As a leader, what are you doing to feed your soul? Engaging in spiritual practices is a key part of sustaining your energy and authenticity as a leader.

One such practice is simply spending time in silence. It's counter-cultural. It doesn't even feel like a practice, since you don't say anything or seem to be doing much when you are silent. It certainly doesn't feel productive. In my new book, Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life, I make some observations about silence:

"Driving down the expressway one day, I noticed a billboard for a wireless phone service. In bold letters it declared simply: 'Silence is Weird.' The phone company's name was at the bottom of the sign in smaller letters. Don't be silent, the sign implored. Talk, communicate, keep in touch. Continuously. We'll give a thousand minutes a month for just $39.99.

"We live in a world where the most common adjective we put in front of silence is 'uncomfortable.' As in, 'there was an uncomfortable silence.' We don't think ...