Mary Jones
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Spiritual Intelligence can be a powerful asset to any leader. It can flavour a leadership style to be more considered, open and authentic, highly desirable qualities in an effective leader. In the context of the Catholic Education sector, leadership has a unique grounding in the person of Jesus and the values espoused in the Gospels, and tapping into one's own spiritual intelligence can allow this grounding to come to the fore and be at the heart of each interaction within the workplace.
In this essay, I will define the concepts of spirituality, Leadership Spirituality and Spiritual Intelligence. I will argue that through pursuing some of the possible paths towards developing Spiritual Intelligence, one can develop a Leadership Spirituality for the Catholic school leader that finds its source and model in the person of Jesus, and allows for the building of the kingdom of God within schools. I will demonstrate how this model can be applied in my experience as Religious Education Leader at Holy Spirit Community School.
There are numerous definitions of the word spirituality and it is a term that is understood differently by different people, in different places and cultures, across different periods of time. Most definitions seem to come back to the centrality of the search for meaning that is intrinsic to the human condition. O'Murcha says that "Spirituality concerns the ancient and primal search for meaning that is as old as humanity"(Lecture notes, EDLE632, September). This notion of meaning is a recurring theme throughout the literature about spirituality and referred to by many spirituality writers including Wheatley (2002), Rolheiser (1999), Draper (2009) and Fuller (2009). Spirituality is inextricably linked to the 'big' questions of life about whoam I, what is my purpose, how do I respond, how can I understand the world and what is my place within it?
All these questions can be answered from a secular stance, devoid of any reference to God or a higher being. Spirituality does not necessarily find its basis in religion or faith in a transcendent being. But the reality for many people is, that is exactly where it finds its source. Schneiders (2003, p.164) points out that many see religion and spirituality as "two dimensions of a single enterprise," "often in tension" but "essential to each other." As both a woman and specifically an educator within the Catholic system, this is the way I see spirituality, intrinsically linked to my religion and faith, even though that can be challenging and problematic at times.
Within the Catholic tradition, we are enriched with many benefits and blessings that come with belonging to an institutional church. Schneiders notes that the church gifts us with an "authentic tradition of spirituality" that gives us roots from which to branch out, discover, question and test (2003, p.171). Our spirituality can be enriched and supported within a community of fellow believers who share a similar faith journey. Collins (2004) points out that our Catholic tradition is an historical one which gives us a thoughtful response to some of the big questions. Fox picks up on the notion of a path or journey, stating that our spirituality attends to a spirit filled way of negotiating and attending to the path (cited in Draper, 2009). As Christians, this spirit can be named as the Holy Spirit, particularly significant for me as a faith leader at Holy Spirit Community School.
Leadership spirituality, central to the core of any leadership position within the Catholic context, is a spirituality that finds it source in the person of Jesus and the values captured within the Gospels. Starratt and Guare (1995) note that all leadership has implied spirituality, but the phrase Leadership Spirituality denotes a particular lens through which leadership is seen and enacted. Leadership spirituality must be rooted in continuing the mission of Christ in the world and building the Kingdom of God. As leaders, we are called to build community through collaboration and trust, sharing a common purpose, goal and aim (Dorr, 2004). The community of the Catholic school has a common purpose, doing the work of Christ, and this has particular implications for the spirituality that drives it. Starratt and Guare summarise this as a type of leadership that:
"by its very nature is directed towards persons developing a greater understanding of themselves and their ways of being in the world. In leading, we are always engaged with the power of the spirit performing over and over again some act of vision, of faith, of desire."
These are empowering words for the leadership team in a Catholic school.
Spiritual Intelligence grew out of the work of Howard Gardner and his framework of multiple intelligences (Vaughan, 2002). This work was the basis for exploration of emotional intelligence by Golemanand then the work of Emmons to define a new type of intelligence, Spiritual Intelligence (Lecture notes,EDLE632, September). Vaughan(2002) makes the point that Spiritual Intelligence is still explorative rather than definitive, and writers vary significantly in how they define it. Like spirituality itself, it is bound up with finding meaning in our lives and in developing a framework from which to consider the questions that are fundamental to the human condition.
Zohar (2001) has been instrumental in researching the field of Spiritual Intelligence and believes that the spiritually intelligent person has a sense of purpose, motivation, peace and priority, and is able to live a centred and balanced life. She states that Spiritual Intelligence is a call to live a more reflective and considered life, thinking deeply about our motivations and deep purpose (2001). Vaughan nuances this idea by writing that Spiritual Intelligence integrates the “inner life of the mind and spirit with the outer life of work in the world” (2002, p.16). Spiritual Intelligence is the facet of us that allows us to depth our experiences of, and reactions to life. It is an enabler for the deeper questions of our lives that arise out of own our spiritualities. It can give us a path to living purposefully and mindfully, so that life is more than a series of ‘knee-jerk’ reactions to the situations we find ourselves in.
Many writers on Spiritual Intelligence note that this is not an easy path for most humans. In an ever increasingly secular, consumerist and ego-centric world, acknowledging that there is more to life than what is obvious does not come easily. Brewer (2008)notes that the complexity of modern life demands this new kind of intelligence, and that it allows us to live more at ease within the modern world as we have a basis for deciding what is truly good and right.
Spiritual Intelligence requires a commitment to knowing more about oneself and taking responsibility for one’s life (Zohar and Marshall, 2001). We need to ask questions, search deeply, step outside our comfort zones and increase our self knowledge. This can be confronting for many people, but also a wonderful opportunity for growth and the development of understanding and wisdom. Striving for Spiritual Intelligence can help us to reach our fullest potential and deal with the problems of good and evil and life and death (Zohar and Marshall, 2001).
There are many different paths to Spiritual Intelligence which sit well within the context of leadership spirituality. Zohar and Marshall list six different possible paths; The Path of Duty, the Path of Nurturing, the Path of Knowledge, the Path of Personal Transformation, the Path of Brotherhood and the Path of Servant Leader (2001). Each of these paths can offer something to the leader in Catholic education who is striving to be a spiritually intelligent leader. Each of these paths can help a leader create an environment within the Catholic school that has Jesus at its centre and bringing about the kingdom of God as its goal. I am going to focus on two of these paths; The Path of Nurturing and the Path of Servant Leadership.
The Path of Nurturing is concerned with loving, protecting and making fertile (Zohar and Marshall, 2001). The Catholic school should be a place where students and staff experience each of these on a daily basis. As a leader, I must be a model of love, not the kind of love sung about or made into movies but the kind of love demonstrated by God through the life, death and resurrection of his son, Jesus. Brewer (2008) sees Spiritual Intelligence through a Christian lens and notes that one of the important questions for the spiritually intelligent to ask is “What does God say about this?” He also believes that one of the four pillars of Spiritual Intelligence is scripture (2008). Scripture is very clear about what constitutes love; “You shalllove the Lord your God with all yourheart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10.27). This piece of scripture is central to the mission of the Catholic school and should be at the heart of leadership spirituality in that context.
The Path of Nurturing also demands an openness and receptivity to others, and authentic listening (Zohar and Marshall, 2001). We need look no further than the person of Jesus for the model of how this can be lived out. Jesus sought out the downtrodden, outcasts and poor and made it his mission to extend them hospitality and warmth. Our schools are filled with unique stories and situations, many beyond our own experiences and comprehension. As spiritually intelligent leaders, we are called to look beyond what we can see, to withhold our judgement and to see as Jesus would have. Brewer talks about the spiritually intelligent accessing the “wisdom of the ages” contained within scripture as a model for the way to engage with others and live our lives (2008, p. 62).
For the leadership team at Holy Spirit Community School, this ‘wisdom of the ages’ is documented in the vision statement that begins “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). We are charged with the mission of developing these fruits of the spirit within the students and staff, so that the community is working towards building the kingdom of God. Nelson(2010) believes that the qualities written about in Galatians are actually the qualities possessed by the spiritually intelligent. If this is true, authentic leadership then has no option but to bring spiritual intelligence to each decision, interaction, plan and conversation. Perhaps one path for achieving this is the path of servant leadership.
The Path of Servant Leadership is characterized by a deep longing in the soul to make things happen, to create new ways of being and to improve the attitudes of those being served (Zohar and Marshall, 2001). This can often be connected with cultural change within a workplace and this is one of the most difficult changes to effect. This path requires integrity and wholeness and is therefore, one of the most challenging paths to spiritual intelligence for a leader (Zohar and Marshall, 2001). This path is about creating new visions, inspiring others and taking them with you in new directions for a common purpose.
The most radical servant leader was Jesus. His new vision for the kingdom of God on earth inspired his every action and word and continues to inspire leaders today. This kind of leadership is charismatic and endearing as his example demonstrates (Nelson, 2010). The spiritual intelligence of Jesus was clear to those who lived with him and to those who continue to read the narratives of him thousands of years later. This same Spiritual Intelligence is what leaders in Catholic schools are called to strive for. Jesus can be a path towards achieving this.
Servant Leadership demands a high level of self knowledge and understanding. Zohar and Marshall contend that the servant leader is in tune with life forces, ultimate sources of meaning and deeply held values (2001). The path to servant leadership then requires commitment and dedication to pursing the challenging questions and reaching beyond the comfort zones so that we are able to develop and share this high level of self knowledge. Brewer (2008) would also add that discerning the voice of God in our lives is importantso that our questioning and searching is genuine and grounded in Him. Discerning the voice of God is critical if we are to know we are on the right path as leaders. Vaughan suggests that this can be achieved by listening with the heart and following your “inner guidance” (2002, p.21).
If servant leadership is concerned solely with serving God, as it is through serving Him that we serve others, the question of ‘what does God say about this’ returns as central. There are four pillars of spiritual intelligence that Brewer names that can help seek the answer to this question; scripture, wise counsel, reason and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit (2008). It is essential for leaders to have support in the form of a wise friend who can act as a sounding board for ideas, visions and plans and to remember the importance of prayer in knowing God and what he is asking of us. Luke reminds us that ‘the kingdom of God is within’ and our spiritual intelligence can enable us to be in touch with that kingdom and act in harmony with it (Zohar and Marshall, 2001).
As a leadership team at Holy Spirit Community School, it is time to refocus and clarify our goals as a school community. It is all too easy to get caught up in the day to day dramas of school life and lose sight of what we are all working for. We need to work on developing and utilising our spiritual intelligence so that we can be a more visionary team, who can inspire our community to strive to truly create the kingdom of God for our students and families.
Zohar and Marshall suggest seven steps to developing a better spiritual intelligence, all of which deserve consideration and reflection (2001). Awareness of where we are now and what we would like to change is probably reasonably high but it is the next steps of reflecting on motivations and discovering and dissolving obstacles that are the more challenging ones. As Starrat and Guare state, spirituality can enhance and build collaborative partnerships and collective action (1995) and we need to tap into this and work from that basis.
In our community, it is probably staff cultural change that is the biggest challenge faced by leadership. How do we get people on board, excited and enthused to find better ways to increase student outcomes? How do we challenge staff to move beyond their comfort zones, in a supportive and non-threatening way? These challenges can be faced if we use a model of servant leadership that is based on loyal service rather than a leadership model based on power (Zohar and Marshall, 2001). We must acknowledge that this path requires commitment, conviction and courage (Draper, 2009) and be empowered by that, rather than put off. This path also requires maturity, the kind of spiritual maturity shown by Jesus in every aspect of his life on earth. If we are able to act out of love, as defined by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (22:36-39), then we know we are on the right path to authentic leadership.
Spiritual Intelligence is the intelligence found at the deepest places of our being, the part of us that knows the truth, the part of us that acts with integrity, and the part of us that considers our place in the world. If we can harness this intelligence and bring it to light as a leader, we can be more effective and genuine. For the Catholic educator, leadership is nuanced by the context of working within a Christian community that is striving to build the kingdom of God as preached by Jesus. It can be challenging to keep this at the centre of our vision consistently but essential, if we are to be servant leaders, serving only God. To be a spiritually intelligent leader is a calling to ‘love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength’ daily, in every relationship, in every meeting, in every encounter.
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References
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