The Evolution of Leadership
When we launched the official kick-off for Conscious Dialogues™, we received a number of questions pertaining to the future of leadership. It is my belief that, never before in the history of humankind are we being called to become more conscious in our roles as leaders. We are being called to step up as higher level leaders in our families, our businesses, and in each of the communities we participate in; social, learning, spiritual, and of course, the communities within which we reside.
A new generation of leaders and Soul-Based Business Owners are being called to emerge from the frameworks in which we relate to one another. We are business leaders who are not dependant on position power, manipulation, fear, exclusion, and coercion. Rather, we operate under a higher mindset and belief in the potential of humanity and see themselves as an influence for powerful, social change and contribution to an evolving humanity. We integrate spiritual principles into sound business and marketing strategies and foster a sense of community with our teams and clients.
The Energies of Conscious Leaders and Entrepreneurs
Conscious Leaders possess a certain “energy” about them. It is tangible, natural, and contagious in nature. In addition to traditionally respected qualities such as integrity, personal accountability, visionary and strategic thinking, and confidence, the Conscious Leader embodies a powerful, positive energy that impacts their relationships, environments, and in the quality of how they communicate.
They are more vulnerable than ever, exposing a supreme openness to initiating change within themselves and a humbling gratitude for what they also recognize as co-created circumstances, opportunities and relationships.
They emit energies of compassion, strength, persistence, love, unity and connection, and most importantly, are completely present in their day to day interactions. Conscious Leaders and Soul Based Entrepreneurs emanate the energies of curiosity, intrigue, and are possibility thinkers; looking less to the past for answers and more to what they see as possible, ideal, and exciting to co-create in the future.
They, although are often in a position of “power, prestige, and influence,” emit an energy of equality that is so great that people naturally feel valued and important when they interact with them or are in their presence.
Expression vs. Impression
Conscious Leaders care less about “what people will think about them” and more about how people will “feel” in their presence. They are spiritually and emotionally intelligent and utilize intuition, higher guidance, and emotional and spiritual information in their decision making. Their value of authentic expression overrides the more ego and personality based need to impress people. Thus, they show up much differently and their mere presence communicates something far greater. Their focus is on being a steward to change and transformation and they value impact and empowered influence more so than “power.”
They are generous with praise and recognition in an incredibly genuine and authentic way. They are influential not manipulative. They inspire by tapping into the internal world of the people they lead, as opposed to motivating through external rewards, threat of punishment, or the promise of approval.
Conscious Leaders Facilitate Change
Conscious Leaders are less absolute in their opinions and decisions, are open to “having their mind changed,” and therefore swim in the rainbow of possibilities that exists between the space of “either, or, right or wrong” thinking.
They are willing to abandon traditional, typical, historic, and less effective policies and procedures for processes that are more aligned with the development of conscious teams and organizations that seek to find the “greatest good” in both people and situations.
And, they see their role in the development of others as an honor, not a burden, and are unafraid of developing intimate relationships with their workforce. They no longer buy in to self limiting beliefs about what motivates people and keeps them engaged. Instead, they assume people want to be inspired, want to contribute their best, and want to access their greatness.
They desire to understand the cause and effect of beliefs and attitudes on human behavior and foster environments where people can naturally evolve into their potential, thus leveraging the hidden talents and passions of the people they serve.
They see their business as an opportunity to influence positive change, empowering others to live their purpose, and build long term relationships with their customers, stockholders, and employees.
They foster interdependence and are easily able to ask for and hold people to their commitments and therefore do not enable people to live below their greatness and potential. Yet, they have an uncanny ability to inspire people to stretch beyond their comfort zone without feeling abandoned, scared, or set up to fail.
They have faith in the inherent abilities we all possess to move beyond our current understanding of what is possible and they actively create the conditions within which people are invited to evolve and change. Therefore, they expect that people will change and grow and are less likely to categorize, label, or box people into predetermined, unwavering, unchanging identities.
Conscious leaders and entrepreneurs practice spontaneous forgiveness, don’t hold grudges, and are not vindictive or vengeful in their decision making. They are honest and open, yet are able to make confident decisions that are “right” as opposed to widely accepted.
This evolving generation of leaders does not buy into fear and lack consciousness, but rather are experienced as faith and abundance in thought and action.
Vulnerability as a Strength
In spite of their openness, vulnerability, and ability to change, they are seen as strong, as opposed to “wishy washy,” because they have fostered a culture where “changing one’s mind for good reason” is a strength. Vulnerability and openness to change are indicators of forward thinkers who seeks to do the right thing as opposed to being right. They appreciate and value feedback and alter their behaviors and strategies when needed.
They are not concerned that changing their mind or demonstrating an openness to challenge long held beliefs in themselves will be perceived as weak-minded. Therefore they are not easily influenced by fear, pressure or a desire to be popular.
They understand the difference between commitment and compliance and are fluid in their ability to see when and where there is a lack of alignment between the mission, purpose, values of the organization and the individuals who are there to serve the mission, purpose and values.
Alignment is a continuous priority and they intuitively know when individuals and/or teams are veering off course and empower them to bring themselves back into alignment without the use of guilt, shame, or punishment. Rather, they are able to get to the core of the disconnection and quickly re-connect people to the bigger “why” of their organization.
The Awakening to Higher Purpose
Conscious, evolving leaders see their “purpose” as an awakening; a process that evolves and influences their focus and they seek opportunities to further explore their role in a bigger picture context.
In fact, this “Awakening to Purpose” is a pivotal point in their development and they invite their “higher purpose” to emerge and evolve in all of their roles.
They clear out old patterns of thinking and behaving and although they never quite see their evolution as complete, they are also not in a constant state of seeking, but rather give in to a natural “unfolding” of their purpose, giving heed to the calling to transform themselves in the moment and continually align their thoughts and behaviors with their deeper sense of purpose.
Do you know a leader who exemplifies these qualities? If so, please share your examples with our community by posting a comment or emailing me at [email protected].
Are you in the process of awakening to your higher sense of purpose and how that impacts your role as a leader, in both your professional or personal lives?
If so, you’ll love the fr*e*e two part teleclass coming up at www.powerofmyway.com/teleseminars.html where I’ll be sharing The Critical Success factors for Building a Thriving Soul based Business.
Until next time, Namasté, Anita
Anita Pathik Law is the CEO of Dare Dreamers, a Strategic alignment and Innovation firm and founder of The Power of Our Way and Hypnotic manifestation Communities. She is an Executive and Entrepreneurial Coach, retreat leader, lyricist and author of The Power of Our Way, A Path to a Collective Consciousness, a 31 day spiritual development process that guides people into their inknown wisdom and a deeper sense of purpose, passion and authentic living. Her passion for initiating and fostering Conscious Dialogues™ has led to working with business and faith based communities to raise consciousness and build bridges of higher understanding through the art of Conscious Dialogues™, a direct reflection of her divine purpose.
For more information about Anita, her books, cds, and programs, please visit www.enlightenedbiz.com, www.aligningwithdestiny.com , www.hypnoticmanifestation.com, www.dare-dreamers.com, www.powerofourway.com and www.powerofmyway.com.
Love it. I couldn't agree more. Now is a time for us to step up and be more than we have been in and real get in touch with who we are supposed to be. This means conscious study and self assessment, authenticity and striving to use our talents to create value for others.
Posted by: Brandon R Allen | February 10, 2009 at 04:04 PM