Integrating Spirituality to Become a Better Leader
Spirituality doesn’t belong in business. I used to let that belief hold me back. I kept my spiritual work siloed from my day job. I would weave in mindfulness and little spiritual or wellness tools with my teams whenever I could, but I generally kept my professional and spiritual work separated. I really did believe that spirituality didn’t belong in business. Because the word “spirituality” is used in many different ways, I am referring to the belief in something greater and the connectedness of all things.
But, the world is shifting. Humans are remembering we are not machines and demanding change in how we live and work. Seeking a more human-centered workplace and trying to figure out connection and culture in this “with pandemic” world we’re living in. The truth is, we need more spirituality in business. We need more tools to connect to ourselves, our teams, and our clients.
We need more spirituality in business to connect to ourselves, our teams, and our clients.
We also need more fun, so here’s a fun way to use one of my favorite spiritual tools, Tarot, to gain insight into your leadership style and how you can find more balance and embrace more heart-centered, courageous leadership.
Tarot isn’t just about predicting the future, it is an amazing tool for insight into self. And great leadership starts with self.
Quick Tarot 101
A traditional deck is made of up 78 cards divided into Major Arcana/Minor Arcana. We will use the Minor Arcana for this exercise. This portion of the deck is made up of 56 cards divided into four suits similar to a playing card deck.
In honor of embracing both our sacred masculine and feminine energies, we will blend the King and Queen attributes of these suits to provide insight into our personal leadership style and inspiration for our leadership toolbelt.
Suit | WANDS | SWORDS | CUPS | PENTACLES |
Element | Fire/Spirit | Air/Mental | Water/Emotion | Earth/Physical |
Leadership Styles
Wands: The wands are associated with fire and spirituality. This is the suit of creativity, energy, passion and inspired action. Leaders with wand energy tend to have an entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial spirit, are creative visionaries, and are inspired by big ideas.
Swords: The swords are associated with air and intelligence. This is the suit of logic, truth, communication, and strategy. Leaders with sword energy tend to be thought leaders, take charge, are honest, analytical, and use unbiased judgment in decision making.
Cups: The cups are associated with water and emotion. This is the suit of emotional intelligence, empathy, intuition and healing. Leaders with cup energy tend to have high emotional intelligence, find the sweet spot between the empathetic heart and intelligent mind, show compassion and positive influence.
Pentacles: The pentacles are associated with earth and all things tangible/material. This is the suit of stability, security, abundance, groundedness and support. Leaders with pentacle energy tend to be the visionary with a plan, exude confidence and warmth, be grounding, and provide a sense of stability and security.
I like to think of these archetypes as my little leadership guides that help me remember to be a more human-centered and connected leader. As leaders, we will all face situations where we will need to lean into each of these and it’s great to have a tool to help.
I hope this adds a little insight and fun into your day and encourages you to use your spiritual tools in business and leadership, as well as, life.
Life Work:
Review the traits above and determine where you naturally fall. Does it differ with self-leadership vs how you lead your teams? What attributes could you embrace more for a more balanced leadership style?
If you have a leadership team, where do your team’s traits fall? Is there a good balance of archetypes in your leadership team? Tip: This would also be a fun and insightful consideration when hiring your next leadership team member.
TLDR: Spirituality can transform business environments by fostering a more human-centered approach. This article explores how Tarot can be used as a tool for leaders to understand their styles and promote balanced, heart-centered leadership.
Corean is a transformational speaker, workplace well-being expert, professional improviser, 20+ year corporate veteran, founder of The Life is Collective, a membership community and program that helps people uncover their purpose to build and live full lives, and co-founder of Shift to Play, a culture strategy firm that facilitates experiences to foster more connected, engaged and inclusive workplaces.
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