Extraordinary leaders touch and evolve our humanity. They bring us ever closer to realizing our greatest possible selves. From our greatest possible selves, we can achieve what’s most important for humanity. It’s what we pray for, our deepest and highest aspirations. Peace. Love. Compassion. Well-being. Belonging. An end to all suffering.
Extraordinary Leaders – who are they?
We know them by name, by sight and by what they inspire in us. Their inspiration outlives their time on earth. Who are they?
Martin Luther King. Gandhi. Mother Teresa. The Dalai Lama. John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln. Nelson Mandela. You. Me.
Extraordinary leaders are by no means perfect, but they live by their words. The same words and actions that inspire us to evolve our own humanity because we see that it’s possible. So, we reach. We stretch ourselves.
We expand because we see what’s possible when people choose a more highly evolved state. Love. Compassion, Kindness, Understanding. Strength. Humility, Vulnerability. Courage. By realizing these same qualities in ourselves, we make our greatest contributions to those we touch, both near and far.
Extraordinary Leaders – how are they different from great leaders?
Great leaders inspire us to achieve great things. Things being the operative word. They change our view of what we can do, and they help us manifest these possibilities in concrete ways. Great leaders build great organizations, cure disease, unleash discoveries that lead to other discoveries. Among these great leaders we count Bill Gates, Jonas Salk (first polio vaccine), Henry Ford (the automobile), John F. Kennedy (space exploration), Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein.
Great leaders don’t necessarily ennoble our humanity in the process of achieving great things. This is what differentiates extraordinary leaders from great leaders. Sometimes a leader does both, which makes him greatly extraordinary. Consider Albert Einstein, who brought us the physics that led to the nuclear bomb. Then he told us to consult our spirituality so we wouldn’t use it.
We Can All Be Extraordinary Leaders
Extraordinary leaders don’t require a title or formal position. Nor do they require a world stage. When we demonstrate the eight qualities of humanity at its best, we bear the mantle of extraordinary leadership. Others follow, because we cannot help but fall in love with the best of who we can be.
We exemplify extraordinary leadership by finding within ourselves the same eight qualities of those who are more well-known. Then we act accordingly. As you can see, these qualities rest in the heart-mind, not the cognitive mind alone. So go ahead. No one’s looking. Place your hand on your heart, because that’s where you’ll find the eight qualities you need, and already have, to be an extraordinary leader.
- Love
- Compassion
- Kindness
- Understanding
- Humility
- Strength
- Vulnerability
- Courage
