Get off the mountaintop and back in the marketplace: Leadership as transpersonal psychology’s highest calling

Leadership was once seen as a sacred, spiritual calling, but became secular and transactional after Machiavelli and industrialization. In the late 20th century, sacred leadership reemerged alongside transpersonal psychology, producing four dominant spiritually-oriented models: servant, transformational, authentic, and ethical leadership. Despite William James and Abraham Maslow suggesting transpersonal psychology should engage with leadership as a driver of social change, the field has not yet done so. The current state of leadership research and world affairs offers transpersonal psychology a chance to remain relevant and contribute to the greater good.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Leadership since time immemorial has been considered a sacred calling, a spiritual and moral responsibility that attracted great thinkers from East and West. Only with the realpolitik of Macchiavelli, followed by industrialisation, did leadership theory become secular and transactional, a trend that lasted until the late 20th century. About the time transpersonal psychology emerged, sacred leadership was reclaimed and has dominated the past 50 years of the organisation behaviour and psychology literature. Four dominant models of spiritually–oriented leadership have emerged – servant leadership, transformational leadership, authentic leadership, and ethical leadership – with more proliferating every day. Despite William James’s and Abraham Maslow’s pointing the way for transpersonal psychology to engage with leadership as the fulcrum for social change, the field has yet to embrace this responsibility. The current state of leadership theory and research and the current state of the world represent great potential for transpersonal psychology, if the field is to remain relevant and make a vital contribution to the greater good.