“This God – His way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.” – Psalm 18:30

This week I was moved to revisit my column that was published almost nine years ago on Monday October 21, 2013, entitled “Soul of Leadership”.
This took me back to 2003 when I was interviewed by Chester Connell of CBC Radio in Barbados. He questioned me on the sequence of events in my life, which led to the recognition that spiritual capital should be included in a country’s capital asset base along with intellectual, social, cultural, human, natural, physical and financial capital.

I indicated that I (1) had a Christian upbringing; (2) was exposed to ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale as a teenager; (3) read ‘The Ten Demandments of Prosperity – Dynamics of Successful Living’ by Dr. Stuart Grayson in the 1980s; (4) have been influenced by the teachings of Pastor A.R. Bernard of Christian Cultural Center of Brooklyn, New York at the turn of the century and about the same time; (5) was inspired by Dr. Deepak Chopra, whose work is steeped in both Western and Eastern philosophies. All of these influences have molded my philosophy of living today.
My son Bevan Springer is celebrating 14 years since he established Marketplace Excellence, a global public relations, marketing and media company. I am very proud to have witnessed him overcome challenges from close quarters along a successful journey. Some 21 years ago, he launched the Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) under the auspices of the Washington, DC-based Counterpart International, before establishing it as an independent nonprofit entity in 2010.

He was not satisfied to rest on his laurels and, early in 2022, inspired by Divine and collegial guidance, decided to create new opportunities in the changing market environment.

He revisioned, took stock, reengineered and relaunched his operations.

The manifestation of his coming of age, even though challenging, buoyed by a positive approach, is yielding encouraging results, which will no doubt redound to the benefit of satisfied clients, motivated team members and sustainable organizations.

The public is responding well to MPE-branded content, primarily in the tourism space, one of the latest being an inspiring read about Sandals Resorts’ Adam Stewart’s redefinition of Caribbean excellence. This is an inspirational gateway to the future.

Deepak Chopra, who has been teaching leadership to CEOs and other top executives for 17 years, believes a leader with vision can make that vision real. While the principles outlined in “The Soul of Leadership” apply to any business, it is relevant in every community and area of life, from family and home to school, place of worship and neighborhood. “At the deepest level”, Chopra writes, “a leader is the symbolic soul of a group.”

Caribbean leaders in the public and private sectors would do well to avail themselves of any opportunity to read Chopra’s “The Soul of Leadership” and to listen to his engaging online presentations.

Let’s now combine our God-given talents, and work smartly, like the Stewart family, to link the Caribbean to the world.

(Dr. Basil Springer GCM is a Change-Engine Consultant. His email address is basilgf@marketplaceexcellence.com. His columns may be found at www.nothingbeatsbusiness.com).