What Grounds You As A Leader?

What Grounds You As A Leader?

What keeps you grounded when leadership feels overwhelming?

In my Lead From Wisdom model, the final area is what I call (for now) Life Source. It’s the most challenging to describe and has been the hardest to name. You won’t find it in many leadership theories.

For me, Life Source is about zooming right out. Beyond strategies, targets, and roles, there’s a deeper connection to purpose: to what came before us, and to what will continue after us.

I’ve explored this in different ways. As a teenager, I attended church through Brownie and Guide groups, but looking back I realise it was more about searching for belonging than religion itself.

Later, I found connection through spirituality, ritual, nature, meditation and exploring my ancestry. What I’ve learned is that it isn’t about the “right” belief system. It’s about recognising that not everything can be explained by logic alone and that grounding ourselves in something bigger gives us perspective, energy and purpose.

For senior leaders, this matters because:

🥾 It helps us stay steady when the pressure is intense.
🐜 It reminds us that we are part of much bigger systems: organisations, teams, communities, even the natural world.
🌳 It stops us from getting lost in the noise and brings us back to what endures, our essential “why” as leaders and as human beings.

When I explore Life Source with leaders, it often looks like:

👀 Understanding what has gone before them that still shapes today’s culture, beliefs and behaviours.
🌍 Exploring the legacy they want to leave for the people who will follow.
🙏 Finding practices that keep them grounded and able to operate from a wider viewpoint, whether it’s reflection, faith, time in nature, creativity, or deep conversation.
👁️ Paying attention to the subtle cues and “unseen” signals in systems that logic alone might miss.

👉 How do you connect to your Life Source, your deeper soul purpose and calling?

I'd love to hear what helps you keep perspective when leadership feels heavy?

The image is of an elephant's eyes. In many cultures animals are believed to help us to connect into our deeper feelings and needs.