The ABC of Conscious Leadership

Principles of Conscious Leadership

In today's world, it has become imperative to understand the nature of leadership and to practice what I will name 'Conscious Leadership' in order to overcome the chaos and aggression we seem to be stuck with. Unfortunately most leaders today tend to behave in highly self-interested ways, mostly concerned with self-aggrandizement and gaining more material goods. It is, however, possible to be 'conscious leaders' and there are such people; in fact all of us have the potential to become 'conscious leaders'. The practice of Conscious Leadership, even though it is less common, exists around the world - we may find such leaders in local communities, working in the nonprofit or public sectors, in local governments, in private companies, and many other unexpected places. But we may have to look harder and perhaps with different glasses.

One might ask how Conscious Leadership is different from more conventional definitions of Leadership. A quick look at conventional definitions reveals the following concepts associated with leadership: It is a process, an act of influencing others, of mobilizing others towards a goal, using power to influence the thoughts and actions of other people. There are core leadership behaviors that may be listed as Delegating, Supporting, Developing and Mentoring, Managing Conflict, Teambuilding, Networking, Planning and Organizing, Clarifying Objectives, Monitoring, Consulting, Motivating and Inspiring. But is leadership really about using power and influencing others? And are the 'others' just followers? Is there such a clear dichotomy between the leaders and the led? Does that mean that the followers do not display these leadership behaviors?

Conscious Leadership is not about the act of using power or influencing others or of demonstrating a long list of leadership behaviors. It is about the right relationship between the self and others, between the mind and the heart, between our material world and spirituality. Everyone can be a leader and has that capacity. But first a leader must have a strong awareness of self, of personal strengths and weaknesses, achieved through looking inward, self-examination, through observation and contemplation. Such a leader is conscious of dichotomies - should one be assertive or listen and observe, be strong handed, decisive, or compassionate and fair? By maintaining equilibrium and balancing opposite traits associated with leadership, it becomes possible to rise above them without becoming attached to one or the other. Furthermore, Conscious Leaders build multi-level, rich relationships for the long term, not based on power and influence first and foremost, but based on the maintenance and improvement of a community, on reconciling of differences, on discovering shared truths. A conscious leader is dedicated to improving the human condition, and personal gain is not the priority. Finally, s/he knows when to step forward and when to step back, when to act as a catalyst to empower others, so that others' potential abilities and talents may be manifested.

Thus, conscious leaders are on a journey to know themselves and as a result, they are able to know others. They know their own talents and are aware of their weaknesses. They are not out there to empower themselves but others. They offer their talents when needed, they listen and observe carefully, and they are interested in improving the human condition and to serve something much larger than themselves. The principles of conscious leadership may be listed as the following:

Awareness of Self and Others: A conscious leader must display awareness of both self and others around them in very specific ways. First, self-awareness requires 'knowing thyself' as Socrates said, with both strengths and weaknesses so that one is not constantly trying to show off how good s/he is, rejecting criticism, or projecting any criticism in self-defense on to the other. This, of course, requires some self-examination and contemplation to see things as they are, which translates into an ability to put oneself in the background, to take responsibility without personal credit as a leader. Such a leader then is able to listen and to observe in practical terms, and is not afraid to reach a 'shared understanding of reality' through dialogue. This makes it possible to identify 'needs', a priority before any action.

Balance and Equilibrium: Many opposites are presented as dilemmas of leadership such as - is leadership about guiding or participating, about self-confidence or humility, about focusing on short-term needs or long-term opportunities? Yet, a conscious leader stresses one or the other depending on circumstance, and finds a balance, an equilibrium between seemingly opposites. There is no reason to get stuck in dualisms, which forces us to choose a side. A conscious leader is one who maintains a strong commitment and clarity of purpose, while being open to new ideas and opportunities. S/he is strong and provides guidance, while demonstrating fairness and compassion. Such a leader finds a balance between personal needs and institutional sustainability and is both self-confident and knows when to be humble.

Culture of Relationships: A conscious leader builds a culture of relationships, finds others to share responsibilities, and co-leads. Such a leader is not just in the business of 'give and take', is not playing a zero-sum power game, where one wins and the other loses. When words like partnership and collaboration are used, what are usually meant is zero-sum games built on self-interest. If you don't have anything to offer, you are out of the game or you are 'fair game' for exploitation. Building a culture of relationships, on the other hand, encompasses not just self-interest but our communal identity, our selfless humanity working for something bigger than our individual self-interests. As such, relationships encompass many different areas of life simultaneously, doesn't sacrifice the richness of human life by putting everything into 'silos'.

Dedication: Without dedication, without a deep concern for a problem that addresses the human condition, how can one be a conscious leader? In fact, one has to start out with this motivation, rather than the desire to become a leader. A conscious leader inspires other people, creates values and priorities, and inspires passion.

Empowerment: It is possible to empower others as a leader, and to allow others to manifest their own potential, to be a catalyst. This is what a conscious leader does, to open the way, create a space for people to show what they can be and do. Such a leader needs to be able to get out of the way and let others take over.

The world would be quite different, and likely to be a more peaceful, more human place if these leadership principles became widespread. The next step would be to showcase 'Conscious Leaders" from around the world so that we may learn from their experiences, receive encouragement from them and apply these principles to our own lives in order to become conscious leaders ourselves.

Nuket Kardam