Swami Parameshwar Das, known as Swamiji, is a seasoned professional with decades of experience in the worlds of business consulting, psychology and spirituality. Swamiji’s mission is to serve everyone to be leaders in their life and fulfill their dharma or purpose.
Welcome to our continued exploration of awakened leadership, inspired by the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita.
7 Aspects of Awakened Leadership
Being a Role Model
Mindfulness and Mind Mastery
Adapting to Change and Uncertainty
Dharmic Action and Decision-Making
Mastering the Ego and Emotions
Servant Leadership
Building Teamwork and Unity
The first part of this series introduced the Gita as a guiding light for becoming an awakened leader in today’s rapidly evolving world. We explored the first three of the seven aspects of awakened leadership. If you missed the first article or would like to review it, you can find it here.
This article covers the last four aspects of awakened leadership. As before, each one has a section devoted to it including three Gita teachings, selected quotes, questions for self-inquiry, and practices to use to develop as awakened leaders.
Dharmic action & decision-making
Rooted in the eternal laws of dharma, awakened leaders make decisions and take actions that align with their higher purpose and contribute to the greater good of those they lead and their organization. In the midst of the uncertainty in today’s world, they unite others around a shared mission leading to mutually agreed-upon objectives.
Key teachings
Surrendering to the highest: Awakened leadership means honoring one’s inner life and knowingness. Awakened leaders recognize the power of surrendering to their inner wisdom and allowing their true purpose to unfold effortlessly. They reveal from within and express in action the love-based qualities that usher in the new era.
Expressing dharma: Awakened leaders follow their dharma or purpose aligned with the natural, eternal laws that govern life and facilitate evolution and growth. This purpose informs all their behaviors and their “right action” that produces life affirming effects for the leader, those they lead, and creation itself.
Values in action: These leaders are guided by duty, right action, and the values that underlie them, such as fairness, justice, inclusion, integrity, authenticity and humility. Cases of successful organizational change have shown the benefits of leaders bringing together teams to define shared values and associated behaviors (as well as vision and mission).
Gita quotes:
(Note: numbers after quotes refer to chapter and verse respectively)
“Those who realize the essence of duty, who trust me completely and surrender their lives to me, I love them with very great love.” (12.20)
“Without the concern for results, perform the necessary action, surrendering all attachments, accomplish life’s highest good.” (3.19)
“Though the unwise cling to their actions, watching for results, the wise are free of attachments, and act for the well-being of the whole world.” (3.25)
“Fearlessness, purity of heart, persistence in the yoga of knowledge, generosity, self-control, nonviolence, gentleness, candor, integrity, disengagement, joy in the study of the scriptures, compassion for all beings, modesty, patience, a tranquil mind, dignity, kindness, courage, a benevolent, loving heart, these are qualities of men born with divine traits, Arjuna.” (16.1-3)
Self-inquiry:
What is my purpose for being a leader? How does being a leader fit into my life’s purpose?
Practices:
Choose one major value that is important to you and determine how you will demonstrate it at work as a leader. Be specific and give examples of behaviors. You can add another value after you have identified and practiced the first one.
Select one of the values mentioned earlier (fairness, justice, inclusion, integrity, authenticity, humility) or find another.
To assist you with this practice, read the exercise cited at the end of an article I wrote years ago about spiritual values and how to operationalize them in action. The examples presented there will be helpful for you to specify your own behaviors. “Manifesting Spiritual Values in Daily Life,” The Society: An International Journal of Social Sciences," Volume 6, 2007. Link: https://inthepathoflight.com/articles/
Consider working with your team to develop shared values if you haven’t already done this. These should relate to any vision or mission you might have created before. After identifying a select number of values and defining them, spend some time specifying a few examples of behaviors for each that can be used as guides.
Mastering the ego & emotions
Awakened leaders aren’t ruled by their emotions. By cultivating their self-awareness, they recognize when their emotions aren’t serving them, when they’re based upon unmet desires and expectations. They transcend the limitations of the ego and come back to the mission, purpose, and values that energize them.
Key teachings
Beyond desire: Awakened leaders are not driven by selfish earthly desires or attached to outcomes. Rather, they stand in the present moment inspired by an imagined future based on contribution. Their focus on purpose leads to higher emotions like passion, fulfillment and contentment, instead of lower emotions like disappointment and frustration stemming from attachments and expectations.
Transcending ego: Ego creates separation (me-you), duality (good-bad), maya or illusion. Out of this comes selfishness (mine), a focus on lower self. Committed to duty, dharma and Self, awakened leaders transcend ego that veils the knowingness that there is only one. They take actions that encourage teamwork, collaboration, and unity (we-our).
Emotional intelligence: Awakened leaders have a thirst for greater self-awareness and apply what they learn to the way they lead. They reflect about their emotions and identify whether they’re fear- or love-based, low or high frequency. They employ that new intelligence to effectively manage their emotions. Also, they understand the emotions of those they lead to favorably impact interactions, relationships and results.
Gita quotes:
“Abandoning all desires, acting without craving, free from all thoughts of ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ that man finds utter peace.” (2.71)
“Sattvic workers are free from egotism and selfish attachments, full of enthusiasm and fortitude in success and failure alike.” (18.26)
“One who is free from selfish attachments, who has mastered himself and his passions, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from action.” (18.49)
“True renunciation is giving up all desire for personal reward. Those who are attached to personal reward will reap the consequences of their actions: some pleasant, some unpleasant, some mixed. But those who renounce every desire for personal reward go beyond the reach of karma.” (18.11-12)
Self-inquiry:
What emotions hold me back as a leader, related to my desires or expectations? How have they affected my behaviors and relationships at work? What actions can I take to transform them?
Practices:
Accepting emotions: When you’re feeling contracted or uncomfortable, experience whatever emotion you’re feeling in that moment. Locate it in the body. Acknowledge it is there. Take a conscious breath and bring it into your heart as you accept it. You can say to yourself, “It’s okay, it’s not good or bad, it’s just an energy that’s there right now.” You can use your hands if you choose, slowly moving the energy of the emotion into your heart. What happens to it? How do you feel afterwards?
Learn more about emotional intelligence and its impact. Read Optimal: How to Sustain Personal and Organizational Excellence Every Day, Daniel Goleman & Cary Cherniss, HarperCollins, 2024.
Take a free Global Leadership Foundation EQ Test: click here.
Servant leadership
Awakened leaders are servant leaders. They attune to the concerns of those they’re responsible for in their leadership role. They commit to address those concerns because they relate to a shared purpose and common goals. With this broad perspective beyond themselves, servant leaders create a collective power that enhances everyone’s contributions and success.
Key teachings
Renunciation: The essence of the Gita’s teachings is non-attachment to the outer world, its senses and mundane desires that cause pain and suffering. Awakened leaders are grounded in integrity and righteousness while dedicated to a higher purpose, social impact, and service to humanity. They renounce whatever doesn’t contribute toward those ends.
Selfless service: Awakened leaders contribute without expectations or conditions. They act unselfishly, from the heart, devoted to serving the Self and others. Their actions are offerings to those they serve: they give, give back, and anticipate nothing in return. Their service comes from a deep sense of oneness, connection, and community.
Welfare of others: Inherent in awakened leadership is striving for the common good which is the supreme goal of life as stated in the Gita. Awakened leaders prioritize the welfare of others. Through their decisions and actions, they contribute to the wheel of life and the natural laws that support the evolution of humanity and the planet. As they lead others, they’re generous, caring and compassionate.
Gita quotes:
“At the beginning, mankind and the obligation of selfless service were created together. Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful and find the fulfillment of your desires: this is the promise of the Creator.” (3.10)
“Every selfless act, Arjuna, is born from Brahman, the eternal, infinite Godhead. Brahman is present in every act of service.” (3.15)
“Strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world; by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life. Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind.” (3.19-20)
“The ignorant work for their own profit, Arjuna; the wise work for the welfare of the world, without thought for themselves. By abstaining from work you will confuse the ignorant, who are engrossed in their actions. Perform all work carefully, guided by compassion.” (3.25-26)
Self-inquiry:
How do I define selfless service as a leader?
What does caring for the welfare of others look like in my work, business, organization?
What social impact do I want to have as a leader?
Practices:
Identify three ways you can best serve others through your leadership (e.g., employees, stakeholders).
Use your imagination and see yourself serving others. How do you feel? How do they respond? What are the outcomes of your service?
Building teamwork & unity
Awakened leaders recognize the inherent interconnectedness of all beings, and that we all possess everything inside of ourselves. We are one because we come from the same source. This realization enables these leaders to access their inner power and tap into and develop the leadership of those they lead. Thus, they energize the power of the collective.
Key teachings
Oneness: As the Gita explains, people are intrinsically connected through their inner essence as Self, their dharma or purpose to serve the highest, and their natural inclination to remember who they truly are over different life experiences. All of this is magnified by their inner desire to belong and connect. Awakened leaders realize this and create the environment, structure, systems, direction, and support that galvanize team members for the greatest contribution and results.
Collective power: Awakened leaders energize their teams around a shared mission that not only resonates with each employee but inspires them to harness their collective energies, combine their talents, and achieve the highest level of performance. Leaders support their teams to unite, collaborate, and best serve common team goals as well as broader organizational objectives.
Multidimensionality: Awakened leaders identify and employ all of the skills, qualities and talents of their team members. They consider all possibilities that will support the effectiveness of the team and fulfill its purpose. So much is available within each of us. As Arjuna beholds the myriad forms of Lord Krishna, awakened leaders embrace the diversity of those they lead as a cornerstone of innovation and growth.
Gita quotes:
“I am the Self, Arjuna, seated in the heart of all beings. I am the beginning and the life span of beings, and their end as well.” (10.20)
“Behold, Arjuna, a million divine forms, with an infinite variety of color and shape. Behold the gods of the natural world, and many more wonders never revealed before. Behold the entire cosmos turning within my body, and the other things you desire to see.” (11.5-7)
“There, within the body of the God of gods, Arjuna saw all the manifold forms of the universe united as one.” (11.13)
“Sattvic knowledge sees the one indestructible Being in all beings, the unity underlying the multiplicity of creation.” (18.20)
Self-inquiry:
How do I perceive my team members? How do I normally interact with them? What would I change about myself to become more of an awakened leader with them? What’s one action I will take to create more teamwork and collaboration?
Practices:
Set a clear intent for what you’d like to accomplish now through your own and your team’s actions. Write 1-2 sentences describing your intent. Close your eyes, breathe consciously, and use your imagination to see your intent fulfilled. Make it vivid and tangible. Remember and share this intent as you lead your team.
Ask each team member to identify three of their own skills, qualities or talents that will most contribute to team success. Share these with one another, including your own. Consolidate what you find, and determine how best to use them to fulfill your mission, projects and needs.
Next steps
Now it’s time to reflect and take action within yourself and with others in your organization to develop as awakened leaders. Use my two articles and any other available information that will inform your inner work and conversations.
For your personal development, review the seven facets of awakened leadership and determine which ones resonate the most.
For those facets you choose, engage in self-inquiry and action, using the questions and practices offered here and adding your own.
Seek feedback from others along the way, including your team. Based on their input, make any adjustments to your actions.
For broader leadership development, prioritize the facets most crucial to the development of your team, department, or organization.
Survey others who can provide relevant input, and consolidate the information you receive.
Take steps with leadership to reach agreement about the priorities for development, actions to take, and who is to be involved.
In conclusion, I ask that you appreciate how the development of awakened leaders contributes to the unfolding of a new era on this planet. Through your evolution personally and collectively as leaders, you embody the truth, love and light of the Sathya Yuga. Your lives serve as living testaments to the profound wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, unveiling its treasures for the world to see.
Source of quotes:
Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation, Stephen Mitchell, Harmony Books, 2000.
Other publications:
The Living Gita, Sri Swami Satchidananda, Integral Yoga Publications, 1988.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita: A New Translation and Commentary, Chapters 1-6, Arkana, 1990.
Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita, Ram Dass, Three Rivers Press, 2004.
Srimad Bhagavadgita, Gita Press, 2012.
Swami Parameshwar Das, Spiritual and Leadership Coach
Swami Parameshwar Das, known as Swamiji, is a seasoned professional with decades of experience in the worlds of business consulting, psychology and spirituality. Swamiji’s mission is to serve everyone to be leaders in their life and fulfill their dharma or purpose. He has traveled the world leading transformational programs for thousands, and has published six books. His educational background includes a Ph.D. and M.S. in Organizational Psychology. Swamiji was licensed as a Psychologist in New York, and designated as a Master Coach by the International Coaching Federation and Ontological Coach by Newfield Network.
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