Conscious leadership is necessary for today’s workplace, especially for companies that work under the hybrid business model. According to one Harvard Business Review, more and more professionals are clamouring for a hybrid workplace so that they can spend more time with their family and friends.
But what does that mean for leadership? How do we attract and retain high-calibre candidates when we can’t physically see them each day?
The best way to do this is through conscious leadership, which transforms the traditional leadership paradigm. As the name suggests, conscious leadership empowers executives and truly ALL employees to guide others to gain a full awareness of themselves and honour their human potential.
The goal of conscious leadership is growth, where people within an organisation approach tasks with an inclusive “we” approach rather than an ego-centric “me” attitude.
To put it simply, conscious leadership works for the modern workforce because, unlike other models, conscious leadership is highly sustainable and incredibly flexible. It removes the burden of traditional leadership to “control and command”. Instead, you are asked to dedicate more time to self-awareness and live life in alignment with your values as much as possible.
Why is Conscious Leadership So Necessary?
To get a better understanding of how conscious leadership can help your organisation, it’s a good idea to first look at the potential weakness of the hybrid business model.
Harder Communication. This is especially true if you’re working with a global team. It is hard to find a common time when everyone can meet. It also becomes harder to build trust, as there is a lack of non-verbal communication.
Less Exposure to Seniority. Some employees do not develop the skill of properly interacting with their managers. This may lead to employees not knowing how to respect those in senior positions.
High Risk of Loss of Trust. Unlike in a physical office, managers cannot know for certain if work is being done at any time. They need to assume that their employees are working, even when they may not be.
Disruption of Creativity. There are so many benefits to working together in person, not least of which is improved creativity. A Stanford study found that people who work in a collaborative setting are 50% more effective at completing tasks.
The ROI of Conscious Leadership in Winning the Talent War
So, how does conscious leadership address these weaknesses?
With conscious leadership, you empower others to think and believe in themselves, which removes the need for micromanagement on a physical level.
One of the main aspects of conscious leadership is developing a growth mindset. Conscious leaders are always open-minded and believe that they have the necessary skills and abilities to handle every obstacle. They believe in co-creation, particularly that knowledge can be gained easily by working with available information rather than against it.
This has obvious advantages for leading a global team. In today’s hyper-paced world, you empower your team members to trust themselves and others to do the right thing — even when the right thing is hard. Keep in mind that conscious leadership elevates how you think and react to things. By being a conscious leader, you focus on yourself and how you can help others. In turn, other people want to follow you and begin improving themselves as well, causing a beautiful and powerful domino effect.
Moreover, conscious leadership pushes leaders and their teams out of their comfort zones. The mindset encourages you to try new things regularly, even those not directly related to your work. This is to cultivate a growth mindset and see every experience as a learning opportunity. When you adopt this growth mindset into your leadership, you will also foster the same culture in your team.
Why Conscious Leadership Is Needed in 2023
The biggest challenge facing HR departments today is winning the talent war. In several studies, researchers found that some of the main reasons employees leave their jobs are feeling uninspired and not valued in their work. More so than higher pay, the modern employee wants to be in a position where they feel their efforts are acknowledged and appreciated, particularly by upper management.
Conscious leadership can help here, as it allows you to improve your ability to hold multiple perspectives at once. As a conscious leader, you develop empathy and can understand your employees better, even when their beliefs contradict yours. Because you can hold multiple perspectives at once, you also learn how to react quicker and with more nuance—an important skill in the rapidly changing business environment.
It must be noted that whereas traditional leadership focuses on the “either-or” framework, conscious leadership embraces the “and” mindset. Conscious leaders consider every perspective in a challenge so that they can make better, more informed decisions about their business. Further, they also collaborate with their team members so that they can create a solution that combines the best aspects of multiple ideas.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone in the organisation to create a positive impact on the world.
Start Your Conscious Leadership Journey with Me Today
It cannot be overemphasised how crucial conscious leadership is to the modern workforce. As more professionals push for a hybrid work model, you need to be able to adapt and adjust as necessary. Not only is the traditional way of leadership outdated, it is also impractical to implement. You simply cannot control or command your team if they are not physically present in an office simultaneously.
I challenge you today to begin your journey toward conscious leadership with me. By becoming more conscious of how you lead, you can empower others to leverage their talents and contributions as well to the betterment of your organisation. Instead of fighting against an old way of working, now’s the time to embrace change and create a win-win solution for all.