Omer, Kabbalah, & Leadership - Week 7

The final sefirah of the Omer is Malchut, Sovereignty. When I picture a sovereign the image that

comes to mind is the official portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II (I’m kind of into British Royalty stories.) There the sovereign stands, with the physical reminders of leadership and all alone - one person in charge. But in practice, the strongest form of leadership is not isolated rule; it is decision making with the help and guidance of others. A leader’s authority is not diminished by advisors. It is strengthened by them.

The work of leadership is to gather perspective, listen deeply, and synthesize wisely, asking advisors to help see what the leader might not. The leader remains responsible for the

decision, but the decision is richer and more grounded because it was not made in isolation.

Here are some concrete ways to make good use of advisors to support your leadership.

Don’t just ask for opinions—define what kind of thinking you need from each person.

• “I need your read on how this will land emotionally with the community.”

• “I need you to push back if this feels unrealistic.”

Build in structured dissent so you don’t accidentally create agreement bias.

• “Before we decide, I want one reason this might fail.”

• Assign a “devil’s advocate” role in key meetings

Even after you decide, keep advisors engaged.

• “Keep flagging if this starts to drift.”

• “I still want your eyes on how this plays out.”

  
  

Strong sovereignty or leadership is not making decisions alone—it’s building a circle of advisors strong enough to challenge you, and wise enough to strengthen your judgment.