why conscious leadership?

‘why did you get into this?’

that question from a prospective forum retreat client echoed one i get frequently. my answer has changed subtly over the last decade or so, but fundamentally has always been the same: conscious leadership works for me.

here’s why.

anti-authoritarianism + self-examination

if you really knew me, you would know that i grew up in an extremely conservative, evangelical christian home and community.

throughout middle and high school, i attended an average of five church activities and services per week, let alone family dinners and cookouts, christian camps, concert series, and more. i attended one of the most conservative evangelical colleges in the nation… and then worked there for years.

my life was surrounded by authority. there were rules to be followed, or else (…you might go to hell). a core concept that was reinforced for me from an early age was to submit to the higher authority - without much questioning.

yes, as a more mature adult, we were counseled to question our faith, but with an eye towards reinforcing the truth: that life was ruled by god, and to be a good christian - a good person - we were called to follow. to obey the teachings. and to tell others about the life-saving grace of jesus.

as i moved away from the church, my natural reaction was to rebel against that authority. i noticed in the coming years that any personal growth framework or way of being that included a figure of authority caused me to immediately tense up and reject any of their well-meant messages. hell, i even rebelled against my therapist for a good long time.

conscious leadership, on the other hand, was one of the first modalities i encountered that didn’t bring any ‘guru’ with it. it emphasizes personal awareness and knowledge. an understanding of how you move through the world, regardless of your faith, background, or current position. i love that it does not judge for being ‘below the line’ - but encourages openness.

do i see that i’m below the line? do i accept myself for being there? do i want to change? if so, how? all of these questions are mine to answer - not based on a sacred text or walls of shame.

(i should say - after a lot of work, i have a much more nuanced view of my upbringing and the church now. i am the man i am because of that experience - both positive and negative. for all the questions i still have, i know that the community i was raised in contributed to a solid and grounded moral compass, a deep sense of compassion, and a belief in a world that is more than just me. this isn’t intended to be a hit piece on evangelicalism.)

this emphasis on self-examination is why i call myself a facilitator and coach, not a teacher. my role professionally is to share concepts and stories that have helped me on my journey - professionally, personally, and with my family. i’m not here to claim conscious leadership is the one-and-only, word-of-god truth that you must follow. these frameworks have worked for me, and for many others - i’m just here to share and support.

tactical tools + immediate action

‘if i don’t get this contract, my career is over!’

damn, that’s a strong story. i wonder if the opposite could be true? where am i pulling past experiences in to overwhelm the facts of this situation? how am i thinking from victim mode? how could not getting that contract actually be in my best interest?

past keith, he would not have had the tools to process that big, scary statement. with conscious leadership, i find i have the tools to process what’s happening in my head - cleanly.

see, there are two sides to the conscious leadership coin: theory, and practice. don’t get me wrong - i looooove deep theoretical conversations on consciousness and human growth… but without practical application, i often felt like a ship at sea, floating around with lots of thoughts but no way to navigate forward.

conscious leadership provides me with specific actions i can take to improve my life, leadership, and relationships.

whether it’s recognizing where i am on the drama triangle, seeing my own red flags and superpowers via the enneagram, or simply checking my facts and stories, this framework gives me the tools to take action. to reduce the drama in my life, to make moves forward.

as i sat waiting for the news about that contract (one that would completely erase any financial anxiety i might have for the year), i examined my story. could i loosen my grip on my story about inbound catastrophe?

turns out, i realized i was operating in victim mode, seeing the world as happening ‘to me’ - that client was in charge of whether or not i paid rent in three months… which in my anxious brain meant that i might be homeless. i was stuck, powerless to move forward with my life unless they said yes.

so i asked: what if the opposite of my story is true? what if instead of ‘if i don’t get this contract, my career is over’ i said ‘if i don’t get this contract, my career will flourish.’ what are the possible things that could work out better than i imagined without that client?

my body loosened up. my anxiety dropped - just a bit. i felt more open to possibilities. that client didn’t determine my self worth. i’d be ok - i always have been.

turns out, i didn’t get that contract. but as soon as i let it go, just a little bit, i was referred to a way larger, more engaged, and financially secure client that i’ve worked with for the past year. i kid you not, that new client showed up within two days of me releasing my hold on ‘the big one.’

without the tools, sometimes called shift moves, i learned while studying conscious leadership, i would have been stuck, depressed, and aimless. with my new, rational, actionable tools, i was able to break out of victim mode and be open to what might show up. there are too many examples to list here, but now i feel empowered with a quiver of 20+ tactics and processes that i can apply to any given situation. to move from below the line to above, and to see and respond to my circumstances with agency rather than victimhood.

it’s pretty damn cool.

thanks for being here.

interested in learning more about conscious leadership?
i’m a master facilitator and award-winning executive coach specializing in this very thing. reach out!