- Be more aware of yourself. When you are self aware, you are far more likely to pursue the right opportunities, put strengths to work and keep your emotions from holding you back.
- Know what triggers you and manage those responses. Through every experience, stir them in more positive outcomes.
- Exercise your empathy bone. Take into account the wellbeing others when making decisions, listen, be open-minded and willing to learn from others.
- Keep in mind the impact you have in your relationships. Set the tone in how you relate to, talk to and engage with them. A team always mirrors a leader’s values (good or bad).
- Stay true to who you are. Everyone else is taken, the best way to stay ahead is to keep doing what you’re good at; that’s you! Leadership isn’t authority; it’s the respect you earn through your actions.
Why we emphasize conscious leadership
Many leaders (CEOs, managers, entrepreneurs) are competent, strategic and result oriented. However we struggle with listening, focus too much on how decisions affect us and don’t take the time to foster relationships.
83% of people high in self-awareness are top performers and just 2% of bottom performers are high in self-awareness. Conscious leadership means as leaders, we are more aware of our surroundings and our decisions and actions are centered on everyone’s (and the organization’s) wellness instead of purely selfish motives. Here’s why this works so well:
For the organization: A lot of leaders get caught up in the reaction trap i.e. in the loop of reacting to meetings, conference calls, problems and a never-ending to do list. Unable to function effectively, we fail to do our jobs right because we are reacting instead of acting. Conscious leadership means leaders are more aware of their actions and the results of said actions. Their time and efforts are more focused on their job: creativity, strategy, team management etc. as opposed to these ‘distractions’.
For the team: Like children loving their new toy, sometimes leaders come to love new employees and disregard old employees. New recruits show more potential, drive and/or remind us of ourselves at that age. We engage in favoritism and we destroy relationships we’ve built with the long-standing staff unconsciously. Conscious leadership requires us to be more aware of how we manage people at different levels and different situations, thus being a bridge for all to connect, have shared experiences and find commonalities. This promotes cohesiveness.
For the stakeholders (community, customers, government etc): The world’s leadership paradigm is shifting towards conscious leadership. The shift is necessitated by customers that want to support business that take a more ‘people, profit and planet’ management style. Conscious leaders develop well rounded strategies that captivated these customers and tell more empathetic and ethical brands stories. This inspires renewed fair and maintains stakeholder loyalty.
For the self: Bottom line is conscious leaders want to be successful and the only way to do that is to ensure that they have great relationships with those around them whether that is with workforce, customers, or the community. It is imperative to be;
- Present in that particular time and moment,
- Aware of what we are doing, and;
- Mindful of what we say and how we say it.
Conscious leadership helps us stay focused by defining who we are and what we want to do with who we are. By understanding this, it becomes very easy to be mindful and present.