with Sheila M. Kelly, BA, CPCC
5 Fallacies
About
Enlightened
Leadership
Sheila M. Kelly
BA, CPCC
ENLIGHTENMENT
The word itself can stir up all kinds of thoughts, images,
and misconceptions.
Let's shine a light on some of the fallacies
and expose some truths.
There are very few enlightened beings.
#1
There is no place for spirituality or religion in the workplace.
I get it! Unless one is clergy or some such thing, the idea of a workplace where leaders are being preachy and pontificating about their religious and spiritual beliefs is very off-putting. The workplace is, by definition, a place of work.
In fact, enlightened leadership is NOT about being preachy or trying to 'sell' other people on your beliefs. Au contraire. Enlightened leadership is simply maintaining inner peace despite what is going on in the external environment.
If you're like many managers, you're able to successfully maintain a façade of exterior calm and competence. On the inside, though, you may be feeling stressed out, which then leaves you feeling exhausted. You may even be on the road to burn out.
The inner calm of enlightened leadership feeds your sense of confidence, competence, and increased productivity with compassionate sensitivity.
More than enlightened concepts are needed to address the complexities of the modern workplace.
#2
I get it. The idea that we're all enlightened can seem very arrogant. What if the opposite were true? What if the real arrogance was our rejection of our Enlightened Self?
What if the real arrogance is our tendency to raise only a few to the status of enlightenment?
Run like H-E-double-L if you meet someone who feels the need to proclaim his or her enlightenment. This is arrogance born of ego… a big red flag being waved as a warning that the individual doesn’t really understand what enlightenment means.
As a result of our work together, I have noticed a change in the way that I approach, or better still, do not approach situations. Specifically, I now take more time with situations and events and take the time to think about them before reacting to them. In essence, I am cognizant of the communications needs of others that were not being met by my quick reaction to things, my desire to decide and move on to the next problem to be solved. Director, quasi- government agency
The enlightened ones always get attacked.
#3
I really hate to burst your bubble, but... in one way or another, everyone gets attacked.
Whether the attacks are verbal or murderous, they happen daily. We attack each other for differing beliefs. We attack each other for saying the wrong thing. We attack each other because of religion. Skin colour, The neighbourhood we choose to live in. For getting tattoos. For dying our hair. For not being the right weight. For cutting us off in traffic. For not being loving and kind. For being disrespectful. All are fodder for waging war against others.
In an enlightened state of being, we are immune to all of it. Ultimately, the word "attack" loses its meaning and the shenanigans of the world are observed from a detached perspective.
From the slightest affronts and judgements to the most horrendous forms of crucifixion.... they roll off like the proverbial water off a duck's back.
Enlightenment is simply trusting in that which is not of ego.
Being enlightened is boring and passive.
#4
Oh my gosh. This is the biggest myth of all!
As we think about those who've made history throughout history, names like Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa come to mind. Would anyone call any one of them "passive?" In India, Mother Theresa used to carry a stick to ward off those who tried to interfere with her giving aid to the homeless. In Palestine, Jesus persevered with his message of love despite the political blowback he was receiving. In the USA, Martin Luther KIng went to the "mountain top" but returned to rally for his cause. Also in India, Gandhi may be perceived as passive with his sit-ins; however, he was considered a radical and a rebel.
These enlightened beings represent the pinnacle of being fully enlightened while still walking the planet.
They were ones with a specific mission who maintained connection with Divine Consciousness, a place of no fear. Zero. Nada.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Marianne Williamson - Author "A Return to Love"
Enlightened ones shave their heads, wear robes,
and spend their days on a meditation cushion.
#5
Some choose to look a certain way as part of their commitment to a spiritual life. It doesn't, on its own, make them any more or any less enlightened than those who make different choices.
People like Dr. Helen Schucman, Dr. Bill Thetford, and Dr. Kenneth Wapnick dedicated their lives to A Course in Miracles even as they lead what looked like "normal" lives. Dr. Deepak Choprah, Dr. Wayne Dyer, and Marianne Williamson are modern-day spiritual teachers who also look like the rest of us.
One's level of enlightenment cannot be assessed by externals like what anyone chooses to wear. The homeless person may (or may not) be the most enlightened of all.