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 who
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am 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.
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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 Goleman and 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.
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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
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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 shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10.27). This
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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.
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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 important so that our questioning and
searching is genuine and grounded in Him. Discerning the voice of God is critical if
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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
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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
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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.
Word Count: 2724
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References
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issues with spiritual intelligence. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image.
Collins, P. (2004). Between the rock and a hard place: Being Catholic today. Sydney, NSW:
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Draper, B. (2009). Spiritual intelligence: A new way of being. Oxford: Lion.
Fuller, R.C. (2006). Wonder: from emotion to spirituality. Chapel Hill: University of North
Carolina Press.
Nelson, A. E. (2010). Spiritual intelligence: Discover your SQ, deepen your faith. Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
Robertson, D. (2012) Lecture Notes, EDLE632, September, 2012.
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