As a result of some of the leadership and personal growth work I've done over the last few months, my understanding of leadership has shifted markedly. Prior to this work, I believed leadership to consist of the 3 C's - Character, Communication and Comfort with Risk. While this description is certainly still true, a more accurate description has presented itself.

First, its important to make a distinction between 'leadership' and 'management'. Management is tactical, and relates to communication, time management, business frameworks, understanding human development and motivation, etc. Leadership, is something altogether different. Leadership is the collection of personal qualities which engender allegiance.

We could spend hours discussing management techniques, but why? These theories are freely available online, totally depend on the situation, conflict with and contradict each other and take years to decifer. Management is comprised of data and practices, not rocket science. Moreover, management techniques are expressions of the leadership. That is, leadership is the consciousness, personality and operating system of an executive. The software is management. Most executives focus only upon management and rarely upon the leadership qualities required to execute said management strategies.

So, what is leadership. Leadership is equal parts self-awareness and integrity. That's it. Sure, self-awareness and integrity yield other qualities, such as emotional intelligence, trustworthiness, aptitude, wisdom, etc., but it is my assertion that leadership is most effectively expedited through focus on self-awareness and integrity. Self-awareness is a quality which is cultivated by self-inquiry. Methods such as psychotherapy, meditation, personal growth courses, retreats and books and interdisciplinary studies (philosophy, literature, art, physical sciences, social sciences, etc.) yield self-awareness. Integrity is simply saying what you mean, meaning what you say, holding yourself accountable to others, and willing to admit when you are out of integrity.

Self-awareness cultivates individual qualities, whereas integrity cultivates social cohesion and trust amongst others. Leadership demands both. Since integrity is fairly straight forward, I'll expand on the more murky subject of self-awareness. Self-awareness means that one is who one is. It is alignment of one's beliefs, being and action, or one's advocation with one's vocation. It is a luxury afforded to those who do their personal growth, spiritual and psychoanalytical work. Once we've taken a hard look at our belongingness/love and self-esteem needs, and our strategies for meeting them, we can begin to self-reflect. That is, once we realize we no longer HAVE to do things to look good or to please others, we can begin to self-actualize and do things which please ourselves.

From this point we dive into pleasurable activities and see the two classes of pleasure strategies - gratification and fulfillment. Gratification is akin to a looping tape reel, in that once we hit the play button and experience the activity we are left in the exact same place we started. Sensory stimulation is gratification - shopping, food, emotional addiction, alcohol, drugs, mindless media, overwork, etc. are all very gratifying, but ultimately leave us totally untransformed, and perhaps even less self-aware. fulfilling activities are transformative. They leave us, and likely others, as different people. Creative expression, service, athletics, investment in relationships and communities, etc. are all fulfilling activities, as we literally transform our environments and ourselves and increase our ability to enjoy them in the future. fulfilling activities have a constructive energy, whereas gratifying activities have a destructive energy in that often, per the law of diminishing returns, they leave us progressively less satisfied.

A self-aware individual has identified his/her bliss. They understand the fulfilling activities they enjoy and fully align their lives around these activities. This naturally leads to great integrity, personal integrity, that is, as self-aware individuals are doing exactly what they want to do, all the time, and are therefore living authentic lives, not the reactive, disingenuous lives of those who have yet to embark on the path of self-awareness.

This authenticity operates irrespective of risk, as one's identity is now derived from deeper and more significant source - self-knowledge. Betting the farm, calling on other leaders, etc. become routine, as the notion of risk no longer exists, since self-knowledge, barring a labotomy, can never be lost. Financial resources, physical assets, professional relationships, while never disregarded are no longer parameters for thinking and action. Self-awareness yields an unbounded realm of possibility, such that the fear of loss reveals itself as only egoic illusion.

Important to note, is that like all fulfilling activities, self-awareness itself has no upper limit. One can never be too self-aware. As such, self-awareness is both goal and life practice - all true leaders make time for personal growth, psychotherapy and interdisciplinary studies.

Self-awareness yields authenticity, and authenticity is the most attractive human characteristic. It is inspiring and contagious. This is the heart of leadership - having something truly authentic, important and meaningful to say and give oneself to. When truth is spoken and acted upon, we humans pledge our full allegiance and movements are created. When in the presence of inauthenticity, a hedged commitment, a wait-and-see philosophy takes place and little real expression, change, enrollment, fulfillment or service occurs.

In conclusion, the theory of leadership is simple, but the practice of cultivating leadership requires an incredible amount of energy. The only thing which breeds consciousness, self-awareness and integrity is suffering. Only when we break our habits and thought patterns, do without and look at our own inauthenticity and lack of integrity, do the validity and true nature of these activities reveal themselves. Leaders are not chosen. They are made, consciously forged by heat, pressure, expansion and energy, forged on the couches of shrinks and in classrooms, philosophy texts and coaching sessions. Such toil, however, produces fantastic results.

Become self-aware and impeccable with your word/thoughts/actions and leadership shall become you. Make self-awareness and integrity your life practice and the world is yours.

Brandon Peele is Founder of Namaste Economics, a set of economic principles defining the path of conscious business.

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