I’ve often asked myself what it means to be a powerful leader. I used to think it was someone who spoke with authority, demanded respect, and delegated tasks to others. My initial attempts at leadership were focused on mimicking what I admired in my teachers, but I soon realized this approach would help me become an impressionist rather than a powerful leader.
Leadership has to be experienced. It’s on the job training which can’t be done from the sidelines.
I naturally choose to take on a leadership role. Apart from satisfying my ego and my need for control, I like to observe and learn from others in their leadership. I realize that I teach and lead so that I can continue to learn. For the past three decades, I’ve had the privilege of watching hundreds of shamanic apprentices and students teach me about leadership.
I recently witnessed some remarkable examples of individual and team leadership from a group of my Rainbow Warrior Apprentices, during a work party weekend at Sweet Medicine Land. While nestled in an ancient river valley and held in the protective embrace of towering prehistoric cliffs, I was inspired to create this video about what I learned.
