Conscious Leadership Is Courageous Leadership

Aloha All,

Warning: This article is spicy! So if you're not up for that, don't read it!

(You've been warned!).

I had a disheartening conversation over the Christmas holidays and it gave me an inside look at what some of the corporate landscape looks like today - And it's ugly!

In short, I was listening to accounts of bullying, playground tactics and misogyny being thrown around by people with power. The leaders. The ones that we're meant to look up to.

It made my heart drop that people turn up every single day to their place of work and feel unheard, under-appreciated or dismissed for their ideas and contributions.

This is NOT courageous leadership. This is NOT conscious leadership. This is leadership by people with fragile egos and a low sense of self-worth.

Perhaps you're thinking, "Nik! How can I say that when I haven't even met these people?".

The reason I can say that is because from what I have witnessed in myself and as a mentor to my clients - All anger, fear and ignorance comes from the ego.

And the ego, is always trying to keep itself comfortable. Keep itself safe. And with an under-developed ego that has a low sense of self-worth, this means that "safety", lies in competition.

With an under-developed ego... "Safety", lies in competition. When someone works with the condition of competition, there must be someone who loses.

When someone works with the condition of competition, there must be someone who loses. Which is how we get leaders who are more concerned with their power games and keeping on top of "the competition" rather than actually leading.

Unfortunately "the competition" can also include their own employees and team members. This idea of being "on top" solidifies their warped idea of what leadership is: Being IN THE LEAD.

This is completely opposite to Conscious Leadership:

Conscious Leadership is not about being at the front, but being WITH your team and people. It is collaborative. This means that you recognise that you are not alone in the creation of your (mutual) goals and (inevitable) successes.

(I say inevitable, because that is the power of Conscious Leadership done right - A Conscious Leader creates an environment where success is not likely, not even highly likely - inevitable. How? That's for another article!).

Conscious Leadership is not about being at the front, but being WITH your team and people... You recognise that you are not alone in the actualisation of your goals and successes.

I'm ready to change this landscape, to change the toxic leadership that have meant that people have lost faith in the leaders. I'm here to change this toxic leadership where people are treated as pawns in the game. I'm here for THAT change.

As I talked to my friend, aside from feeling disheartened and sad, I realised that I am only here to talk to Leaders who are WILLING to be part of that change. To lead (okay, this time, be in the forefront) the change of Conscious Leadership being the norm.

Where the skills to be a compassionate, kind and collaborative Leader is a MUST to even be considered in a leadership role:

• They must be willing to work on themselves, and their (wounded and underdeveloped) ego.
• They must be wanting this change for themselves AND for others.
• They must desire the change.

I'm not here to convince "the dinosaurs" who my friend was talking about that she's "waiting to rollover and die", so that she and others can have a life at a work that is fulfilling and dare I say it LIFE ENHANCING!

As a corporate Leader, you have enormous clout. You spend the majority of your time with your people at work. Wouldn't it be amazing for you to be one of those leaders that your people love to turn up to work for? Who's name is part of the gratitude they have for their lives outside of work?

That is possible.

Wouldn't it be amazing for you to be one of those leaders that your people love to turn up to work for? Who's name is part of the gratitude they have for their lives outside of work?

But, Being a Conscious Leader Requires Courage.

Because this is NOT YET the norm. Being a Conscious Leader is still considered "radical" (excuse me while I curse! Honestly! WTF?).

And when a room full (planet full?) of fragile egos are pushed upon, they push back! Remember the ego is concerned with safety. Part of being safe is staying the same. And if "the same" means remaining a "dinosaur" leader, then that ego will fight to remain.

How can we change this? By leaders, like you, deciding you want to be part of the change (the courage part? We can work on that!).

Remember that we all occupy this earth, this planet, this world. Unless you're a hermit in a cave, everyday you interact with people. We need each other to reach our goals. We need each other to evolve as human beings away from the base animal consciousness and toward a more compassionate and kind way of relating with each other.

We need each other to evolve as human beings away from the base animal consciousness and toward a more compassionate and kind way of relating with each other.

Don't you agree?

This is the mission that I am on. And perhaps it starts with you?

Perhaps {this change} starts with you?

If you are in a leadership position and you know you are here to leave a positive mark on the world, let me know. And perhaps we can work together to make sure your positive legacy is realised.

(By the way it doesn't matter how big your leadership role is, whether you lead a team of 2 or a team of 100, your influence matters).

Arohanui,

Nik Chung

nicola@nikchung.com

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