Pray Your Way to Leadership?

The wellness industry is booming. Meditation, yoga, and other forms of “self-care” are particularly in vogue. These are all healthy practices with wide and varied benefits to both mind and body. But they are acts of self care—inherently, to some extent, selfish. Yes, you can make the argument (one I agree with) that if you are centered, calm, fit, and focused, you can be a better partner, parent, colleague, and leader. But not necessarily. It matters how and where you channel that energy. You can just as easily be self-centered, calm because you think you have it all figured out, fit to satisfy those narcissistic urges, and laser-focused on your personal aspirations of owning a private island. So, yeah, the motivation behind your self-care matters when it comes to deciding whether or not that qualifies as “healthy”.

This guy had a killer skin care routine.

Outside of meditation and the like, there’s another practice that doesn’t seem to get the same attention in mainstream conversations. Not only is it the world’s oldest form of self-care, but it can also be a secret superpower for leaders: prayer.

🚨🚨RED ALERT! RED ALERT! YOU CAN’T TALK ABOUT RELIGION OR POLITICS🚨🚨

Humor me. “Practicing mindfulness” may be a more buzz-worthy term right now, but being mindful and praying, while looking similar on the surface, are distinctly different. The separator lies, again, where the energy is channeled. Namely, on something other than yourself. Rather than meditating to get yourself to a place where you want to be, praying is an attempt to get yourself where you need to be. Where God wants you to be. See the difference? You are, just by the act of praying, putting yourself second.

Now, this isn’t about spirituality, religion, or even God for that matter. Rather, it’s about embracing the notion that it’s not about you. It’s realizing how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things. The act of praying is not only a spiritual and deeply personal act; it is one rooted in embracing something bigger than yourself. At the most fundamental level, prayer requires humbling oneself and asking for help.

OK, so what does that have to do with leadership? Aren’t leaders supposed to take charge? Shouldn’t they be confident, fearless and resolute? Kinda. Sorta. Sometimes. Good leaders know that they occupy a chair that is a privilege to sit in; and the seating chart is temporary. Ultimately, leaders are charged with making those around them better, not bettering themselves. They’re servants. We before me. It’s not about them as individuals, it’s about what they can do as individuals to make things better for the collective. Religious beliefs aside, look no further than Jesus himself when seeking the model of a servant leader.

In addition to servant leadership, another tenet deeply imbedded in religion & spirituality, and ultimately prayer, is the acceptance of one’s imperfection. If perfection is relegated to The Almighty, then that leaves the rest of us as imperfect sinners. Leaders understand this at their core. They don’t have all the answers, and they will fail. Acknowledging that fallibility helps leaders avoid the blind spots inevitably created by hubris. Pride comes before the fall. It’s easy to fall into the peripheral trappings of a leadership role—attention, money, respect, privilege. Despite best intentions, we’re only human. Our ego loves a good stroking. Rooting yourself in humility through prayer can be a good way to avoid that trap.

This isn’t to say that if you don’t pray you can’t be a good leader, or if you do pray that you are. It’s not that praying a specific way, for a specific thing, to a specific God will help grow your leadership skills. Rather, it’s the openness to vulnerability and somewhat ironically, subservience, that can turn perceived weakness into immense strength within a person. By humbly appealing to a higher power for wisdom, forgiveness, strength, or patience, we acknowledge that we’re lacking it. That self-awareness, humility, and desire to do good is ultimately what can form the foundation for greatness down the road.

So while I may not be proselytizing, I do believe in the power of prayer.