CEO is a position of leadership; it is position that not only organization but also the management looks up to for constructive ideas and strategies. The model is built around other theories about people’s positions and projections. It is provided by other competent consultants’ practical experiences and perceptions and my own analysis and considerations. Thus, I cannot point out all the theories and people who have inspired me and would therefore, recommend that you also continue your search for knowledge and inspiration elsewhere. For me, the intention has always been about practicality, namely what works, rather than who has said or written it. To me there is no patent on truths, and therefore I also share my knowledge and my assumptions with you, so you can take what you think works best for you. For each level, and to get from position to position, there is an ocean of personal development steps. Therefore, there is a diverse range of types and levels of development at each stage. Some people may just “land” on a new step, others have been there for a while, some will not continue, and others will be on their way to the next step. Just as we are different as people, we also act as leaders in a very different way. However, I have learnt that these very simplified personality traits reoccur. It is through this that we can recognize which management level a person is on and thus also ourselves, in any given period of time. This makes working with leadership training easier to handle, and the training can be better addressed and adapted to the individual.
Let us begin by looking at “The 7 Leadership Levels”:
1. POSITION NO.1: YOURSELF
It is who you are. It is not what you do, but the person you are. Your identity, your ego, your embodiment. What you are born as. The person you were born as. When you are born, you are just you. You are born loved and you are born free. Very soon you begin to perceive that there is a world and someone around you. You begin to discover yourself through others perception of you. You mirror yourself on others, and this mirroring (projection) starts your self-perception; Who am I? It is subjectively considered. It’s through your sensations that you begin to shape yourself. Here in the 1st position, you start as a leader, first and foremost to take responsibility for yourself! This is where you must always return, to be the leader of your own life. This is where you need to place your consciousness so that you can draw the maximum amount of energy you need. Many do not go beyond this and some go through life without having their own position connected to their personality. They can easily be happy people who think they have got a lot of good out of life, and it is possible for them to accomplish anything. They just do not have the same outlook as you regarding leadership. We must remember our 1st position because this is where everything stems from. All our potential comes from here. It is our identity, the one we were born with, our building block. I call it also our epicentre. Grab your epicentre, and then let the rings spread out into the world from here, with a big uproar, big reverberations. It is not being selfish. It is about using your potential in the best possible way, so that you can make the greatest difference both for yourself and for others. The training at this level is primarily about how to handle yourself. I want to use a good little model devised by another astute consultant, which I call “The Three Kites”. Imagine that you have three big flying kites in your hands. The lines are unbreakable and cannot be snapped, but when it is very windy, you need to clench tight and use a lot of effort to hold the kites. The kites are your body, your thoughts, and your emotions, respectively. You, the one holding the lines, are the Lord of the house: Your consciousness. The contact to your consciousness lies in the lines, which are controlled by deep breathing. Therefore, you must breathe deeply to feel the touch of consciousness. Take a deep breath. Feel yourself inside.
The model illustrates several things, but first and foremost it is about what we can and cannot control. When it is not windy, you have the feeling of control over your body, thoughts, and emotions. You are in control! Then comes a hurricane from the west, and you feel, to some extent, that this is something that you have no control over. You fight and struggle hard to maintain some control.
I often see people in this fight for control while at the same time, fighting internally. The more they fight to hold the kites, the less they remember to breathe deeply and the more they fight internally, the worse it will be. What do you do?
1. Stop this inner battle with yourself. Fight for yourself.
2. Breathe deeply. Observe your emotions. You do not need to control – you have to deal with it and go with the flow! Become a good kite flyer instead and trust that the lines will probably hold. The storm will move away again.
A storm can easily hit just one of the kites, for example, anxious thoughts and doubts. The thought-kite now requires all your energy, and its turmoil is transmitted to the other two kites. Your emotions-kite now also begins to float uncontrollably, and your body-kite begins to spin around.
• Take a deep breathe.
• Take control of your thoughts by consciously stopping the concerns and focusing on other positive thoughts.
• Handle the situation instead of picturing yourself having to completely stop and control all your thoughts. Just let them fly, like the kites, gently in the wind.
• There are differences between these thoughts and your conscious thoughts. Use your conscious thoughts for handling these concerns and let the others float away.
At worst, worrying thoughts may take the form of anxiety, which creates a blockage further down all three lines, thus obstructing access to your consciousness. Your body can become sick with anxiety because it cannot live an extended period without contact with your consciousness. Your emotions worsen, and you feel a darkness or depression. Here you may need outside help that can dissipate the anxiety in the blockage. However, you must also go deep inside yourself and feel your life energy, the love of life. From here you can gather the energy that is vital to you. The power of love is so great that it can solve the anxiety, although it may take some time, as the opposition to love is fear.
Do not fear life, love it instead.
POSITION NO. 2: YOURSELF, SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF OTHERS
As we grow up, we begin to see others in the world. The first people you mirror yourself on are your parents, biological or not. You start to put yourself in the other’s place and begin to see the world from here, including yourself. It is still subjective, through your experiences, and you begin to imagine where your 1st position is placed in the 2nd position. We practise this mirroring or projection throughout our lives. The responses that we receive add to both our own attitudes, assumptions, and values, and also the thoughts we unconsciously accumulate. We are greatly influenced, and many researchers believe that 70% of our own perception is governed through our upbringing and the environment. Therefore, pattern breakers have used unimaginable amounts of energy and self-reflection to break this influence to become anything else than they assumed they would be. The ability to mirror will create empathetic behaviour for healthy people of sound mind. People with mental deficiencies, e.g. renowned psychopaths, can be fantastic at emulating empathy, that is, the ability to understand the effect of this behaviour on others. However, they lack an emotional connection with other people, and they therefore cannot be empathetic. They are totally selfish in their behaviour. Some people focus so much on the 2nd position, and are so good at this, that they are hardly being their true selves anymore. They always see themselves as they think others see them. They become very empathetic, constrained through being self-effacing, and forget about themselves at the expense of others. It happens to many people, and I think it may occur more with women. This is, perhaps, because they principally develop this ability through motherhood and hence their own mothers, whom are their role models. They make “sacrifices” for their children on the assumption that they are doing the best for them. Being so focused on others is often governed by a great need to be recognized. When you are in the 2nd position, it is through other people and their articulations that you can perceive yourself in life, and not so much through self-recognition and self-love. Consequently, for some people, a resolute addiction to recognition from others can arise. These people are unable to self-acknowledge and instead spend extensive energy and time on others, so that they can reap this recognition. It can become rather morbid and to some extent becomes inhibitory to acknowledge themselves.
This almost constant sense of powerlessness makes them unhappy, and in the worst case it begins to erode their self-perception. They have thoughts such as, I’m not good enough, I’m worth nothing, I cannot get out of this situation.
They feel like victims with statements like, I cannot do it myself, it’s the fault of others and the stupid boss who does not understand me. No matter what reactions you get from others, regardless of the situations you are in, you should practise becoming aware that your emotions and thoughts, that belong only to yourself. It is you and only you who can change this. Emotions are emotions, but you can, with conscious thoughts and conscious self-chosen focus, change your emotions. You can especially change those that are close to exploding, often in front of others in actions or statements, we later regret. The greatest expectations on our performance, are often our own. You are, in other words, your own worst enemy or worst boss. Become friends with yourself. Change your inner boss.
Working with these positions, or personal development, means that none of us can consider ourselves free of the above to a greater or lesser extent, at some point in life. We cannot develop from the 1st position and higher up without going through all the phases, and each phase has its own learning steps. It is through the 1st position that you can draw on the energy of life within yourself. You cannot do that to the same extent if you place yourself extensively in the 2nd position. Here, you are only able to pull a fraction of your life energy into your work and this causes imbalance and fatigue. You simply get worn out. The training at this level is primarily about becoming aware of how you see yourself and how you get in touch with your feelings.
The good news for you, located extensively in the 2nd position, is that you can do something about it. Through breathing, reflection, willpower and realization you can train to become aware of yourself a little better, and slowly start making the choices that are appropriate to you.
Tap into your experiences to use more positive energy and more flow as your guidelines.
Begin practicing by observing and writing your observations:
i. What gives you energy?
ii. What consumes your energy?
iii. When does it occur?
iv. What do you do in this situation?
v. When we need to practise something, we must become both aware of what we are good at doing and what we do less well. If you are not even aware of what you do well, how will you do it even better?
Become more consciously aware of your thoughts and focus positively on those thoughts. Stop the negative feelings and all your concerns, by consciously focusing on the more positive ones. There are also habits/habitual thinking, and therefore there is a need for a lot of practice. It does not require more preparation, and therefore you are already in progress. Take it one step at a time. 2nd position leaders are generally empathetic, industrious, responsive, and often seen in middle management positions. There are several women who are 2nd position leaders and very skilful in that position, thus it’s definitely not everyone who gets stressed. However, there is a tendency for this to become stressful if they do not learn to move from the 2nd to the 3rd position in their leadership development. Most often they see themselves as helpers rather than leaders, and unfortunately become victims or martyrs, if they do not pay attention to their own worth and their role. Some choose to remain the leader at this level, and they certainly also do a lot for others and thus, for the world. It is no shame and there is, to some extent, a need for all types of leaders. If you recognize yourself as a 2nd position leader, then train yourself to move from the 1st position so you can acquire even more energy for the important work that you do. Practise becoming more aware of yourself and your way of life and remember that self-effacement does not make anyone feel good.
When you, in this way, consciously work with yourself, you also work with your personal integrity. It is your greatest protection against, for example, stress and demanding tasks and circumstances. Find the best approach for you. Find out how to take best care of yourself. Prioritize yourself as much as possible, because without yourself, you cannot do anything for others.
POSITION NO. 3: YOURSELF AND OTHERS, SEEN THROUGH INTERACTION
Regardless of the managerial context you have worked in, you have had some experience of this position or, if nothing else, a small glimpse of it. Here I would like to point out that it is not just about leadership in the organizational context, where you have a formal executive role. It is also in all responsible posts, including parenthood, where you have a responsibility and obligations. It is precisely the role of taking responsibility as a leader that places you in the 3rd position. The metaposition, as it is also called in psychology, is the ability to see yourself objectively, but still maintain a very subjective foundation in your sensory experiences. The transition from the 2nd to the 3rd position takes place gradually over time, and therefore you can work satisfactorily in both positions, depending on the context, terms, and framework. When you are a 3rd position leader, you relate to yourself and take responsibility for your own roles and the influence your own actions have on others. You are also aware of how other people´s actions affect yourself. You work more consciously with yourself and begin to sort through your thoughts, so that you are no longer so affected by what others think about you. Your personal limits open up to you and you become more aware of where your own boundaries stretch to and where you want them to go. This is also where you become aware of your own integrity. The work of sorting through your thoughts includes cleansing. This is the process of clearing out in your life, your relationships and the things that consciously and unconsciously allow you to influence and therefore, take control of. Here in the western world, we are all too often in control of material things. The more we own, the more afraid we become of losing them. Remember a wise old saying here, “everything in life is borrowed”. We come into the world with nothing and we leave it again taking nothing with us. You may wish to dress up in gold and silver, however, do not let your clothes alone define who you are. For doing so, you lose yourself along the way. Most leaders are in the 3rd position, and many of them remain here. They definitely play essential roles in the world. They work responsibly, earnestly, loyally and always from their own viewpoint, with the best intentions. Every day they practise interacting with others in the best possible way, as they see it. It is indeed learning by doing that characterizes leaders in the 3rd position. Here we find initiators, entrepreneurs, helpers and all the types of leaders we can think of. Working as a leader is not about being smart enough. Regardless of other skills or the lack of them, it is about the person themselves. I have experienced many people who have been given leadership roles/management posts solely based on their professionalism. They have not acquired leadership skills, and that is not good for neither them nor their employees. Many executives are not even 3rd position leaders, and it disappoints employees who expect more of them.
Remember, you may be at a much higher personal level of development than your boss, and therefore you also expect the same from him or her. However, they are not at your level and not because they do not want to be. We can learn a lot about leadership by taking an education in it, but my experience is that it alone is not enough. Unfortunately, there are people, who are not fully aware of this. Leadership is about training and there should be a place for this training, support and guidance in daily life. This can take place via mentors and coaches, and it is not so important whether they are located inside an organization or recruited externally. However, it is in the workplace itself, through daily casework and on the job experience that the training takes place, and it is best to have sparring partners and/or coaches. We can learn so much from each other if we allow ourselves to embrace this and have the necessary time for it. A master can learn from his student, just as the student can learn from his master. This is because leadership is primarily about how we as people, human beings, handle our inner feelings and thoughts. These are non-tangible matters which are incredibly important. Unfortunately, we cannot find an 8-point strategic plan, where you start with level 1 and end with level 8, and then you are a leader. It requires a lot of courage, endurance, persistence, understanding, constant curiosity and desire to learn, with both a mix of openness and inner scope. It involves respect, self-respect and working on your humility and self-understanding. Also, you need to understand that we will never be finished. Every time we think we have learnt something and can handle situations and ourselves in situations, something new happens. We must learn to understand without understanding. The world and we humans are so complex that we use all our energy to understand life externally, and thus we lose our understanding of ourselves. The focus and the energy that we use do not allow us to be constructive. The training at this level is primarily about how you understand and take responsibility for yourself. Start by building an understanding of yourself, your potential, and getting the most out of yourself to become the asset that you are. As the 3rd position is so real, familiar to many and a stable step, and at the same time with scope for many personal development steps, there are extraordinarily many that remain at this management level. For many it is also about peace of mind, to stay in their comfort zone. It is also the position where habits are placed, and so it can seem too difficult and inconceivable to move on. Many may occasionally feel a little pang to want something more but dismiss it. I am as good as I can be. There is no need to complain because, for the most part, it is nice and easy, effortless, and convenient. Why changes the status quo? There are daily challenges, but I can handle them, and that is basically quite a reasonable response. So, I can also take retirement in peace and quiet when ready, and I have savings for other things that I prioritize in my life.
POSITION NO.4: YOURSELF, SEEN OBJECTIVELY (INTERMEDIATE STAGE)
Before I explain in more detail about this level, it is important to emphasize that even though we move up through the leadership positions, we continuing to work on all the underlying positions. There are always new situations arising that we must learn to deal with, and we are constantly discovering and becoming aware of new aspects to ourselves via training and refinement. Again, it is not a job we will ever finish. As mentioned earlier with personal development, it relates to gaining awareness of ourselves as leaders at the different levels and we cannot go back again. Once you have arrived at the 3rd position or 3rd level, you can no longer go back and not have the awareness of what the 3rd position means for you. At each position there are countless personal development steps, in which you lift your energy (almost pure quantum physics), without necessarily having elevated yourself to a new leadership position. Leadership development is also personal development, but you can easily develop yourself personally without developing yourself as a leader. The 4th position is an awareness level, which extends beyond your sensory/physical experiences, illustrated by the dotted line in the figure. The dotted line in figure 4 also illustrates the transition from a physical perspective to a more universal perspective, where the Law of love is the greatest (a concept from spiritual and existentialism learning), and where the Law of Attractions also have a strong impact. People who do not utilise the power of love for themselves, for life and thus for others, will not be able to reach the fourth position or higher. At this level you are very conscious of what you are thinking, where you come from, what has shaped you and continues to shape you. You are very aware of what you feel, what triggers your feelings and what assumptions and values lie behind your feelings. You are aware that thoughts and emotions cannot be controlled, but that they are something you should always learn to deal with. Therefore, you are both strong and extremely vulnerable at the same time because you are constantly in a learning process. Your intuition is indeed also in play here, and you begin to understand that the more you learn about things, the more you find that there are many things you do not know about and are lacking in knowledge. You have thoughts of wonder and are very curious. It is the most unstable position because you are actually in a state of being “in between”. An intermediate stage. You are beyond the 3rd position but have still not reached the 5th position. Most people stay here, somewhere between the 3rd and 4th position. There is also a lot to learn here, and awareness is constantly increasing. They get glimpses of themselves and situations, seen from the 4th position, as they enter their daily work in the other 3 positions. To be constantly learning about awareness is an ongoing exercise, and it is hard work that certainly requires something from a person. Therefore, the position becomes unstable because we cannot stay here all the time. When you are in the 4th position, it feels internally like a personal divide and you may choose, from time to time, consciously or unconsciously, to rest for a while in the 3rd position. It can also give a feeling of personal dissatisfaction, an uncomfortable sensation, and it can be a feeling that can last for many years. This is because circumstances require our full presence, e.g. in the 3rd position, where the operation and interaction with our fellow human beings consumes most of our time. The training at this level is primarily about how you consciously work with intuition. For people who want to exercise their intuition somewhat more and learn more about complexity (without going too deeply), it is a great place to be. It is extremely exciting because it is so instructive, and you feel so alive and part of life. You can feel its presence when it is greatest. It is indulgence, creativity, and personal growth with great style. In connection with this, I would also like to highlight intuitive training from two perspectives:
i. the intuitive stomach sensation and intuition from consciousness.
ii. The intuitive stomach feeling is based on everything we register with our five senses. Our own life experiences that are stored in the body. We can train ourselves to listen more to this stomach sensation and act upon it. It requires the self-confidence that we trust our instincts and experiences, and our ability to make reasonable choices. This is because we know that we are always trying to make a choice based on our best belief at the moment we make the decision.
We take responsibility for this choice, and therefore we take responsibility for what we are and can do, at that particular time. Many leaders can benefit more by learning to listen to their intuitive stomach sensations, and it will undoubtedly make everyday a little easier. This is because we do not always have the required time to analyse everything in detail before we take a decision. Learn to trust yourself more, your own intuitive stomach sensations, and of course, be prepared to take the consequences. The other kind of intuition is more diffuse. It is intangible, like an idea or a sudden whim. We listen to something that is not there. We see something that is not there, and yet we know that it is present. Being intuitive. It can relate to everything, from the physical and the professional to the psychological. It takes much greater courage to rely on these experiences, and we often reject them as something silly. We dare not share and involve others in our ideas, thus denying this ability that we have. This kind of intuition is also rejected by many because it may remind them of something spiritual, clairvoyant or a crazy mind. It is rejected as some religious romantic nonsense, and as an intelligent thinking creature, one cannot fall into something as trivial as faith! The greatest physicists, such as Albert Einstein, knew that there is a real power that exists and that instead of fighting it, we should fight more to achieve the greatest possible contact with it.
What you choose to believe in and what you do training-wise, is of course completely up to you. I am just trying to illustrate to you what you can do and how you can use it. I want to give you an understanding of something that it is both an ability and a talent, that requires training, focus and exercise to be able to be used constructively. Some have more talent than others, but if they do not use this talent, then people with less ability can do much better. This applies to all the abilities, skills, and innate talents that we have. If you have the desire, try to work with your intuition, both the one you have in your stomach and the one that comes from your brain or your heart. Listen inside. Practise seeing how often you are right. Recognize your abilities and thereby increase your potential. All people have it, so trust yourself. Do not be afraid. It is not dangerous in any way, and it’s completely up to you how visible you make yourself to others, just do not degrade yourself. Therefore, from the 4th position, we work with what are called the Universal Laws, where the 1st to the 3rd position are the physical laws (action and reaction). The greatest universal law is Love, and therefore you cannot progress onto these levels without love. The Law of Attraction is probably the principle that characterizes the universal laws most, in that we consciously or unconsciously attract things and events. I do not wish to go into detail, but instead refer to other literature on the subject. However, I can point out that, the basis for the reality we both perceive and create for ourselves relates to attitude and thought. There is only a fraction that continue to the 4th position, and even fewer who really train in this position by increasing their awareness. There are also very few capable of reaching the 5th position. However, there are many who glimpse themselves in the 4th position, but that is something else. Use your intuition. Understand without understanding. See the world without understanding everything. Accept things as they are. Recognise that there is a meaning, although it seems meaningless because we cannot see it. Believe that life continues and that the sun will rise tomorrow – even if you do not. Accept your terms. Consider the challenges which you nevertheless cannot change and use your energy to change the things that you really have an influence over. Choose your challenges carefully and above all else, stop fighting yourself. Be patient. Your impatience can be your greatest enemy here in the 4th position. Go with the flow. Believe in fate and start to see and realize where you ought to be heading to and what actions are appropriate for you, making the most of them. Realize that there are things you need to take control of and things that you just need to get rid of completely. Make your choices with your head and your heart. Look after yourself and your core values. Believe in yourself.
POSITION NO. 5: YOURSELF, SEEN WITH HUMILITY
5th position leaders that we meet are inspirational leaders, both in organizations, in politics, NGOs, voluntary jobs and small or large communities. Here we are talking about leadership and not just management, to distinguish between personal leadership and the common perception of a leader, namely a boss or manager. You can be a leader without being a boss or manager. Being a boss is an organizational title and makes it visible to others where responsibility lies, and thus what leadership powers you have been awarded over others. A leader, on the other hand, cannot relinquish responsibility for his personal leadership, his thoughts and actions, and thus the responsibility for the influence bestowed upon others. The influence that a person can exercise in the 5th position, goes far beyond what is immediately apparent from physical obstacles. What seems impossible becomes possible. Think of a person like Nelson Mandela, who lived from 1918 to 2013. He was a South African politician from 1994–1999 and became the country’s first democratically elected president. From the beginning of the 1960s, Mandela was the undisputed leader of South Africa’s greatest liberation movement, the ANC, who fought against the introduction of apartheid from 1948. He was a self-educated lawyer and, in 1952, opened the country’s first black law firm with a partner. By the end of 1961, the ANC decided to launch an armed struggle against white rule. As commander, Mandela was sent for training in Algeria, where he, in 1962, was arrested and detained. In 1965 he was sentenced to life imprisonment. A massive international campaign made him a world-renowned politician, and from 1986 he began discussions on liberation and democracy with the government. In 1990 he was released after 28 years in prison. Mandela stood for peace. A role that he has become world famous for. He forgave his enemies and himself. He had, to a certain extent, worked with himself, thus making the impossible, possible. All the odds were against him, and, many times, it must have seemed hard for him. However, he did not give up hope or faith in peace. This potential, this huge inner “moreness”, willpower, determination, strong faith and strength in personality and integrity is in all of us. However, only a few can exhibit it because it requires so much energy and we must understand what it means to serve, without becoming servants.
Mandela fully accepted the circumstances and found possible solutions to move forward against all the odds. He created and brought these circumstances to his supporters, as well as his enemies, for the cause he stood for: peace. The training at this level is primarily about how to get into the flow and humbly receive. In the 5th position you take 100% responsibility for who you are, your abilities, skills, and talents. Daily training and learning take place through all the people you meet on your way. You constantly work on your humility and you are prepared to learn from all the people you meet on this path, through your experiences, mistakes, and successes.
Many struggles to achieve this, until they understand that it’s not about fighting but about receiving. It is, to some extent, about daring to let go of some self-control in order to receive more. To let yourself go with the flow, be present and in the presence of both yourself and others. It requires that you totally accept the world as it is and, at the same time, identify with what role you want to fill, in order to create something better in this world. The complexity is dealt with here. The paradoxes. You see injustice and fairness as different views of the world, more than fighting with whatever needs to be fought. Here you look at yourself with humbleness, like a human being who both can, but nevertheless cannot, do anything alone. I myself have come to the conclusion that the work required for development from the 4th to the 5th position, is for people who cannot stop because it almost becomes a calling for them. They know it’s hard. They are willing to pay the price (and there may be many), of being slowly put through both bitter and sweet experiences. I call it being refined. We are being refined to become sharp knives, but it hurts to be refined! Like feeling rough sandpaper on your back. However, no matter how bad the pain, one cannot stop. It is an inner driving force that seems so strong inside, that if you try to stop it, it will pop up through external resistance. This reflects on the inner resistance that is present in the struggle against yourself. Only when you are able to stop the struggle against yourself and fight for yourself, in other words what you believe in, what your opinions are and what you want to do for the world, will you see yourself with real humility and live according to the motto, “ability is entrusted”. You assume responsibility for what you are born with, what you are capable of and what feels so right inside, that you cannot stop. Here, the authenticity, integrity and personal radiance grows and the charisma of being a leader increase significantly. It will be more than what you do. It will become who you are, in everything that you do. 5th position leaders are at ease with themselves. It does not mean that they are invincible or invulnerable. Actually, it is the opposite. They allow themselves to be affected by events and are not afraid to exhibit their own vulnerability. This is because they know they can inspire others. They are brave. They dare to be human. They take chances and know the risks if they open up, and they just want to get the best out of everyone they meet along the way. They are loving, self-loving and driven by great love or passion, if you will, in virtually everything that they encounter. To imply that they are engaging is an understatement. They are passionate. As with all other positions, it is important to remember that there are many different personalities and stages of personal development steps for each position. You do not have to be a president or a well-known CEO or NGO to be a 5th position leader. If you have just “landed” in the 5th position, there may be “a distance up” to others in the same position who have worked there much longer, and the mission that one follows may have many outcomes. 5th position leaders have the potential to truly change the world. They have a huge impact on the people they surround themselves with, regardless of the number. They are, to some extent, an inspirational source for all who are interested in leadership, and who would like to become better in leadership. They can motivate and inspire, and they have an energy level that many envies. The world cannot get enough of such people and nobody is born as a 5th position leader. It takes thousands of hours of training to get there and then the rest of your life to keep improving. Thus, it is possible for most of us, if we want it and are willing to pay the price. However, it takes responsibility, hard work, willpower, and self-sacrifice. A 5th position leader cannot rest on his/her laurels. There is so much they want to achieve in the world, that they almost do not allow themselves any kind of rest. Not like stress or pressure, but driven by this inner fire, this passion or calling to make things succeed. To become a 5th position leader, you need to invest in yourself and focus on awareness development. Use your network and your curiosity to acquire more knowledge. Follow what immediately seems interesting to you and where you think you can learn something as a leader. Let me just conclude that I am talking about Leadership, more than Management. Become a leader. It is a gradual process, where you can also find inspiration from the outside, and then start working on it inside yourself through your daily life and daily activities.
POSITION NO. 6: YOURSELF, SEEN WITH ENLIGHTENED CONSCIOUSNESS
There are not many living people in the world at this position, and when we meet them, we are drawn to them. They make a difference just by being present. We often exalt them through different religious beliefs because we cannot explain in words what they are and what they can do. We can feel them and feel their energy but, basically, we do not understand them. We are at a different stage of development, feeling at the same time hugely drawn by their vitality. Remember, they are just human beings, and the potential to reach the same development stage basically lives in all of us. Be inspired to develop yourself and find the own motivational factors which can help you develop your personality. I myself have not met, for example, Mata Amritanandamayi, known as Amma from India, but the work she has done could well lead to a 6th position leader’s work. Amma means mother and she has been given this nickname for her selfless love and compassion to all human beings. Throughout her life Amma has embraced, and therefore comforted, more than 34 million people. They have felt inspired, elevated, and transformed through her arms, her spiritual wisdom and her work within global charity organizations. Amma says that when we get the energy from true love, everything is effortless, and she states herself that her religion is love. The training at this level is primarily about how you use your Being/your consciousness in everything. Even though there are many of us who will not become 6th position leaders, you should never be afraid to see the great light, the great potential in yourself. If you have doubts that what you believe in makes sense, how will you make other people believe in you and have confidence in you? How can you ask others to trust you if you do not even believe it yourself? It’s not about having to do everything ourselves or what we are physically capable of. When we work to move up from the 5th position, we break with physics and open a universe of possibilities. We train and help each other in order that those people, who have a great potential in themselves, can utilize others to develop further. We all have a shared responsibility to get the best out of ourselves. It is not only our children that are our future. It is the sum of all of us, the sum of our common potential that creates our future. Thus, we are also obliged to use the abilities we have and to help others develop their skills. This is regardless of organizational standing, age, sex and other physical conditions.6th position leaders must often be experienced before we can believe in them. They must be felt, sensed. It’s not enough to hear about them, because our inner mistrust overshadows our imagination. Some become almost deeply religious at a physical meeting and, perhaps, that is why so many people do not dare to meet them. They are afraid to lose control of themselves. They say on the one hand that they do not believe in these leaders, and on the other hand they see them with this exudence of great power. They are actually afraid of them.6th position leaders are not domineering people with power. They are highly enlightened people who have so much depth and insight into people and themselves, that they almost seem transparent. It’s as though they have no physical needs themselves. They have no worries and rest in a total acceptance of all that is happening in the world. These leaders do not perform/act in the world like we do. Where 5th position leaders can be directly measured on their results in all that they do, then 6th position leaders are their diametric opposites. This is because they do virtually nothing, and yet they achieve “results”. Not physical results, but the human or psychological, transforming results through personal development. 6th position leaders simply have a different energy frequency. They vibrate in pure energy, and it is through their vibrations that they can transform other people. We can all experience glimpses of being able to do it ourselves, but it’s not quite the same as resting in this frequency. To be present in this frequency. They therefore seem superhuman, and that is what they are, in their own way. They are more human than others, so to speak, but despite everything, they are also human beings. I cannot say much about what it takes to go from the 5th to the 6th position, and maybe it also requires some kind of inner revelation. However, these 6th position leaders do exist, so it is not just something I imagine. Yes, they are rare, but nevertheless alive in the world we know today. The interest in meeting them is therefore usually very personal too. Some even choose to completely take a break in their lives to follow them, and to be helpers or servants. It is a great proposition, and then you do not doubt your belief in this person, this type of leader. It is not fanatical, but a pure and undisputed love. It is important here to emphasize that a 6th position leader never requires others to follow them. This is because they themselves are 100% loving, thus giving undefiled love to others with no pre-conditions or expectations. Under no circumstances am I speaking about the self-proclaimed gurus who are missionaries bringing people with them. Some of these people are often only 3rd position leaders because they are not guided by pure love but by selfishness. It may also seem very alluring and very charismatic to many, but it is another form of charisma I am talking about here. It must not be confused with the charisma; a manipulative 3rd position leader is able to exhibit. 6th position leaders do not see themselves as the saviours of the world. They are not on a mission. They are just themselves. Of course, they speak with a wisdom and understanding and when they see you, it’s as if they see through you, beyond you, and it will touch you deep in your soul.
POSITION NO. 7: YOURSELF, SEEN WITH ENLIGHTENED HUMANITY
Presently, I do not think that there are people who are alive and are 7th position leaders. We know people, like Jesus and Buddha, who historically lived, if we believe in all the sources that have documented their existence as living people.
It is not about religion. For example, you may or may not believe in Jesus as the son of God and you may or may not believe in God. However, it has nothing to do with the fact that there are people who have been so significant in their leadership that they have changed the world, influencing lots of people far beyond their short life on Earth. Nevertheless, they can, if anything, be our source of inspiration to get the best in leadership from ourselves.
Within Spiritual Science, there is a belief that, as humans, we develop to become “real people.” Martinus, a Dane from a small city called Sindal in North Jutland, a part of Denmark, who has written what he calls the Third Testament, points to the Conscious Evolution. He states that we as humans, within approximately 3,000 years, will develop into The Real People, created in God’s image as we were meant to be.
Whether you believe in this or not, as such, it is unimportant in relation to this model. I just do not have the imagination to envisage even higher stages of development than what a human being, like Jesus, was able to do. However, I am completely convinced that we all have the potential to become like Jesus in our work. I do not know how, in addition to the fact that it must require an unbelievably amount of thought and action every day. However, we need some role models that we can look up to, be inspired by and whom we can therefore learn from. People like Jesus can help show us the way, and perhaps make it a little easier to move forward. No matter what, we each must go our own way. From the 1st position to as far as we can reach. The training at this level is primarily about how to handle your full potential, in practice. Why does it make sense to work on the basis of 7 leadership positions? Could we not just stop at the 6th position? I believe that we need good leadership role models and I think that that is especially what the 7th position leaders represent. They may seem unreachable in themselves, but are, to some extent, setting a course. This allows us to each map our own prognoses, goals, and action plans to get as far as possible in that direction. The journey is the goal in itself and we create the path that we move along. It is completely free for you to choose whether you select a living person, that you have met or heard about, as your leadership role model. Alternatively, you can choose an historical non-living person. The 7th level of leadership and the description of the different positions is just a method of identifying the types. It allows you to recognize at which level you are on, so that you can better understand where you can progress to and what you can benefit from, through increased awareness of training. There are no magic recipes for great leadership or personal development, only guidelines and metaphors that can inspire you. Therefore, I hope that this model can be a helpful tool for you on your journey. The model is also a symbol of a spiritual journey, a Kundalini snake*), a primeval force, that can rise the backbone and out through the crown’s chakra, which is just above your head. It is an energy that rises and transforms everything in its path. The term kundalini is used to refer to the vital force or energy that we all hold within us. Often called the “sleeping goddess” or “serpent power”, it is represented as a serpent coiled around the first chakra or root chakra at the base of the spine. Imagine the chakra system as existing on a single electrical circuit that runs lengthwise up the spine with lights at the location of each of the chakras. A profound and revolutionary transformation process, both personally, socially, and energetically, where the goal of the process is awareness, insight and integration between the body, psyche and spirit. It starts at the 1st position and then winds through the other positions.
Common to all personal development is that it is often ourselves that create the limitations. We become scared. We begin to have doubts. We use so-called plausible excuses, namely, those we believe in when sharing them with other people. We also use all sorts of reasons for not working on developing our consciousness. Really, it is easy. It is actually incredibly simple and straightforward, and therefore not difficult. On the other hand, it feels incredibly difficult. We need to make a big effort, use energy, focus, and live through a sea of emotions and experiences. Some are painful and can make us feel lost in an inner fog, where there is no way out. We give up when we do not think we have a firm goal to strive for, instead of diving into it, keeping up with the flow inside and listening more to our inner selves. Allow yourself to grow as a person. Allow yourself to become the best possible version of yourself. If you are hesitating, then ask yourself this:
i. What are your excuses?
ii. What do your excuses consist of?
iii. Why are you hesitating?
These are the questions and answers that only you alone can take responsibility for.
Often, I have also provoked some leaders by saying that they should stop continually getting smarter, to prove how proficient, they are and to gain recognition from others, and instead start to show who they really are.Thus, they themselves become wiser and not “just clever” or “skilled”. We have an expression here in Denmark, which states that there is a difference between being able to calculate something and to figure it out. Who says that we need all the skills to provide good leadership?
As leaders, we must also be strategic and tactical. The difference is the intention behind it; if you are ruled by selfless love or your own interests, be it greed, desire, and the like. To cleanse oneself innermost and replace these forces with pure love, is a sizable and slow process. However, it benefits everyone, and ultimately it will make the greatest difference in the world.
i. What difference do you want to make?
ii. What impression do you want to leave in this world?
iii. What do you wish to be remembered for?
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
