Living a life of integrity is the sixth conscious leadership commitment, and it is inextricably linked to the previous five. Leaders value integrity because it prevents them from disheartening their group when they make a mistake. A dishonest or unreliable leader taints the entire organization.
When someone is completely whole, they have integrity. This implies that people speak openly, communicate honestly, and accept full responsibility for their acts. Keeping your word is the final aspect of integrity. The energy flow of the group can be severely disrupted by breaking even the simplest promise, such as failing to buy juice when you said you would.
Be specific about your conditions when you’re working with someone or making a promise so they know what to anticipate. Aim to adhere to whatever agreements you’ve made at least 90% of the time, and if you can’t, try to work something out. And if you ever have to break your promise, apologize to the other person and see if there is anything you can do to make it up to them.
Being more thankful is the eighth conscious leadership commitment. For instance, when you express your appreciation for your staff, you enable them to do the same for one another. Because you’ll constantly be reminded yourself of why you appreciate them in the first place, it enables you to see them in a fresh light.
Similar to wine tasting, appreciating others requires the ability to discriminate between subtle nuances. An experienced wine aficionado is considerably better at this. A skilled appreciator is also far more adept at recognizing and praising others’ individuality! Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are indistinguishable to someone who never thinks about wine. So consider what makes each of your staff unique. You’ll only learn more to see (or taste!).
To the fullest extent possible while still having fun, exhibit your unique brilliance is the eighth conscious leadership commitment. The majority of people work and conduct themselves in one of three domains: the domain of incompetence, the domain of competence, or the domain of excellence.
When you’re doing something you’re not excellent at and don’t enjoy, you’re in the zone of incompetence. You excel at what you do when you are in your zone of expertise, but it isn’t completely satisfying. You know you’re in the zone of excellence when you can complete a task incredibly effectively but don’t much enjoy it. Even though your work is excellent, you are no longer being creative. Because we unconsciously set ourselves limitations, we frequently remain in these zones. Have you ever abandoned a project because you believed you would never be successful enough? Such emotions are what keep you down.
Spend as much time as you can in the zone of your genius if you want to be a conscious leader. That entails engaging in activities that you excel at and that you enjoy so much that they don’t even feel like work.
This fits very well with the conscious leadership’s tenth commitment, which is to play instead of struggle. Conscious leaders naturally operate in a more playful and enjoyable manner because they spend so much time in their zone of genius. That doesn’t imply that they don’t put in a lot of effort; rather, they’re dedicated to working in a more imaginative and relaxed manner.
Work and play may always be combined in creative ways. Dan Cawley, the CFO of Hopelab Inc., once gave the quarterly financials while pretending to have an Irish accent like his mother! By doing so, he not only injected some humor but also made people pay attention!
The next three commitments are the key to discovering inner tranquility and happiness for mindful leaders. The tenth pledge is to be receptive to perspectives other than your own. Most of the suffering we experience in life is a result of our desire to alter a poor situation. Leaders who are mindful, however, are aware that experiences are never totally positive or negative; they are simply the labels we give them.
Conscious leaders work to investigate alternate explanations for their ideas and environment because of this. When Jim Barnett, the creator of Turn Inc., realized he was done working in business, he found it difficult to step down as CEO because he believed doing otherwise would be reckless.
Because it would allow the job to go to someone more passionate about it, leaving his post would actually be a very responsible choice, according to the writers.
Finding internal security, control, and approval rather than looking for it from the outside world is the eleventh conscious leadership commitment. Almost all of your past aspirations, goals, and cravings were ultimately motivated by a desire for security, control, or acceptance. Though wanting certain things is normal, relentlessly pursuing them is detrimental. Leaders with awareness understand how to value the support, authority, and safety they already enjoy.
Recognizing that you already have plenty of everything is the twelfth and last commitment of conscious leadership. Realize that you have an abundance of time, money, and affection in addition to your worldly possessions. The majority of individuals think that all resources are limited. However, conscious leaders are grateful for what they have, which enables them to experience the present.
The third, fourth, and fifth commitments of conscious leadership all revolve around communication, both with people and with the rest of the world. Conscious leadership’s twelfth commitment is to see everyone and everything as a possible tool for personal development. Unconscious leaders persuade themselves they can’t accomplish their goals because of other people or their environment. On the other hand, conscious leaders are aware that almost everything they experience in life contributes to their personal development.
An unconscious leader, for instance, would perceive a strike as nothing more than a barrier to achieving his goals, whereas a conscious leader would see it as an opportunity to enhance her workplace.
The creation of conditions where everyone benefits is the fourteenth conscious leadership commitment. Unconscious leaders believe that conflict can only be resolved through competition and compromise; conscious leaders are aware that this is untrue.
Think about what the authors did when their colleague Kaley wanted to spend more time at home with her new baby and they wanted to invest more time in The Conscious Leadership Group. Instead of simply making a compromise, they carefully discussed the issue and came up with a new solution: leaving the relationship on a positive note.
Because of this, the ultimate promise made by conscious leaders is to turn themselves into the world’s solutions. Conscious leaders don’t think of problems in the world as the result of a lack of anything since they think of everything in terms of abundance. They simply view empty space as more potential room for other things when something is missing. They have the option to take on the role of problem-solver.
Living a full life is a result of conscious leadership, both at work and at home. As a result, never stop learning about yourself, your surroundings, and the people in them. Take responsibility for yourself, be open to new ideas, and be grateful for what you already have. Everyone benefits from becoming a mindful leader, including you, those around you, and the entire globe.
Make an effort to convince your mind to be cheerful at all times. Do something mundane, like the dishes, following any wonderful experience, like obtaining a promotion or going on a good date. You’ll deceive yourself into believing that success and pleasure are commonplace, and as a result, you’ll be happier.
Check out my related post: How can we be more resilient in leadership?
Interesting reads:
https://medium.com/mbreads/book-summary-the-15-commitments-of-conscious-leadership-47c933b24ba6
A Better Man 