One of the hardest things for a lot of leaders when coping with people is the fact that most leaders don’t want to feel sad. And the reason reason for this is that they’re worried about what their tribe is going to think of them. They feel like they have to be upbeat, ready to go, and make sure that they’re stable for everyone.
That builds up pressure over time and we’ve got this thing called stress. The stress is quite often holding in the sadness, despair or depression or whatever people are facing instead of actually facing it head on. What we do in the academy is we help people lead with their vulnerability so they can actually work on the things that they’re struggling with as a leader.
I’m not concerned about people knowing that I’m depressed because of my attitude around it. People wouldn’t even know that I’m feeling that way because I work with the emotions that I’m dealing with and see depression an enlightenment gift. It’s actually a connection to a feeling the loss, that feeling the absolute overcoming of loss, so you can achieve your greatness on the inside. What happens is your body becomes acquainted with a part of you that builds wholeness, and the wholeness is intangible.
If you’re a leader, and you’re helping people, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to reach out to another leader and say ‘I want some help from you’. We’re not taught how to be vulnerable. We were taught how to conceal and I don’t want to do that.