Conquering ego represents the ultimate victory and is the master key to enlightened living and leadership. In many cases physical death occurs even before the ego is vanquished. No wonder people would rather go to war than “lose face.” We go through life assuming ego is critical for survival, to conduct business, develop relationships and to be not taken advantage of. The truth however may be that the success we achieve is in spite of the ego, not because of it. For example when we negotiate a business deal, generally there are three possible outcomes:

Many thought leaders and action leaders (cutting edge CEOs, corporate executives and business leaders) agree that mastery and enlightened leadership principles help in enhancing execution and effectiveness. There is also general consensus on the values, behaviors and characteristics that represent enlightened leadership. However the mechanics of what it takes and how to get there has largely remained a black box.  Many organizations engage in wellness programs in isolation with business processes and practices. Leadership 3.0 on the other hand is a blueprint of “Next Practices” and Practical steps integrating pioneering business practices with cutting edge work in neural science, human psychology and human potential. It is designed to push the envelope of human innovation. 

Living in a state of inspired action, independent of external circumstances is what human beings have aspired to since the dawn of creation. Is there anything more important than this characteristic for a business leader, CEO or a corporate executive who is constantly pulled in different directions by the various constituents of the business and is faced with right versus right choices frequently?  There are enough people to rely on to provide technical knowledge and professional expertise. How can he or she lead self, the leadership team and the organization to extraordinary execution, effectiveness and business performance? How can the basic business functions be performed even more effectively? Let us dig in to understand how mastery can help.

Self-Mastery

 

Some of the hardest things for human beings to do are:  

• Always give your very best (Gratitude)  
• Be truly transparent, authentic and vulnerable (Courage)
• Detach from wanting to be Right (Humility)
• Right action detached from Outcome (Presence)
• Accept Criticism and Praise evenly (Self Esteem)
• Be completely Inclusive, fair and objective (Connectedness)

Most of us know this intellectually, intend to act this way and several of us believe we are regularly acting this way.  How do we know that we are truly demonstrating this behavior consistently in our daily interactions? Did we solicit honest feedback from those who know us intimately? We need to have a high degree of self-awareness to identify our blind spots, self-esteem to accept the (intention to action) gap, self-confidence to admit it and self-discipline to work on it relentlessly. This is Self-Mastery and this is what being spiritual is. It includes and goes beyond the domains of both IQ and EQ. These are qualities of being in higher states of consciousness (SQ). SQ is often considered the key to happiness and contentment in life. What is now being understood and appreciated is that it could be the single most important differentiator for stellar performance, execution, innovation and effectively solving the most critical business challenges. Superior business performance and leadership effectiveness are directly connected to Self-Mastery.

Exceptional Collaboration

 

The single most important characteristic in building exceptional teams is mutual trust. And mastering the toughest things to do spawns trust and inspires collaboration. Another critical requirement in fostering great teamwork is to create conditions to transcend (and include when necessary) self-interest. The most effective way to accomplish this is to pursue a noble purpose and have a system where we evaluate and reward (or have a consequence) adherence to core values. This was described in the four Ps of business as a role model. 

Action Leadership – Basic Business Functions

 

The basic building blocks of business are: Communication, Constructive Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Decision making, Strategy development and implementation, Coaching and Mentoring. When we conduct these functions more effectively we create better products and services, delight customers, sell more, become more profitable, you get the picture. Let’s say one of our core values is being “Authentic.” Let me elaborate on how communicating authentically and performing these functions well translates to improved business results.

Authentic Communication: In an organization we are always discussing ideas to improve performance of specific functions such as delighting customers, improving quality, reducing design time. Let’s say I make a suggestion and you think it is a terrible idea. How would you express that in the most constructive way? In our experience in working with teams, we notice people struggle with the either or alternative. We either respond bluntly (and tactlessly) at the pretext of being direct or bite our tongue and give a polite non-response, such as “it is interesting.” In extreme cases this becomes an Explode or Implode scenario.

By exploding directly we end up engaging in a battle of wits and ego. Being right and winning becomes more important than finding the right solution. On the other hand by being “polite” on the outside we implode internally for not being helpful or having the courage to say what we feel is right.  This either or approach doesn’t serve the individual or the team in coming up with an effective solution. We practice a more effective 3^rd way of refining our personal bias and toxicity and authentically expressing our concern.  We express our concern with curiosity (not with certainty or judgment) along with suggesting an alternative option.  We are authentic when our thoughts, speech and actions converge. When we are authentic and sincere, it shows, and there is a better chance of our suggestion being listened to. There is no guarantee that it will be accepted and implemented but we established the foundation for a collaborative discussion.  This is usually one of our most popular sessions.

Conflict Resolution: I get concerned when I see teams that are polite on the surface and have issues that never get expressed openly. Many “good” teams and relationships suffer from this – they have “passive” conflicts that don’t get acknowledged and resolved. They choose to live with them and accept a mediocre or good enough performance or relationship. Teams with an autocratic leader or relationships with a domineering partner tend to fall in this category. Some of these leaders proudly proclaim that they have solid teamwork and don’t have time for silly, irrational conflicts. In the meantime precious time and productivity is being lost because the conflicts don’t get surfaced and people muddle through and work around the issues. We teach and practice the more effective 3^rd way to engage in difficult conversations! We practice the skill of expressing our truth and acknowledging other’s truth. This is a game changer and life changer for many. 

Decision Making and Judgment: Many of the leaders I work with place a premium on the value of quick and effective decision making. One of the most successful and decisive corporate CEOs that I know of humbly estimated his “hit-rate” on decision-making at 33%. How much is it worth for him and the company to improve on that? There is fascinating new science on making decisions. Research in neuroscience proves that people who are required to make quick and effective decisions – leaders, CEOs, airline pilots, quarterbacks, fire fighters – exhibit emotional maturity and strong intellect in addition to experience, functional skill and technical knowledge.

We used to think that a combination of critical thinking skills and not letting emotion come in the way is the key to making sound decisions. Historically most researchers embraced the cognitive model which believes that good decisions can be reached by a logical step-by-step, rational process focusing exclusively on facts. Our experience in the real world demonstrates that good decision makers rarely engage in this much of rational analysis. A smaller group of scholars believe that judgment is intuitive and most decisions are made with little analysis. We believe that sound judgment is neither cognitive nor intuitive alone but a more effective “3^rd way” that combines these two elements with the personal belief and value system. Emotional maturity and wisdom helps great leaders to filter their judgments with a clear set of personal beliefs and values. This is crucial since a leader’s decision could make a multimillion dollar difference to earnings and profitability. A pilot, fire fighter and head of state’s decisive action can be the difference between life and death to the people involved.

As leaders we are also required to skillfully encourage decision making and hold people accountable. Leadership 3.0 is about combining intellect and knowledge with empathy, integrity and authenticity, the hallmark of a great, emotionally developed human being.

Strategy Development and Execution: Strategy sessions are particularly revealing – Are team members expressing their opinions freely? Are they disagreeing constructively? If we were to take an anonymous poll, would their opinion still be the same? We don’t recommend aiming for or forcing consensus. When we have a group of bright people, it is natural to have several great ideas and differences of opinion. We practice the “3^rd way” approach of time bound, open exchange of ideas and reaching “operational consensus.” This means that every member of the team openly expresses his or her viewpoint and ultimately agrees to whole heartedly support and vigorously execute the final decision. When we get an opportunity to express our opinion freely, it is amazing how unattached we can be to our opinion.

Coaching and Mentoring: As leaders, coaching and mentoring becomes a key aspect of our job. Let’s face it; even the best among us have blind spots and emotional blocks. To be an effective coach, we have to help our leaders see and overcome their blind spots. How do we do this? Not by telling them what their problem is. We know what that does to friendships and relationships. As a boss you may get away with it in the short term but at a severe cost to your leader’s creative engagement and commitment. A more effective way is to ask insightful questions and engage in deep, visceral and non-judgmental listening. Many of us engage in silent and intellectual listening. We may not say anything but we are mentally busy with our thoughts, analysis and judgment. This is different from visceral listening that is deep, genuine, engaging and inspiring.

It is very tempting to offer a solution but a good coach knows that it will not be effective unless the person is motivated to seek and committed to act on the solution. This may sound simple but it is one of the hardest things to do. We have all been in frustrating situations where we gave or received well-meaning but unsolicited advice that made the problem worse. A skillful coach guides the leader to discover the answer by asking questions, listening deeply and offering perspective. If necessary, as a final step in the discovery process, the coach provides the solution by answering the question. 

We may understand this process intellectually but to consistently implement it in complex, emotionally charged real life scenarios requires wisdom and mastery, i.e. an integrated approach combining intellect, heart and spirit (IQ +EQ +SQ), hallmark of an effective and enlightened 3.0 Leader.

 

            Emotional Mastery

 

One of the most critical and toughest requirements for a leader is the capacity to convert difficult situations to great opportunities and treat them as experiences for personal growth. There is a certain “unfairness” in leadership – we are expected to give our very best without complaining about the cards we are dealt and at the same time be understanding of our people who don’t live up to the same standards. While we have to treat adversity as our ally to build the emotional and spiritual muscles, we can’t push others too hard and too fast to do the same.

It doesn’t mean we have to accept or tolerate incompetence; we have to empathize with the emotional state of people we lead and help them overcome their fears, doubts and uncertainty. It is natural to feel anger, frustration and disappointment at times for any leader. The stress and loneliness comes from the difficulty of sharing and expressing these emotions effectively. A 3.0 leader refines these emotions and converts them to compassion, assertiveness and tough love. This cannot be faked; we have to genuinely feel it in our soul. We have to get comfortable and thrive in these circumstances.

Adversity and complexity is the way of life for a leader. You can never be free from it; key is to learn to be free in the midst of adversity and complexity. How does that look like? How quickly can we move to taking inspired action? There are typically three stages we go through:

Stage I: Disappointment, anger, frustration, despondency: Become paralyzed in a state of suspension, unable to take concrete action.

Stage II: Worry, stress, (perhaps even looking for revenge and redemption): Stress may drive us to take action.

Stage III: Fully accept the current situation and get to inspired action, free from the sadness of the past and worry about future. In this state, it’s not fear or stress which motivates, “presence” inspires action.

Getting to stage III in the shortest possible time is a function of spiritual intelligence. This is also the hallmark of enlightened leadership. Let us look at the characteristics and emotional dynamics that help us get to this state of inspired action and “presence.” It starts with full “acceptance” of the situation the way it actually is, not the way we fear or hope. We are then able to shift to “gratitude” for what we have, and the opportunity to do even better. This leads to “self-confidence” in our ability to come out of the situation stronger than ever and become even more resilient. And finally we get in to a state of “humility” since we know self-confidence could result in arrogance and derail us. This brings us to a state of fully alert “presence” ready to spring in to inspired action.

For a leader who is constantly dealing with challenges related to personnel, customers, partners, suppliers, board, advisors, investors, analysts, etc. is there anything more important than being in a state of inspired action all the time?

1. Do the obvious thing: Get angry, upset, frustrated, disappointed and take corrective action.
2. Do what is extremely difficult: Do not blame anyone or any event, fully accept and absorb the enormous physical and emotional pain. 

When we choose the difficult option #2, something magical begins to happen. The stress and pain melts away, giving way to an enormous sense of peace and lightness in the heart. We dig deep for the root cause, take the high ground and choose a noble response. Doors begin to open and opportunities that we did not even dream of appear right in front of us. Our anger and sorrow shift to appreciation and gratitude, the “tragic situation” becomes the catalyst for a life changing transformation. We feel invincible yet humble, certain yet detached, passionate yet calm and flow through life acting on our deepest and truest yearnings and aspirations. Success and outcome seems imminent but we paradoxically do not care since we have already tasted the greatest success, “we are fully present now.”

When we absorb and overcome personal pain and see the other person’s perspective, the person who is perceived to have inflicted the pain, remarkable win-win negotiation becomes possible. We get what we want rapidly and we offer them what they need on a platter.

• Gratitude: How can we give our very best all the time? Only if we are grateful for what we have and be completely free of the concern for what we don’t have.  Isn’t that the case?
• Humility: Is it possible to be humble without detaching ourselves from wanting to be right?
• Presence: Isn’t presence and commanding persona, the hallmark of a great leader? Can we be really present without being detached from the outcome? Can we be truly present if we have not got over the past? How can we win by not thinking of winning?
• Connectedness: Can we build a great team without being inclusive? Is it possible to be truly and completely inclusive (in thoughts, words and actions) without feeling the deep connection for all?
• Self-belief: Can we accept criticism and praise evenly without a high degree of self-belief and self-esteem?
• Compassion: Can we inspire and persuade teams to greatness with passion alone; don’t we need to integrate it with compassion?
• Right Action: Can we spontaneously perform right action that is required of great leadership without a high level of emotional maturity and spiritual wisdom?

 These are the pillars of Mastery and essential leadership characteristics for building great business organizations.

We have to bring practical rigor and execution discipline to the “soft” qualities of human dimension. This is crucial to shift from where many leadership teams and organizations seem to be stuck. The “hard” business actions such as strategy development and implementation, decision making, negotiations are separated from the “soft” wellness programs. And these “wellness” programs typically do not have any direct connection to the daily business activities. The key is not to separate but to integrate the human dimension with business processes to enhance their effectiveness. We discuss behaviors that enhance and inhibit performance and practices to bring about lasting change.

Performance inhibitors: wanting to be “right,” forcing consensus, passive conflicts, personal attachments, preconceived notions and beliefs.

Performance enhancers: Authenticity, fairness, justice, objectivity, humility, compassion, transparency, generosity, tough love and inclusiveness.  

Building great Organizations: Seven Next Practices

 

We work closely with the leadership team in a multipronged approach – group training, personal coaching, on the job facilitation, structured solo practice, peer coaching and team accountability. Following is a brief summary of the seven next practices we help incorporate: 

1. Achieve Leadership tipping point: This is rightfully #1 on the list. It all starts with the leadership team. If the leadership team is not fully onboard with building an enlightened organization, don’t bother with the other steps yet. A tipping point of leaders, especially the stronger and more visible ones have to walk the talk and demonstrate a high degree of authenticity to build trust and credibility in the organization.
2. Develop and pursue a noble purpose: Great leaders and organizations have one thing in common. Their greatness and financial success is a happy and somewhat paradoxical byproduct of pursuing a noble purpose that extends beyond money and personal ambition. A more practical way of looking at it is that outstanding financial performance is a strategy to achieve the noble purpose. Pursuing a noble purpose creates an exciting and fulfilling work environment and its effect can be felt by everyone. As individual productivity and teamwork takes a quantum leap, so does business performance, creativity and innovation. The next section has three examples of noble purpose for business organizations.
3. Align, balance and inspire all stakeholders: Many organizations struggle to balance the interests of all their stakeholders and probably believe it is not possible. The best and the brightest leaders and organizations in the world today have demonstrated that the most effective way to increase and sustain shareholder value is to align and balance the interests of all stakeholders. This approach comes from the core belief that business and economics is not a zero sum game. We can spend more money on employees, customers and community, and make a lot more in income and earnings. Serving customers doesn’t have to be the expense of over worked, under paid and underappreciated employees. Increasing profitability doesn’t have to mean squeezing suppliers and driving them out of business. Enhancing shareholder value should not mean polluting the environment and affecting the quality of life of its communities.  Many leaders and organizations we talk to agree this may not be easy but is absolutely the right thing to do. This is also another great reason to have a noble purpose that rallies and inspires all stakeholders. 
4. Operationalize Values: Almost every organization has core values that sound wonderful and many have them visibly placed in lobbies, conference rooms and brochures. Is that enough? Do they work? Ironically, organizations that have been cited for legal and ethical transgressions had great corporate values. In our experience and study of organizations that do an outstanding job, we observe the following characteristics: (1) Establish values that are relevant and appropriate to your team and organization. Do not pick values because they sound good or they worked for someone else.  (2) Core values are integrated in the daily business processes and operations. For example, if empowerment and accountability are values that are espoused and an employee comes to the manager for a decision or complains about a colleague without first trying to mutually resolve the issue, what should the manager do? Remind him or her about the values and send him back. (3) There is a short term incentive or penalty for adhering to or violating core values. Otherwise it is not deemed important enough. (4) Reward, hire, promote and take corrective action based on the degree of adherence to values, in addition to professional competence.
5. Master the Human Dimension: Why is this so important?  Because finally the “disconnect” between human nature and organizational structure is being addressed and removed. The rigid structure and processes of command and control are a legacy of the industrial age. They work well for compliance but come in the way of creativity, excellence, autonomy and mastery, which is essentially what the modern or postmodern informational professionals are seeking.  When we look at organizations, we find that an overwhelming majority of employees are very bright, knowledgeable and work extremely hard. That is rarely the problem. And yet the same employees are not fully engaged and highly stressed. According to popular polls, less than 25% of employees work to their full potential; 55% have high levels of stress with symptoms of extreme fatigue and 42% have constant but manageable stress. Why? Some of the hardest things for human beings to do are also what it takes to build trust and inspire action and collaboration. While we know this intellectually, we struggle with putting it into consistent action. We have to develop a high degree of Self Mastery or Spiritual intelligence to fix this (intention to action and impact) gap. It includes and goes beyond the domains of both IQ and EQ. Being in higher states of consciousness is often considered the key to happiness and contentment in life. But what is rarely understood and appreciated is that it is also the single most important differentiation for Execution, Innovation and solving the most critical business challenges. In our experience and study of great leaders and organizations, Superior business performance and leadership effectiveness are directly connected to Mastery. 
6. Measure what counts: What gets measured gets done, the saying goes. We talk about integrity, authenticity, core values, corporate culture, employee engagement, customer satisfaction, social responsibility. How effective are we in measuring them? How important is adherence to these principles in being promoted to positions of power and authority? What behavior is being rewarded? It doesn’t matter how crisp and articulate we are in communicating our corporate culture if our leadership team is unable to back it up with consistent action. Organizations do a great job of measuring, what I call lagging indicators such as, income, earnings, shareholder return, market share and other financial benchmarks. How about measuring and monitoring the leading indicators such as decision making, collaboration and conflict resolution, employee engagement, social responsibility, etc.? Can we afford not to, if we are driven to build an organization that (a) believes in inspiring and balancing the interests of all its stakeholders and (b) realizes extraordinary financial performance as a result of pursuing a grand and inclusive noble purpose?
7. Infuse Mastery in Organizational DNA: Earlier, we talked about the importance of mastery in leadership effectiveness. Great organizations nurture an environment where every job and every interaction becomes an opportunity to give expression to our creative genius. No matter what the role or what the position is, everyone can put their heart and soul in to each action. There is no need to wait for a dream job or a dream career, why not unleash your potential now? Even if our life’s purpose is different from the job we are doing, there is nothing stopping us from working with the same spirit and enthusiasm in our current job. Pursuing and inspiring mastery becomes everybody’s job. People are encouraged to fully show up and bring their whole person in solving issues, delighting customers and working with each other. We don’t want anyone to hold back. We challenge each other and everyone to free the mind, open the heart and unleash the spirit. Cross-functional implementation teams are formed for critical functions such as corporate culture, developing innovative products and services, customer satisfaction, employee engagement and community involvement.  They do not settle for polite mediocrity or dysfunctional teamwork and instead proactively engage in difficult conversations to resolve active and passive conflicts. 

Examples of inspiring Noble Purpose

 

Medium size financial institution: I was facilitating a discussion with the executive team on their personal dreams and professional goals for their very successful organization. This was the first time in the ten years they were together that they had engaged in a discussion which integrated personal and professional dreams. The result was dramatic. After a vigorous, heartwarming and enthusiastic interaction, it became obvious what they really wanted to accomplish. They came up with the following Noble Purpose.

 Our organization becomes a vehicle to help its employees, customers, investors and all of its stakeholders to realize their dreams. We become a role model and best for our industry where:

•  Employees are inspired and grateful for the opportunity to serve
• Customers are delighted to do business
• Investors are proud to be a part
• Regulators and analysts recognize and admire accomplishments
• Peers respect and try to emulate the success
• Community is appreciative

This company has been recognized as one of the most successful organizations in the country in a very difficult environment for banks and financial institutions. The leadership sees financial success as a byproduct of pursuing a noble purpose and as a strategy to achieve their purpose.

Division of a Fortune 200 global technology organization: The head of this division described his primary challenge this way, “I have a large team of extremely bright technologists and designers spread over nine countries with different cultures. Solving technical problems is the easy part, how can I keep them motivated, agile and collaborate towards a common goal?”

We discussed the need to emphasize a one-team culture that includes and transcends the local culture and individual goals. What is the inspiring vision or noble purpose behind which the whole team can get unified and energized? How can this team make a greater impact on the organization? Diversity is one of the core values of this organization. Can this division become the role model within the company in seamlessly merging cross-cultural teams from around the globe? We have to define (with the team’s involvement and buy-in) a challenge and common purpose that motivates and inspires them to be agile and give their very best. What seemed like a serious concern and a liability was turned around to be an inspirational purpose for the whole team to rally around.

Organizations dedicated to mastery are focused on what’s “best for” not necessarily what’s “best in.” In the process, they may become “best in” but it doesn’t matter. Every detail is considered to ensure that the symbols, systems and actions are consistent and in tune with the collective will of the people.  Examples are: office space, perks, reward system, evaluation criteria and compensation structure. One of the companies I worked with had this goal to become the best community bank in their region. We reframed the goal to becoming “best for” the industry. The whole management team got energized to shake up the status quo and introduce processes and behaviors that encouraged flexibility, fun, rapid decision-making, accountability and other cutting-edge practices not typically associated with their conservative industry.

Leadership 3.0 is not just nice to have but must-have to thrive in the new socio-economic environment and to play by the new rules of the game ….    

Enlightened Leadership Training and Coaching

 

Are enlightened leaders born or made? It’s not either, or - leaders are both “born” AND “made.”  While we have to make the most of the deck of cards we are dealt with, we all have potential to be better than who we are showing up as currently. It would be unfair and inaccurate to say otherwise. Isn’t life a journey of learning and growing? Leadership starts with self, to help and inspire others; we have to practice self-mastery! I am a big believer in individual effort, we have the capacity to constantly grow, change and evolve with training, practice and experience, no matter where we start from. We are all born with specific gifts, some of us may have a superior capacity for greatness (just like some athletes are more gifted genetically) but it is of no good use unless we harness that potential. Some of us may have to work harder to develop those emotional and spiritual muscles. Some of the best leaders are not necessarily very naturally gifted; they just find a way to overcome serious obstacles and adversity and constantly stretch themselves to unleash their full potential. Adversity can be our ally. Our innate ability certainly matters but curiosity, openness and consistent practice can improve leadership qualities and effectiveness, as many great leaders we worked with and studied demonstrate.  

The journey is more important than the end game. Enlightened leadership is like happiness and contentment. We do not pursue happiness; it is a byproduct of a meaningful life. Same is true with inspiring and enlightened leadership; it is a byproduct of a purpose that is larger than self and transcends personal ambition.

Professionals and business leaders have very less training in enhancing emotional intelligence and mastery. How do we develop qualities of enlightened leadership?

Some of us get lucky and grow up in environments where sacrifice and sharing is part of life. That experience helps us to understand ourselves (self-awareness) and connect with others (empathy). Most of the leadership training is behavioral in nature, which is required and essential but not complete. We dig deeper to understand the source of the behavior – what beliefs, values, mental models and frameworks shape our behavior. Understanding and intervening at the source has a more effective, lasting and consistent transformation. We also ensure that the behavioral training is integrated with resolving real business issues and challenges.

Cutting edge CEOs and leadership gurus agree that unlocking human potential through use of enlightened leadership principles is the key to improving business performance. A practical process of developing such peak performing business leaders and organizations has largely remained a black-box till recently. Decoding this black-box and bridging the execution gap between intent and impact has been my lifelong passion. I deeply studied and reflected on human behavior, worked with and for diverse business organizations from startups to Fortune 100 global corporations, practiced with eclectic global leaders and advanced spiritual masters. There are several specific, immediate and practical steps that can be taken. Let me name a few:

• Align and integrate personal life and professional life. We do not have to artificially separate these two aspects of our lives. Many of us, sometimes subconsciously, do not give expression to our emotion and spirit in professional life.  This is a legacy of the command and control management where compliance was more important than creativity. It is no longer relevant at this time. 
• A large portion of enlightened leadership is inner development. We have to go within ourselves and become self-aware of our viewpoints, positions, feelings, thoughts, behavior and actions.
• In addition to the solo practice of self-awareness, we have to actively seek out our blind spots by sincerely soliciting feedback from our peers, subordinates, superiors, family, friends, coaches and advisors.
• This awareness and intent has to be then converted to consistent action. How do we know if our actions are matching intent? Are they having the impact we desire? We check this by being mindful and present and by seeking feedback.
• A powerful technique to positively influence our state of mind is self-inquiry. It involves dispassionately observing our deeper thoughts without judgment. Let’s say, we have a tendency to be angry, impatient, be hard on ourselves and others, may be even feel envy and exhibit judgment at times. How can we reduce these negative mindsets? Start by being mindful of and by observing these feelings without any inner commentary. We don’t even have to know the source of these feelings; the neutral witnessing action dramatically reduces the negative inner feeling and the corresponding outward expression. 
• Leadership development is a process, not an event. We don’t grow as much just taking in information by reading a book or online training.  Converting our best intentions to consistent action and impact requires rigorous practice and discipline. A natural curiosity and learning mindset helps significantly, by approaching every interaction and event in our day as an opportunity for growth. Personal connections with our children, spouse and close friends help in improving sensitivity and empathy. Professional engagements enhance planning, organizing, communicating crisply and decisively. We will be more effective personally and professionally by combining the “best of both.”  
• Leadership and business is a team sport.  We have to surround ourselves with employees, advisors and coaches who embody the integrated approach of intellect, heart and spirit – IQ + EQ + SQ. We grow best as a team and make an exponential impact on the organization by learning, helping and pushing each other and by being mutually accountable.  
• Develop the physical energy, enthusiasm and endurance to go the distance. I have seen way too many promising careers flame out and burnout. While it is wonderful to have well rounded leaders with balanced intellect, heart and spirit it is not sufficient without the stamina and staying power. We have to pay attention to our diet and engage in exercises that stretch our physical, emotional and spiritual muscles.
• The whole package of physical fitness, mental sharpness and spiritual wisdom is a critical leadership requirement to build great and enduring business organizations and institutions. For those individuals and teams that like to take a deep dive and an accelerated path to Mastery, we developed easy to practice technologies of consciousness. Many business leaders, corporate executives and individuals committed to experiencing and unleashing exceptional performance and deep personal fulfillment have benefited immensely from incorporating these practical techniques in their professional and personal lives.