wisest people on earth, why wouldn’t you. Once a leader embarks on this path confidence builds and ego falls away. They become open to the lessons and begin to learn.
Self-aware leaders know to beware of desire and envy:
I am often asked what I would tell my 20-year-old self now that I didn’t know back then. The list is incredibly long, but close to the top would be that envy is the most destructive of all passions. When it creeps in, instead of being jealous, explore the work the other person has done to achieve what they have. Then ask if you would want to do the same. If you do, plan and begin. If not, let it go.
Many of us do not have a clear understanding of what “enough” is. When you pursue your desires out of envy and jealousy it deprives you of your purpose, peace, and contentment. We all have failings because of our genetics and biology, but our virtues keep our choices on task and living our purpose follows. When you as a leader are secure in yourself, you set the standard for what is enough and not others. True stillness and a quiet mind manifests when you can say, I have enough.
If you seek to be happy, which is gained through contentment, why do you choose to never be satisfied and want more. Leaders assess what more actually accomplishes, because the blind need for progress can destroy the joy and learning in the process.
Be excited for the start of a new day when you have done the work. You never know the opportunities that will present themselves.
Relationships can cost us a great deal, but we are nothing without them:
My successes and failures throughout my Marine Corps and the FBI career can be directly attributed to the quality of relationships I had. Being lucky enough to marry my wife was the most impactful event in my life that secured a better future. The single most important thing to do personally and professionally is to find a partner who compliments you and supports you, who makes you better, and for who you would do the same. Choosing the opposite can be ruin because a life without relationships is meaningless and fragile. Without relationships you suffer a hollow quiet which is different from stillness. Stillness requires others.
Leaders know that to have strong relationships you must conquer your anger. Anger clouds the brain and blocks you from enjoying anything accomplished or progress made. Great leaders are fueled by love. Leaders who are driven by anger are not happy, still, or successful.
All is one. Leaders act bravely and build a life they don’t need to escape from. They then create the same for others.
Inspired by Ryan Holiday, “Stillness is the Key.”
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