The worldwide crisis of leadership is increasingly evident in political arenas, where many leaders in government are more interested in seeking their own reelection than in serving the constituencies that elected them. Similarly, in business, I believe self-centered self-preservation is seen more often than an attitude of service. Despite this overwhelming evidence of poor leadership, people everywhere are waking up, seeing themselves, others and the world around them more clearly and aspiring to be of service to humanity.
Sleeping Beauty Leaders
This is no fairy tale, and not everyone is going to wake up. No prince is on his way to wake up the Sleeping Beauty leaders. Some will remain asleep, blind to their mostly unconscious habits and the opportunities for greater personal fulfillment available to them if they chose to wake up. Unconscious leaders ignore the negative impact they have on their followers and fail to reach their own leadership potential. Many of these unconscious leaders are the workplace bullies we so often find in today’s organizations. According to Andrew Faas, author of the book From Bully to Bull’s-Eye, bullying in the workplace is one of the biggest societal and economic issues we face. Who would choose to work for a workplace bully?
Unlike Sleeping Beauty, we have a choice about waking up. We can choose to stay asleep if we wish, or we can choose to wake up and begin the journey to conscious leadership. We can choose to pay attention to our inner voices and our external behaviors. We can choose to listen to others using all our senses. We can choose to be more mindful of our impact on the world around us, leading with energy and inspiration and making a difference.
Whether your attention is on your own inner journey, the well-being of those around you or a grand vision of the future of humanity, becoming wide awake is essential. The journey to conscious leadership is about noticing what is going on, setting intentions and acting responsibly. The first step on the journey requires us to wake up.
In the old world of rigid hierarchical organization structures, we could get by with using position power to dominate and control employees. In the new world of flattened, collaborative organizational systems where employee expectations are higher, leaders must inspire and engage employees in order to influence people and deliver results. Waking up will help us move from the old world to the new world, to shift our perspective and have a more positive impact on those around us.
How To Begin Waking Up
1. Pause purposefully.
Stop! Stop what you are doing; stop what you are thinking. A purposeful pause or a moment of mindfulness can create the space to notice what is going on. This can be as simple as taking a deep breath before opening the door to the room where the next meeting is being held or a more extensive time of silent meditation. Pause purposefully to quiet the mind and notice what is going on.
2. Notice the voices inside.
We all have inner voices constantly chattering away subconsciously in the background. What are those voices saying? Are they voices of caution and fear, or maybe voices of anger and frustration, or voices of compassion and love, or something else? Consciously noticing these voices can help us think about how we are showing up and how we want to show up now and in the future.
3. Notice the voices of the people around us.
Whether in real-time conversation with others or reading and responding to digital messages, consciously noticing the voices of the people around us can help us be more alert to what is going on. This requires us to listen generously, not only with our ears but with all our senses. What are the voices saying? What are we hearing? What sensations are we feeling in our bodies? Being conscious of those external voices and our reactions to what we are hearing can help us set intentions for our next interaction.
4. Set clear intentions.
Once we have begun waking up to what is going on in our inner and outer worlds, we can consciously decide how we wish to show up in the world. This relates to our character and presence. Character is who we are, our true nature, and presence is a reflection of our character and how we show up in the world and are perceived by others. What is your intention for how you wish to show up? How is your leadership presence being manifested? Is your intention to show up with a commanding presence to get the job done, regardless of the consequences or accusations of being the workplace bully? Or is your intention to show up with love and compassion to achieve the goal, but with attention to the needs of people around you? Setting clear intentions enables responsible action.
5. Act responsibly.
Being mindful of who we are and setting intentions about how we show up in the world allows us to take responsible action. Acting responsibly requires us to speak candidly while acting with integrity. How will you speak to members of your team or your family? How will you act to avoid harming the people and the environment around you? To what extent are you acting responsibly? Acting responsibly requires us to wake up, notice what is going on and set positive intentions about how we will show up in the world.
Aspiring conscious leaders are waking up. They are noticing their inner voices and the voices of those around them. They are consciously setting intentions for how they are showing up in the world. They are aware of their leadership presence. It is the time for waking up. What steps are you taking to wake up and make a difference in the world?
