Top 5 Reasons Conscious Leaders Succeed
Many of you have been asking, what does someone look like when they are practicing conscious leadership? What are the basic attributes which enable their success?
Firstly, it’s important to define what we mean by conscious leadership. Leaders can strategize, make decisions, budget, solve problems. Or they can go beyond. Leaders can inspire, encourage, paint a vision, enable people to thrive and do their best work. Conscious leaders lead from a place of abundance not scarcity, openness not control, curiosity not resistance. They are driven to create impact across the board — in their organizations, in their communities and in the world.
How does all that come together? What are building blocks we need to pay attention to? Below, I’ve shared what I believe are the five cores elements of every successful conscious leader. Over the next few weeks I’ll deep dive into more on how you can practise and improve on each element.
- Listen more, talk less. As we grow in our careers we can often stop asking for advice. There’s a belief we hold, that we’re supposed to have all the answers and asking makes us look weak. I wonder at what point we stop paying attention? Where we grow impatient? Where we stop connecting? Conscious leaders listen deeply, and they encourage others to do the same. They know asking questions, and listening to feedback is key to not being blindsided, to hearing what the business needs, to spearheading innovation, and to connecting deeply with their people, and their customers. Listening is a practice which is honed over time. It requires you to bring your conscious awareness continually. As D.J. Kaufman said “Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening … when you’d have preferred to talk.”
- Set direction, set expectations. As leaders it’s our role to set a clear vision. A clear vision not only inspires and motivates, it also makes clear the focus and scope. Many of you have brilliant and audacious visions of change (thank goodness!). Change which may take generations to manifest. Translating your vision into a yearly, monthly, and weekly roadmap is not easy. And even then, things can get off track fast. It’s usually in the form of failed communication, and that can be mostly attributed to expectations not being set, or set clearly, and that assumptions are too often being made. How many times were you under the impression X was being done, when it wasn’t, or you’ve had a team member finally confess they had no idea what they were actually supposed to deliver? Expectations and assumptions traverse the entire business: the work, timing, people, outcomes. Bringing conscious awareness to what you are communicating, and exposing what assumptions you might be holding will ensure clear shared goals, save time and ultimately create stronger relationships.
- Find the edge, stay curious. Conscious leaders are always looking to find their growing edge; where they can improve, get sharper, and understand more deeply. This is true of all aspects, whether that’s experimenting with a new innovation framework, or deep diving into a particular subject matter. For conscious leaders, a growing edge is also true of their own learning of self. No matter where we are in our leadership journey, there are aspects of ourselves which we can know better, and work to advance, or deepen. It could be applying one’s strengths in a new way, tackling the inner critic’s new charge (it will never be 100% silent) or discovering a deeper cut at what you value most. Being a learner again can be a humbling experience, that’s why cultivating curiosity is key. Applying a childlike wonder to the world not only encourages us to have fun, it keeps us playful and non-judgemental. Curiosity allows us to see and hear what learning is important now.
- Serve the team, not yourself. Seems obvious, and is very hard to do without bringing conscious awareness. It involves checking your ego at the door — repeatedly, and moving to a place of radical trust and empowerment. Often as new leaders, we find it tough to believe in our team’s abilities, we’ll try to control our people and the outcome. Instead of creating the vision and conditions for deep commitment, engagement and success. This requires surrendering authority and perfection, and championing creativity, learning — and ultimately ‘extreme ownership’ (as practised by Navy SEALS). As Herb Keller famously said “The business of business is people. Yesterday, now and forever.” We forget about this most of the time, when deadlines are looming and our inner critic wants to dictate. We must invest time in our people to get the best work, and as conscious leaders it’s our responsibility to help our teams thrive.
- Value, and commit. I don’t doubt people’s integrity. I wholeheartedly believe people are basically good. 99.9% of the time people do the right thing. We help others, we try our best. Where we often lose our integrity is when it comes to ourselves. How often do we compromise what we value and need? Our family, our rest, evenings, weekends. Our bodies needs for movement, and wholesome food? Our worth, respect and gratitude? As conscious leaders integrity of self, putting our needs above, or at least equal to our cause, is critical for creativity, innovation and sustained impact — and a healthy and happier you! A lesson people in the impact space often learn the hard way is honoring one’s own needs, and setting boundaries for self care. The root of self integrity is knowing what you need, and committing to following through. Just as you would make a promise to another human being, as conscious leaders we must make a promise to ourselves. Without self integrity you run the risk of burnout, where no will follow you, and if no is following you then you are not leading.
There are many more traits which can be applied to conscious leadership, and in my experience of coaching hundreds of leaders, these five core areas build fundamental awareness of self, and to others. With practise they not only can make you a better leader; they can make you a better son, daughter, sister, friend, mom too.
Over the next few weeks I’ll take each element in turn and share easy practical tips on how to hone your awareness to get better at every one.
Warning: Increasing your level of consciousness doesn’t come with a downgrade, or an opt out. So be prepared!
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This post is part of “Conscious Leadership”, Jane Finette’s insights into why the world needs an increased level of human consciousness, and how to get there. For anyone fed up with the status quo and ready for change — delivered straight to your inbox. → https://www.janefinette.com
