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Conscious leadership is not a new term but it has gained more focus in recent years. Essentially it’s a leadership style that leans in on empathy, self awareness and care; putting people at the heart of how you lead. Practically, that looks like being…

• conscious of your impact on others and the privilege you hold
• conscious of how your team are feeling, knowing them at a personal level
• conscious of their personal experiences, challenges and needs
• conscious of their growth and development needs, and your own
• conscious of inclusivity and authenticity for all at work
• conscious of respecting peoples beliefs, motivations and responsibilities
• conscious of culture, transparency and integrity
• conscious how you recognise and reward great work
• conscious of compassion and self-care for you and your team
• conscious about growing your team so each can be the best they can be

If this feels like a lot, it can really be simplified as kindness and care for others and for yourself, and if you are looking for a business reason to do it, think talent retention, team productivity, creativity and better problem solving.

Why is conscious leadership so important today?

Everyone has been through a difficult 12-18 months with Covid-19 and for some, there is still a long road ahead. This last year has stretched people to the limits. But it has also taught us a lot about ourselves; our resilience, our strengths and weaknesses, our support systems, our friends, what drains us and what recharges us. While some of it was difficult and unpleasant, we’ve all grown as individuals and embraced change. We have a new level of self-awareness in how to care for our own basic needs and how important that is. That’s what conscious leadership is about.

Conscious leaders are intentional leaders. They intentionally put care at the heart of their decisions and it guides their intent. Take time to get to know your people. Set an intention to help them and yourself grow personally as well as professionally.

The focus for the past few decades in business has been on creating efficiency; cutting costs, cutting lead-times, removing wait times and automating repetitive processes. We’ve taken the people out of the processes. Maybe it’s time to put them back in. It’s time to put breathing space back into lead-times and it’s time to add humanity as a key stakeholder in our projects.

Recommended Read: Reinventing Organizations – a guide to creating organizations inspired by the next stage of human consciousness