In most organizations, those who have become leaders have achieved the status of the leader. They may not have necessarily achieved the state of the leader. What do I mean by this? To understand this, first let us understand the key ingredients that make a successful leader.

What do I mean by this term, ‘Leader Consciousness’?

Most of us achieve the status of a leader, but not the state. State is totally different from status. Status comes from society when you are leading a group of people, if you are forced to take the responsibility of some department or if you take the responsibility out of your greed, the status comes. But the state is totally different. When I use the word ‘state’ I mean your inner space or your being should be mature enough to handle what you are entering or the responsibility which you are assuming. When we just get the status without achieving the state, all the problems which exist in the corporate world start – stress and tension in the personal level, and backbiting and politics in the level of the team. All these problems start when you don’t achieve the state but just achieve the status.

When I use the word ‘state’ I mean your inner space or your being should be mature enough to handle what you are entering or the responsibility which you are assuming.

Here I am trying to express to you the truths from the great traditions of the East, how to achieve leader consciousness, how to achieve the state of the leader and not just the status. See, status is very easy, state is something which we really need to achieve. Status will simply follow a man who has achieved the state of a leader. Even if the status takes its own time, he will not be bothered, he will live like a king! His very life will be totally fulfilled. The invaluable feeling of fulfillment happens to beings who achieve leader consciousness.

source: Living Enlightenment