Hannah Wilson
Soulful leadership is when we lead with authenticity and awareness. It is purposeful and it is conscious. We lead with integrity, from our values. Leading from the soul requires heightened levels of awareness of self and of others.
Leading from our soul, leading from within. Our soul seeks to connect with our purpose, to enable us to be in service. We connect with our Ikigai to find alignment with what we value, who we value and how we add value.
Soulful leadership is when we develop and balance our resilient leadership skills with our soul purpose as an authentic leader. We have clarity of our own vision, mission and values, empowering us to lead authentically.
We have a deep understanding of ‘what we do’ as well as ‘who we really are’ as a leader. We are at peace with the decisions we make, we have clarity of direction on how we want our team to move forwards and we own our unique leadership style. We show up as values-based leaders, embracing the courage to reveal our vulnerability in order to lead with purpose.
Leading with head, heart and soul engaged enables us to lead with confidence and conviction. A soulful leader fosters the development of the culture, and the development of others, to create an environment where people can thrive and be the best version of themselves as leaders. Soulful leaders show that there is another way, they give permission to others to break the mould.
When we lead with soul, we are thoughtful, we listen, we nurture others and we model there is a different way to lead. By leading with authenticity, integrity and empathy we strengthen our relationships with others and deepen our resonance with our core purpose. Our Ikigai is aligned and activated, we are thus able to create legacy.
Leading from our soul is an awakening and a reimagining of traditional leadership as we show that leading with empathy, compassion and ethical values can improve the wellbeing and productivity of our team.
Some of the tools that help us connect with our soulful leader within include:
- a journal to deepen our reflective practice
- a revisiting on our values to tap into our moral compass
- a focus on our Ikigai to get clear on our purpose
- a mantra to guide us through different leadership decisions
- a gratitude practice to affirm our progress
- a coaching relationship to challenge us on our limiting beliefs
Leaders Can be Both Compassionate and Strong
One of the criticisms I’ve faced over the years is that I’m not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I’m empathetic, it means I’m weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong.