Interview: How Deepak Chopra Leads With Strengths
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About the Leader
Deepak Chopra
Author and Founder at Chopra Foundation and Chopra Global
- Strategic®
- Connectedness®
- Maximizer®
- Adaptability®
- Futuristic®
“I was very driven as a medical student, as a resident, as a fellow. I was competitive in academia, competitive and driven -- hard work, exacting plans, driving ambition. And then I said to myself one day when I was about 40, 'You know, that’s probably the last refuge of the failure, to be so driven that you never experience joy.' So I changed in my internal dialogue to say, 'Joy is the only measure of success. Joy is the only measure of wellbeing.'”
Giving credit to meditation and his inner stillness, Chopra makes quick decisions that ultimately prove to be correct, something he terms “spontaneous right action.” When reflecting on these decisions, he recognizes them for what they are: rapidly choosing among many options, a defining characteristic of Strategic.
In his nonprofit work and his business, Chopra uses his Connectedness by bringing together people who may expect to have conflict, asking them to find a solution in which everyone would benefit, even competitors of the undertaking. “We invariably find one,” he says.
Chopra maximizes not only his own wellbeing but also the wellbeing of the people around him, doing what he can to ensure they each have the energy to do what they want to do each day.
When faced with a situation that doesn’t go his way, Chopra releases his notion of how it should play out, trusting that he doesn’t know the big picture, offering the situation no resistance.
Chopra uses Futuristic to imagine life in the distant future, anticipating challenges and opportunities that will face humanity. Chopra said, "I was thinking 100 years ahead in technology, but I was also thinking 100 years ahead in terms of peace and social justice and climate change and health and opportunities and joy."