Why Inner Peace May Be Your Greatest Leadership Advantage

Written By Liz Brunner

Companies invest millions of dollars in leadership development, bringing in coaches and consultants to help executives command a room, communicate with confidence, influence others, and drive results. We devote considerable attention to developing power and presence, yet often overlook the inner peace that allows both to flourish. Peace isn't the opposite of power; it's what enables leaders to exercise their power with clarity, intention, and purpose.

Power, Presence, and the Inner State of Leadership

Last month, I had the privilege of serving as emcee for An Evening with Gurudev on Power, Presence and Peace in Boston.

For more than 40 years, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has taught meditation and shared his message about the art of living well, emphasizing that inner peace and outer peace are inseparable. Through his work, he has touched lives across the globe—from children and veterans to incarcerated individuals and communities affected by conflict and war. World leaders have also sought his wisdom.

After more than 35 years in media and communications, and a career coaching executives, I've seen firsthand how much attention we devote to the important leadership skill of developing presence. We work on the voice, the message, confidence, body language, and the ability to influence. But what about the inner state of the person delivering that message?

My evening with Gurudev connected deeply with something I’ve been exploring for years: how greater awareness of what happens within us can become the starting point for meaningful transformation.

The Energy We Bring Into the Room

I believe the energy we project outwardly is directly connected to the peace we cultivate within. In my work with leaders, I often talk about the energy we bring into a room—how it can shape the way others experience us before we ever say a word. That evening offered a powerful reminder that presence isn’t something we simply turn on when we walk through the door. It begins within.

A leader can command a room and still be at war with themselves. Imagine how much more successful our organizations could be if leaders learned not only how to command a room, but also how to bring a sense of calm and clarity into it.

How often are leaders taught to cultivate inner calm, regulate their nervous systems, quiet their minds, or create space for reflection?

When leaders operate from a place of constant overwhelm, burnout, and internal noise, that energy can ripple through their teams, influencing communication, decision-making, relationships, and ultimately, organizational culture. The energy we project is deeply connected to the state we cultivate internally.

A Room of 1,800 People in Stillness

Although I knew Gurudev through his book Notes for the Journey Within and podcast appearances, this was my first time meeting him in person.

As he entered the room, walking down the center aisle through an audience of 1,800 people—many of whom clearly adored him—the energy was palpable. You could feel the audience’s love and reverence for this spiritual teacher who so clearly embodies the peace and presence he teaches.

As he joined me onstage, I immediately noticed his sparkling eyes, beautiful smile, and the peaceful joy radiating from within.

As the Emcee, my role required energy, focus and command of the room, but I also had the opportunity to experience someone whose presence invited everyone to slow down and become more centered, and simply be.

And then came a moment I won’t soon forget.

Imagine 1,800 people sitting in complete silence, eyes closed, breathing in sync, as Gurudev guided us through a meditation designed to reconnect us with our bodies and quiet our minds.

He told us he would set his timer for 10 to 12 minutes. But when he gently brought us back to the room, he revealed that we had actually been meditating for more than 28 minutes!

The reaction was priceless. Many people were astonished. Earlier in the evening, I had asked the audience to raise their hands if they struggled with meditation, and quite a few had. Had Gurudev announced at the outset that we would be sitting for nearly half an hour, I suspect some might have found it difficult to settle in.

Yet there we were: this sea of people, completely still, having experienced something powerful together—something many might not have thought possible.

I’m not suggesting we all need to meditate for 28 minutes. But learning to cultivate genuine peace as a daily leadership practice is vital. Peace isn't simply a nice-to-have or a luxury reserved for weekends and vacations. It’s essential to how we show up, lead, and influence others.

In my upcoming book, Get Your “I.T.” Together! (Spring 2027), I explore how intentional transformation begins within and shapes the energy, confidence, and presence we bring into the world. Cultivating inner peace is part of that transformation—because the way we show up for others is deeply connected to the work we do within ourselves.

The Leadership Practice of Pausing

During our conversation, I asked Gurudev a question that brought a little humor to the evening, and showcased his fun personality. Given his incredibly busy schedule and the countless demands on his time, does he ever put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign?

He laughed, and the question became a recurring point of conversation throughout the evening.

It got me thinking about a simple observation I recently came across on social media: We put “Do Not Disturb” signs on our doors. Sometimes the mind needs one too.

How true. We do our best—or at least try—to protect our time, schedule meetings, silence our phones, and create boundaries around our work. But how often do we give our minds permission to pause? To step away from the constant stream of demands, distractions, and internal chatter?

Sometimes, a few moments of meditation can help us return to the present, find clarity, and reconnect with ourselves.

Perhaps the most important “Do Not Disturb” sign we can put up isn't on a hotel room door. It's the one we place on the door to our own minds.

Where True Presence Begins

There’s a difference between performing calm and cultivating genuine inner peace. We can coach leaders to control their body language, modulate their voices, and project confidence. But when the pressure is on, what’s happening beneath the surface often reveals itself. Genuine peace isn’t about pretending the pressure doesn’t exist or stepping away from the demands of leadership. It’s about developing the inner steadiness to meet those demands without allowing constant urgency, stress, or internal noise to dictate how we show up.

Peace isn’t passive. By putting up our own “Do Not Disturb” sign—giving ourselves permission to pause and quiet the noise—we create space to meet challenges with greater clarity, intention, and perspective, and to choose how we respond rather than simply react.

That pause is more than a moment of calm. It can be an invitation to notice what’s happening within us—and to begin the inner work that shapes how we show up in the world.

This was also a thread in my conversation with Gurudev. I shared that one of the ideas at the heart of my upcoming book, Get Your “I.T.” Together!, is that Intentional Transformation (I-T) begins when we become more conscious of what’s happening within us: our physical sensations, our emotions, and the connection between the two.

Gurudev writes in his book that simply observing a sensation in the body, along with the emotion connected to it, can begin to dissolve that emotion.

He sweetly offered that for him, the “I” in I.T. is about Internal Transformation. I told him that was exactly what I was encouraging people to do: the inner work. Because how we show up in the world is deeply connected to what’s happening within us.

Preparation matters. Experience matters. But in high-stakes moments, our ability to access clarity, pause, center ourselves, and quiet the internal noise can make a meaningful difference in how we navigate uncertainty.

I feel blessed to have had this opportunity to experience Gurudev's presence, power, and peace because he reminded me that presence isn't simply about how we communicate, how confidently we speak, or how we command a room. It's also about the inner state we bring with us—and the space we create to listen, connect, and respond with intention.

Because ultimately, the power and presence we bring into the world are shaped by the peace we cultivate within.

If you're interested in exploring Gurudev's teachings, including SKY Breath Meditation and other meditation practices, visit artofliving.org to learn more.

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