Qualities of a Spiritual Leader

I read there is a book called "Mark of a Spiritual Leader".
I believe the 6 marks of a spiritual leader, based on this book are as follows:

I am wondering, what do you think of these six points? Do you agree or do you feel that there are other qualities that distinguish a spiritual leader?

They lead others into their own encounters with God. One of the most effective things about Jesus’ lifestyle was that He didn’t switch into another mode to introduce His disciples to the reality of God.
Whether standing in the synagogue or picking wheat along the path, interacting with the Father was so natural that others around Him could not help but do the same. Whether a spiritual leader is training a new employee or working through a difficult conflict resolution, his followers will discover their own connection to God more deeply in the process.

They lead others to discover their own purpose and identity. Spiritual leadership is characterized by great generosity. A spiritual leader genuinely wants others to fully discover who they were made to be.
Workplace issues and strategic development become tools to help followers discover their own identity and overcome obstacles standing in their way. People functioning in an area of their created identity and strength will always be more productive than those who are simply trying to fill a position or role.

They lead others into transformation—not just production. When the goal is spiritual growth and health, production will always be a natural outcome. People function at their peak when they function out of identity.
Helping your followers discover that their own transformation can happen on the job will engender loyalty and a high level of morale. Spiritual leadership fosters passion in those who follow. Passion is the ingredient that moves people and organizations from production to transformational impact.

They impact their atmosphere. While we may not stop a tempest with our words, spiritual leaders recognize that they can change the “temperature” of a room, interaction, or relationship.
Changing the atmosphere is like casting vision, only it is immediate. When there is tension, fear, or apathy, a spiritual leader can transform the immediate power of these storms and restore vision, vitality and hope. A spiritual leader can fill a room with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness, even while speaking hard things.

They help people see old things in new ways. Many people are stuck not in their circumstances, but in their perspectives and paradigms. The word “repent” means “to think differently, or to think in a different way.” Jesus called people to look again at old realities through new eyes. Changing ways of thinking always precedes meaningful change.
They gain a following because of who they are—not because of a position they hold. Spiritual leaders can be found in secular organizations, in the same way managers and organizational leaders can be found in religious ones.
Spiritual leaders influence more than they direct, and they inspire more than they instruct. They intuitively recognize that they are serving something—and Someone—larger than themselves and their own objectives.

Yes, I could follow a spiritual leader that is the same as me... It sounds like you've outlined yourself.

There's a great documentary that asks the question of if we even really need spiritual leaders. Kumare is subtitled "the True Story of a False Prophet", and is well worth the watch. It explores the nature of spiritual leaders, and whether they're necessary to a genuine religious experience.

Whyte Horse wrote: Yes, I could follow a spiritual leader that is the same as me... It sounds like you've outlined yourself.

i would expect someone who is vastly more wise than i am to be pretty different from me, and i distrust the idea of following someone because they are a lot like i am

my personal opinion is that the best place for modern people to look for spiritual wisdom is in the various fields of psychology.

though they are still relatively young, incomplete, and imperfect disciplines, we've learned A LOT about how to be healthy and balanced in the modern world and its been done without the dogmatic indoctrination and the superstitious undertones of traditional religions, or the demagoguery of religious leaders

but i do think its important to learn what good leadership looks, like and to that effect i think this thread is a good idea

Perhaps someone that isn't setting out to be a spiritual leader and is therefore more genuine because they don't have a 'state' in mind for themselves.

To me, a good leader (spiritual or otherwise) doesn't lead but enables instead.

The best leaders , dont see themselfes as leaders , they lead by example

A common theme I see in those 6 points is that you're allowing the student to find their own way as a result of the mentor's teachings. Which I agree with completely

They gain a following because of who they are—not because of a position they hold.

That's my favorite part I think a lot of people here could learn from that

MartaLina wrote: The best leaders , dont see themselfes as leaders, they lead by example

I think we all are leaders. Our sphere of influence may vary, as well as our metholodogies. Some of us lead haphazardly and others in a structured manner, but we all lead, one way or another, for better or worse.

I'm currently reading Krishnamurti's "Freedom from the Known", and what I specifically like is that he declares the idea of a "path" as something dead, inert, useless. Rather than a path a "spiritual leader" can point towards, it is our own task to awaken to the moment, to realizing that we do not walk the path, but in a way "are the path".

Krishnamurti is much more eloquent than I am, however, and I'm just getting started on the book so my interpretation is not as indepth, but I think it coincides with your points Baru, in that a leader is not out to hand out a system, but instead to guide others to abandon the idea of a system and come into their own.

On Teaching
~ Kahlil Gibran

No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.

The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness.

If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.

The astronomer may speak to you of his understanding of space, but he cannot give you his understanding.

The musician may sing to you of the rhythm which is in all space, but he cannot give you the ear which arrests the rhythm nor the voice that echoes it.

And he who is versed in the science of numbers can tell of the regions of weight and measure, but he cannot conduct you thither.

For the vision of one man lends not its wings to another man.

And even as each one of you stands alone in God's knowledge, so must each one of you be alone in his knowledge of God and in his understanding of the earth.