Helping people lead themselves

What is in the DNA of a true leader

One of the most important things for a leader in today’s environment is to have the ability to constantly be in a state of self-improvement. People don’t choose to follow processes, they choose to follow people who inspire them. Leaders should be living examples for everybody else.

The best leaders don’t necessarily have to be the best managers. Instead, they are the biggest visionaries, the biggest creators, the biggest dreamers who think of really ambitious projects that other people would be afraid to tackle. Visionaries enjoy being challenged.

There has to be a strong reason behind your desire to become a leader. You have to start by leading yourself first. Some good questions to guide you are:

• Do you know why you are here, in this world?
• Do you know what kind of change you want to make in the world?
• Do you know what you need to do in order to be worthy of your vision?
• Are you working on your vision every single day?

The failures of our current education system

Ezekiel believes that the current education system has failed him. We are all products of education systems that train us to be part of an engine in society. It’s a very outdated model that’s basically assuming that whatever we’re learning is still relevant. If you’re studying Communications, for instance, many things you learn are pretty much useless once you’re finished studying.

We are taught to follow, not to think. We are even sometimes punished for thinking outside of the box. We are also often taught that there is only one way of doing things, and that our goal is to work for some big corporation.

Ezekiel wishes that schools would also offer alternative courses, like how to manage your stress levels, how to keep yourself in a balanced state, how to make friends, how to have better relationships, how to network, how to study. No one ever teaches you these things, and we all have to learn them the hard way.

Leading a value-driven organization

At Mindvalley, they are guided by three main values:

• Unity: they follow the concept of world-centrism. They believe that everyone is equal, so they don’t discriminate against race, gender, social or cultural backgrounds. They love and embrace diversity, because it brings out creativity.
• Envisioning: the idea that you will never settle for anything. They will always look for what is next.
• Transformation: being in a constant state of evolution, being comfortable in uncertainty, seeking to be better at all times.

People are the ones who make up organizations. If you have great people, you can do great things. More and more people choose to join certain organizations because they resonate with the vision of these places.

At Mindvalley, they make sure they offer their employees four things: happiness, growth, significance, and meaning. Ezekiel is sure that if other companies manage to provide these things, people will join them wholeheartedly.

Investing in yourself as a leader will ultimately benefit your organization

Ezekiel believes that in the near future more and more people will boycott humanity minus organizations, aka businesses that are only there to make a profit. Organizations need to have a character, and not just be money-making machines.

His advice to leaders? Invest in your own personal growth, in yourself as a person. If you, as a leader expand your way of thinking, your organization will also expand. Put yourself first and remember to take care of your physical and mental health.

What does the world need the most right now, if you ask Ezekiel? A collective elevation of consciousness and being able to really step out of ourselves and have a good look at the bigger picture.