Leadership & Mindfulness - Mobius Executive Leadership

Leading with Authenticity and Presenceby Susan Skjei, MS, MALEADERSHIP & MindfulnessWhen you meet a person who hasinner authentic presence, you findhe has an overwhelming genuineness,which might be somewhatfrightening because it is so true andhonest and real. You experience asense of command radiating fromthe person of inner authentic presence.Although that person might bea garbage collector or a taxi driver,still he or she has an uplifted quality,which magnetizes you and commandsyour attention.These words from ChogyamTrungpa, paint a powerful andintriguing picture of an essentialquality of leadership that often goesunacknowledged but is desperatelyneeded during this time of social,economic and environmental turbulence.The primary practice ChogyamTrungpa taught for discoveringbasic goodness was meditation.However, he considered all of life’schallenges to be opportunities topractice and incorporated the variouselements of everyday life intorituals for waking up. He emphasizedthe importance of decorumin everyday life, including how oneeats, wears one’s clothes, and speaksto others. All of these practices wereintended to invoke the openness,fearlessness, and tenderness thatis the hallmark of the Shambhalawarrior. The path of warriorshipprovides an inspiring and upliftingjourney toward greater wholenessand authenticity.Discovering AuthenticityThe definition of authenticitywithin the Shambhala traditionrefers to a state of awakened presencein which the individual hasaccess to the profundity of basicgoodness as well as appreciationof his or her own uniqueness. TheTibetan term for this awakenedpresence is wangthang, translatedas “authentic presence” or “fieldof power.” Although authenticpresence is inherent, disciplineand rigor are needed in order toaccess it. According to Trunpga,“The cause of authentic presenceis the merit you accumulate andthe effect is the authentic presenceitself.”Merit or virtue comes from emptyingout and letting go—the abilityto empathize and exchange oneselfwith the suffering and aspirationsof others. It is a result of gradualdevelopment as well as instantaneouslyletting go of the habitualmind.Although these qualities ofauthenticity are familiar to us,Trungpa said, most people onlyexperience them in glimpses. Inorder to sustain the glimpse, thereis a need for discipline. This can beaccomplished through the practiceof meditation. There are two meditationmethods that can assist withthe journey toward authenticity.The first is called shamatha, whichin Sanskrit means “development ofpeace.” First the practitioner mustbe able to simplify external stimuli,and thorough a simple technique,such as following the breath as itgoes in and out of the body, bringhis or her awareness into the presentmoment. The goal is not to tryto think happy or pleasant thoughtsor to think about peacefulness,per se, but through the process ofacknowledgingthat oneis thinking,and lettinggo of specificthoughts, peacecan naturally arise. According toTrungpa, “It doesn’t really matterwhat thoughts you have in thepractice of meditation, whether youhave monstrous thoughts, or benevolentthoughts, all of them areregarded purely as thinking. Theyare neither virtuous nor sinful.”The second meditation disciplineis called vipassana or clear seeing.It is not enough to have stabilityof mind. One must also cultivateclarity and the ability to see theinteraction of cause and effect thatcan result in insight. The meditationtechnique involves opening upto the environment or “space” andnoticing what happens when thepractitioner attempts to rest his orher mind in this. Trungpa also emphasizedthe value of meditationfor learning to synchronize one’sbody and mind.This method of synchronizingyour mind and body is trainingyou to be very simple and tofeel that you are not special, butordinary, extra-ordinary. You sitsimply, as a warrior, and out ofthat, a sense of individual dignityarises. You are sitting on the earthand you realize that this earth deservesyou and you deserve thisearth. You are there—fully, personally,genuinely. So meditationpractice in the Shambhala traditionis designed to educate peopleto be honest and genuine, true tothemselves.www.mobiusleadership.com | Mobius Executive Leadership 25