Understanding the worldviews of others is is Spiritual Intelligence Skill #7 and is essentialfor leadership and life. Whether in personal relationships or leadership, we need to step out of our own frames to truly “see” others.

Sawubona:
All my attention is with you.
I see you and I allow myself to discover your needs,
to see your fears, to identify your mistakes and accept them.
I accept you for what you are and you are part of me.

I learned about the Zulu greeting “Sawubona” from a consultant colleague who was embracing deep forgiveness in a profoundly difficult relationship. I admired her ability to let go – despite the injustice – and notice the other person. Then, power and healing emerged from pain.

The word Sawubona is a greeting that has exponentially more meaning than a simple: “hello” as we might use with each other in Western culture.

It embraces the importance of giving full attention to another individual. Mastering our Spiritual Intelligence includes understanding that we are all interconnected to each other and the universe.

Sawubona, I believe embodies both our knowledge of interconnectedness and our need and desire to understand and see others fully.

Understanding others requires us to transcend the confines of prejudice, judgment, grudges, and past errors. We need to develop a keen awareness of our own ego, fears, limitations, and past missteps, as well as a recognition of our inherent power, strengths, and assumptions we have in relationships. We need to atune ourselves to the needs of others by attending to origins of their ideas, experiences, beliefs, and actions.

We wish the same for ourselves, don’t we?

If we can do this well together we can serve (and receive) with others as though we are truly integrated. (Did you read Skill #6?)

And we are. If we keep trying to function in life as though we are not, we are truly lost.

My challenge to you: Think about someone you know such as a colleague, relative, boss, or neighbour. How well do you really see them and understand them?

How might truly seeing help you adapt your relationship style in life, community, leadership, or work?

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Learn more about my spiritual intelligence work here: https://kathymacfarlane.com/spiritual-intelligence/

Read more here in my blog: https://kathymacfarlane.com/blog/