Leaders and mentors of leaders agree that emotional intelligence is a key factor in success as a leader. In fact, it is a key to success in any career. To be aware of your emotions, how they affect you, how they affect others, and to be able to consciously change our emotions is essential to success in all human relations. Now, there is a new intelligence on the block. Spiritual Intelligence is really not new, but the term is. Many authors have attempted to define it. All definitions are helpful, but few demonstrate a depth of understanding. My intent is to offer you a brief, but in depth definition that you can apply.

It should be noted that spiritual intelligence has nothing to do with religion or doctrine. Certainly religious people may be spiritually intelligent, but so may nonreligious people. Spiritual intelligence is the ability to transcend the ego and know what to do and when, based on intuition and/or inspiration. For some, this means operating from Divine Guidance. For others, this means living intuitively. Spiritual intelligence is the awareness of when the ego is running the show, and to be able to choose differently.

The first principle of spiritual intelligence is identity–knowing who you are. You are a spiritual being having a human experience. You are not a human who occasionally has a spiritual experience. You are not your body. You have a body. You are not your past. You have a collection of experiences in your memory. You are not your mistakes. You are a spiritual being who has often forgotten who you are. You are not your job or your car or your home. Those are merely possessions. Possessions come and go. Fortunes rise and fall. You are not the role you play whether you call it father, mother, child, grandparent, CEO, secretary, Christian, Muslim, Jew, American, German, Japanese, etc. These are the roles you play. None of these are the real you. If the role is taken away, you still exist. The nonphysical you, your spirit, is who you are.

Read the rest of this entry »