Leadership is not quickly learned by reading a book or attending a course. The courses can teach you technical skills, but what makes a leader is about values more than skills.  Values are best learned from inspirational role models and people you aspire to be like. We could do worse than learn leadership teachings from a Buddhist Monk. This was the source of the most inspirational leader I have ever had the honour to learn from.

Learning from a Buddhist Monk

After spending a year in Thailand and interested in understanding the culture better and researching ways to create happy workplaces, I once attended a talk by an American-turned-Tibetan Buddhist monk. He gave a short lecture on what he advises people to do each day to be happy—one of the many valuable leadership teachings I’ve encountered.

As he sat in front of the crowd, he was unlike anyone I’d ever met. He radiated love, a sense of power, and humility simultaneously. Each time he spoke, he demonstrated the true meaning of authenticity. Whenever I listened to his words, I thought the world would be better if more leaders were like him.

He gave up everything, including his home country, for happiness and meaning. Hearing him speak inspired me, as his journey sounded similar. I’ve also given up everything and everyone I once valued. I reached a point in my career where I wanted to find more meaning in my life than merely working for a monthly salary. This lifestyle kept me from following the things I felt so passionate about. I understood how much courage it took on his part. I understood what it takes each day to live by his choices, and I admired how he expressed himself.

Sharing wisdom

He humbly attempted to explain the wisdom behind eight short verses. Each time, as the only English-speaking monk, he translated the teachings, giving credit to his teachers even though he was the one sitting in front of us providing the teaching.

He demonstrated to me the crucial element missing from so many leaders. He showed me what it takes to be an inspiring leader.  Each word, each action, and each response from him was based on humility.  But each time he reflected on the hardships of living as a monk, instead of feeling superior or lucky, I realised how magnetic and inspiring his vulnerability and humility were.  He inspired me so much that I’m still holding on to the A4 handout with the verses he taught and regularly reflecting on the contents nearly a year later.  That, to me, is authentic leadership and a true inspiration.

How do you choose an inspirational leader?

However, organisations often view management and leadership as the ultimate reward for loyalty, hard work, and a dominant personality.

Sadly, most managers and leaders are often not chosen by the people they are to lead. Instead, managers want their legacy to live on by selecting those who best match their management style and thinking.

A true leader, however, is not selected by an organisation’s management team. It is someone who people look up to and aspire to be like. Whether they have the title to go with it or not, the people select and follow a true leader—someone who lives out the values of the company. A leader who inspires people to work towards a common goal that they believe in is followed regardless of their role.

They are not necessarily the best skilled in a particular field. Maybe they aren’t the employee who’s been at the company the longest. They may not be the ones with the most academic achievements. Choosing a leader based on these criteria means the company values loyalty, technical skills, or scholarly knowledge. Selecting a leader, however, by asking the people they consider worthy to lead them means that you value the culture and the people, an undeniable ingredient for success.2105

They will naturally choose someone they trust and respect, someone who has proven in the past that they have the best interest of the people and the company at heart. However, one other value is critical for a leader to have.

Humility is key

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.

-C. S. Lewis

Authentic leadership is about serving the people. It is to lead, and that requires humility. Looking at some of the most inspirational leaders of our time, each one has had to learn the lesson of humility at some point during their lives. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off a train in South Africa and barred from hotels because of his colour. Martin Luther King Jr. was whipped as a child. His house was bombed, and he was arrested during the Montgomery bus boycott.

They all have had to learn to put their egos aside and focus on a cause bigger than themselves.  Additionally, they all had to learn to serve people with humility.  They all realised it was not about them but about the people they were and the cause behind them.

So, if you want to be an inspiring leader, the question is not what you can do to have more power or authority but how you can empower the people you lead to achieve more. Each day, ask yourself, how can I serve?”. How can you serve the people who create the products and services you sell?  Also, how can you help your customers better?  How can you do the investors, the suppliers, the partners?  When you lead from the view that each person you interact with is more important than you, you empower them to do great things while growing your influence and power.

Conclusion

One of the leadership teachings I value is that humility doesn’t mean weakness. It means realising how precious each resource in your organisation outside it is to your success.

Leading with humility means valuing the people you interact with. Valuing the people you work with means they will do everything in their power to value you back.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

With more than 20 years experience in the software development industry, Kate specializes in helping teams get unstuck, communicate better and ultimately be more productive. She believes in efficiency through fun implementing lean, agile and playful design as tools for process improvement and organizational change. Her goal is to create more happy, healthy and whole workplaces where each person thrives and productivity soars.

www.funficient.com