Does leadership have a spiritual core? According to a new research study of developing ethical leaders, the answer is yes. If fact this evolutionary spiritual core may have everything to do with leadership.

As we engage in our own development and the edge of conscious evolution carries us into unconventional territory, we might find ourselves wondering: Is there anyone else out there? How do I carry what I now sense and understand into a world that still sees it self in conventional terms? How does the leading edge of consciousness meet others and find its expression in the world? An answer? Through community and leadership.

As we grow, we consider a greater and greater scope in our care, from our self, to our family, community, all humans, all sentient beings, and so on. But this doesn’t necessarily imply an active, engaged service orientation. We know from our research and experience supporting individuals in their development, that as we develop through stages, we progressively take on wider and wider perspectives. As we do that we tend to go through cycles, first integrating a new perspective, then acting on it. In other words, we go through alternating stages that have an orientation to either being or doing.