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What does "leadership space" mean, and why should you care? Well, in my three decades as a leader and 20+ years as an executive coach, I’ve seen that we’re always in a leadership space relative to others. How you show up in that space affects how your members collaborate, innovate, and thrive. So you should be aware of three distinct dimensions of this space – taking, holding, and shaping. The power of being aware and conscious of something is to make choices. When you’re not conscious of options, you’re bound to the limits of auto-pilot, and your future will look [...]

Do you have an update to share with your boss or a committee. How about an idea to run by a colleague or peer. And are you hoping that your updates and ideas land better and stick better? Well, I’ve seen these conversations break down and plunge deep into the pit of confusion. And I’ve seen conscious leaders successfully climb atop the hill of compelling attention. The pit of confusion is littered with data dumps, opinions, and half-answers that force your boss or colleague to exhaust their brain while trying to make sense of your message. By contrast, holding their attention [...]

What makes Kellye a conscious leader? Its her ability to expand her sense of self beyond the protection, beyond the greed, beyond the fear and to really include her people's needs and dreams, her team's safety, and an actionable care for all life. And why does she work with Eric Kaufmann as her coach? Let her tell you in her own words.

In this Conscious Leadership in Action conversation between Paul Ward and guest Eric Kaufmann we talked about his new book, Leadership Breakdown: How to break the vicious cycle, release the struggle, and succeed with conscious leadership. Eric has made awakening and expanding the consciousness of leaders his mission in life. Eric says that what makes a conscious leader is not just waking up, opening your eyes and saying I am, but seeing the interconnectedness of all things, and holding all those variables in heart and mind as you make choices. That means extending beyond my ego, my sense of [...]

I, like you, judge myself by my intent. Period. But you, like everyone else, you judge me by my impact. So even when I’m well intended, I can be hurtful or upsetting. It’s just inevitable that I’m gonna upset someone, you’ll upset someone, we all upset someone. And because we’re prone to upset and offend someone we’re in relationship with, we’ve collectively invented THE APOLOGY – "I’m sorry!" Since leadership is rooted in relationship, you’re gonna have to apologize to someone sooner or later. From what I've seen in my own life, and in the lives of dozens of leaders [...]

We’ll never have to wonder if one leader can affect culture. Just six days after inauguration, the culture of the White House is different. This is a leadership perspective; I’m not baiting any political debate. Culture change is visible. And you too, the leader in your space, are affecting the culture around you, whether or not you’re paying attention to it. And I’m encouraging you to pay attention. Culture never sleeps. Culture never pauses. Culture always exists, and here’s why. Actually, first let’s get personal. You and I have an ego, an aspect of mind that we consider our "self." If [...]

"Sheila is pissed at me," he said. "She wants me to intervene on her behalf, but I'm not going there. She has to figure out how to fight this fight without me hand holding her." Then he went on, "But I tell you, it's bothering me that she's disappointed and pissed at me!" You can relate, right? He hates being perceived as unfair. It reminds me (for a second time in a week) of Abraham Lincoln saying, "You can please some of the people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people [...]

!! Stop productivity porn !! It’s still too soon for bravado about productivity. We're in week three of isolation, and getting more comfortable with the weirdness. But we're not quite there yet. You're probably working from home, and if you have kids then they're home and you're a full-time professional and teacher, and your normal productivity routines are disrupted. Yes, yes, I know, opportunity and crisis go hand in hand. But right now we still need grounding, healing, and kindness more than we need productivity on steroids. The time for explosive action is near, but not when we're reeling from the [...]

FEAR is an appropriate response right now. Fear is our reaction to threat, and we are threatened in ways we can’t control. Fear sharpens the senses, cuts noise away from signal, and provides a boost of energy for action. Unless you’re sedated, feeling fear is normal. And feel it you must. I’ll come back to that. Panic, over worrying, deep anxiety, incessant fretting, though, is unnecessary. Panic is a selfish impulse that dims your thinking and closes your heart. Panic always leads to unwise and dangerous choices – dangerous to you and others. Panic is an immature indulgence in a time that [...]

Conscious Leadership in Action podcast with Host Dr Paul Ward. We're talking about Eric's new book, Leadership Breakdown: How to break the vicious cycle, release the struggle, and succeed with conscious leadership.