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“When we are secure within, we are no longer so affected by the opinions or approval of others. From there, we are able to be intimate, often broken down as ‘into-me-you-see’. We let go of our barriers and no longer fear doing something that may put people off us. We are free to be ourselves, without the fear of our imperfections, and the recrimination or failure that may come from revealing them. In addition, we are able to act consistently with everyone.”
Sarah Alexander, author of Spiritual Intelligence in Leadership, talks to the Book Detective about the concept of Primus Inter Pares or First Among Equals, where you go through life connected to your inner leader (spiritual intelligence), rather than from the place of your manager (ego).
Our manager (ego) will do anything it can to keep us safe and maintain the status quo. It dominates us and keeps us stuck in negative belief patterns, whilst our leader gently guides and nudges us from within opening us up to insights and synchronicities. In a wonderful story about her daughter’s school fees, Sarah explains how we can still care deeply about something and be unattached to the outcome at the same time.
Sarah explains that often our manager has the right motivations but the wrong action. So, our need to liked or loved is really the hiding the leader’s ideal of giving and receiving love. She believes that part of our calling is to bring this Spiritual Intelligence into everything we do. This means meeting people from a place of equality, wholeness and without preconceptions, knowing that what you put into the lives of other people will come back to you (both in your personal and professional life). Learning how to trust our intuition and tune in to our body wisdom is also essential in connecting with our inner leader (which Sarah illustrates in an insightful story about her grandmother).
Reading Sarah’s book felt like a meditation in words, and she revealed how important meditating is in her daily life and in her writing. She says, ‘When you strengthen your connection to your inner leader, life becomes a calmer journey.’ If you like the sound of that then click here to find out more.
Are you a manager or a leader? Listen in to @SarahAlexander_ Click To Tweet
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