The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
Tags: #leadership #self-help #consciousness #emotional intelligence #communication #teamwork #culture
Authors: Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, Kaley Warner Klemp
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Overview
In “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership,” we present a radical new model of leadership, one that moves beyond traditional transactional approaches to tap into the full potential of leaders, their teams, and their organizations. This book is for leaders at all levels, from seasoned CEOs to aspiring entrepreneurs, who are ready to shift from unconscious, reactive patterns to a more conscious, creative, and impactful way of leading. We begin by introducing the core concept of leading “above the line” - a state of openness, curiosity, and commitment to learning. We contrast this with leading “below the line,” which is characterized by defensiveness, close-mindedness, and a need to be right. We explain how to recognize where you are on the line and offer practical tools for shifting to a more conscious state. We then introduce the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. Each commitment presents a “below the line” and an “above the line” version. We offer real-world examples and actionable practices for embodying each commitment, guiding readers on a journey of self-awareness, emotional mastery, and relational transformation. From taking radical responsibility and eliminating gossip to living a life filled with play and appreciating those around you, these commitments create a framework for building a conscious culture within yourself and your organization. This book provides a roadmap for leading from a place of wholeness, integrity, and authenticity, creating an environment where people thrive, creativity flourishes, and exceptional results are achieved. Our goal is to empower leaders to become the resolution they are seeking in the world, contributing their unique gifts and talents to create a more conscious and fulfilling future for all.
Book Outline
1. Leading From Above the Line
I introduce the concept of leading “above the line” and “below the line.” Below the line is a fear-based state of consciousness where leaders are closed, defensive, and committed to being right. Above the line is a place of openness, curiosity, and commitment to learning. It is a choice to lead from above or below the line, and conscious leaders are aware of where they are and have the ability to shift above the line.
Key concept: Leadership operates from one of two places: above the line or below the line. When you’re defensive, closed, and committed to being right, you are below the line.
2. Taking Radical Responsibility
Radical responsibility is the foundation of conscious leadership. Instead of blaming others or circumstances for what’s going wrong, conscious leaders take 100% responsibility for the circumstances of their lives. By taking ownership, they open themselves to learning and growth and empower themselves to create positive change.
Key concept: The gateway for moving from To Me to By Me is responsibility—actually, what we call radical responsibility: choosing to take responsibility for whatever is occurring in our lives, letting go of blaming anyone (ourselves, others, circumstances, or conditions), and opening through curiosity to learn all that life has to teach us.
3. Feeling All Feelings
Emotional intelligence is essential for effective leadership, but many leaders neglect their emotions. Conscious leaders are emotionally literate, meaning they can accurately identify and locate their feelings in their bodies. More importantly, they are able to release their emotions healthily, allowing them to access the wisdom and insights that emotions offer.
Key concept: To release emotion, first locate the sensation in the body (“What are the bits doing?”), allow or accept the sensation (“Can I allow or even welcome these sensations?”), and then match your experience with your expression (“What sound or movement does this sensation want?”).
4. Speaking Candidly
Candor, or speaking authentically, is crucial for building trust and creating a culture of open communication. This involves sharing your truth - facts, feelings, and judgments - in a way that is honest and transparent. By speaking “unarguably,” expressing thoughts, feelings, and sensations in a way that cannot be argued with, you can avoid defensiveness and create an environment of open learning.
Key concept: To speak with candor is to reveal what is unarguable with truthfulness, openness, and awareness.
5. Eliminating Gossip
Gossip is toxic for teams and organizations. It undermines trust, creates negativity, and stifles creativity. Conscious leaders eliminate gossip by speaking directly to the person with whom they have an issue and encouraging others to do the same. They create a culture where open communication and direct feedback are valued.
Key concept: Gossip is a statement about another made by someone with negative intent or a statement the speaker would be unwilling to share in exactly the same way if that person were in the same room.
6. Practicing Integrity
Integrity is not just about doing the “right” thing; it’s about wholeness and facilitating the flow of energy. Conscious leaders demonstrate integrity by taking responsibility, speaking authentically, processing their emotions, and being impeccable with their agreements. They create a culture of trust and alignment within their organization.
Key concept: In practice, we have identified four pillars of integrity: 1. Take 100% responsibility. 2. Speak authentically. 3. Feel feelings through to completion. 4. Keep agreements.
7. Generating Appreciation
Appreciation is a powerful force for positive change. It involves cultivating sensitive awareness of the good in ourselves and others, leading to an increase in value. Conscious leaders practice both receiving and giving appreciation, creating a culture that acknowledges and celebrates the unique contributions of each individual. They understand that what you appreciate appreciates.
Key concept: For our purposes, the definition of appreciation has two components. 1. Sensitive awareness: simply paying attention. 2. An increase in value: When something appreciates, it grows in value.
8. Excelling in your Zone of Genius
Conscious leaders encourage others to identify and live in their zone of genius, the area where their natural talents and passions intersect. When individuals operate from their zone of genius, they experience greater fulfillment, productivity, and impact. I identify the four zones in which people tend to work and live: incompetence, competence, excellence, and genius.
Key concept: People get stuck in three areas or “zones” that prevent them from expressing their full magnificence, creativity, and gifts in the world, which we call living in the zone of genius.
9. Living a Life of Play and Rest
Conscious leaders live a life filled with play, embracing a mindset of openness, improvisation, and laughter. By approaching challenges playfully, they create an environment where creativity flourishes and energy is maximized. Play is the opposite of seriousness, not the opposite of work.
Key concept: The cardinal rule of improvisation is “YES AND.” No matter what my fellow creators give me my answer is always “YES AND.”
10. Exploring the Opposite
Our beliefs shape our perception of reality, but often those beliefs are limiting. Conscious leaders challenge their beliefs by exploring the opposite, recognizing that there is always another perspective. This practice allows them to see situations from multiple angles, leading to greater understanding and more creative solutions.
Key concept: I commit to seeing that the opposite of my story is as true as or truer than my original story. I recognize that I interpret the world around me and give my stories meaning.
11. Sourcing Approval, Control and Security
The need for approval, control, and security drives much of human behavior, but the search for these outside of ourselves is futile. Conscious leaders understand that they already have all the approval, control, and security they need within themselves. By shifting their focus inward, they experience a profound sense of freedom and empowerment.
Key concept: “You cannot go anywhere to get what you already have and you cannot do anything to become what you already are.”
12. Having Enough of Everything
Many of us live with a scarcity mindset, believing that there isn’t enough to go around. Conscious leaders cultivate an experience of sufficiency, recognizing that there is enough of everything: time, money, love, energy, etc. This shift in perspective creates a foundation for collaboration and generosity.
Key concept: Lynne Twist reminds us, though, that sufficiency isn’t an amount. It’s not comparative at all. Instead, sufficiency is “an experience, a context we generate, a declaration, a knowing that there is enough and we are enough.”
13. Experiencing the World as an Ally
Conscious leaders experience everyone and everything, even those who appear to be obstacles or adversaries, as allies in their growth and learning. They recognize that challenges and difficulties are opportunities for deepening their understanding of themselves and the world. Every encounter is an invitation to learn.
Key concept: I commit to seeing all people and circumstances as allies that are perfectly suited to help me learn the most important things for my growth.
14. Creating Win for all Solutions
Conscious leaders embrace collaboration over competition and create win-for-all solutions, recognizing that everyone can benefit from a collaborative approach. This involves seeing all parties as equals and allies, seeking to understand their needs and perspectives, and creating solutions that serve the good of the whole.
Key concept: I commit to creating win-for-all solutions (win for me, win for the other person, win for the organization, and win for the whole) for whatever issues, problems, concerns, or opportunities life gives me.
15. Being the Resolution
Conscious leaders see themselves as part of the solution, recognizing that whatever is “missing” in the world is an invitation for them to step up and contribute their unique gifts and talents. They ask themselves, “What is being asked of me in this moment?” and then respond with willingness and creativity.
Key concept: I commit to being the resolution or solution that is needed: seeing what is missing in the world as an invitation to become that which is required.
Essential Questions
1. What is conscious leadership and how does it differ from traditional models?
Conscious leadership, as defined in the book, is a way of being that prioritizes self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and conscious communication. Conscious leaders operate “above the line,” meaning they are open, curious, committed to learning, and take 100% responsibility for their lives and their impact on others. They cultivate practices like candor, appreciation, integrity, play, and sufficiency, creating a culture of trust, collaboration, and creativity within their teams and organizations.
2. What are the key characteristics and practices of “above the line” leadership?
The “above the line” state is characterized by openness, curiosity, and a commitment to learning. In this state, leaders take radical responsibility, seeing themselves as the source of their experience. They speak candidly, eliminate gossip, practice integrity, and generate appreciation. They embrace play and maximize their energy by honoring their natural rhythms. They challenge limiting beliefs, cultivate sufficiency, and experience the world as an ally. They create win-for-all solutions and become the resolution they seek in the world.
3. What are the consequences of operating “below the line” and how does this impact leaders and their teams?
“Below the line” leadership is driven by fear, insecurity, and a need to be right. Leaders in this state blame others, withhold their truth, get stuck in drama, and operate from a scarcity mindset. They struggle to manage their emotions and often rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms like repression or avoidance. They see people and circumstances as obstacles, creating a culture of competition and compromise. This ultimately leads to decreased energy, relational disconnection, and diminished creativity and innovation.
4. What are some practical tools and strategies that leaders can use to shift from “below the line” to “above the line” and embody the 15 Commitments?
The authors provide numerous practical tools and practices throughout the book. These include the “Taking 100% Responsibility” worksheet, the “Drift/Shift” model, the “Clearing Model” for eliminating gossip, the “Integrity Inventory,” the “Genius Email Exercise” for identifying your zone of genius, the “Sufficiency Meditation,” and the “Four A’s” practice for accepting and appreciating what is. The authors encourage readers to practice these tools regularly, both individually and with their teams, to cultivate a more conscious and fulfilling way of leading and living.
5. What is the ultimate vision and purpose of conscious leadership, according to the authors?
This book empowers leaders to create positive change within themselves and their organizations by cultivating self-awareness, responsibility, and a commitment to learning and growth. By embracing the 15 Commitments, leaders can foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and creativity, unlocking the full potential of their teams and creating a more fulfilling and impactful future for all. The authors challenge readers to become the resolution they seek in the world, inspiring others to step into their own greatness and contribute to a more conscious and compassionate future.
Key Takeaways
1. Embrace Radical Responsibility
Conscious leaders understand that blame is a counterproductive force that creates defensiveness and stifles learning. Instead, they choose to take 100% responsibility for the circumstances of their lives, empowering themselves to create positive change. By taking ownership, they model accountability for their teams, creating an environment where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth rather than reasons for punishment.
Practical Application:
For example, in a product development team, instead of blaming engineers for missed deadlines, a conscious leader would acknowledge their role in setting unrealistic expectations or failing to provide adequate resources. They would then focus on creating a collaborative environment where everyone feels safe to speak up about challenges and work together to find solutions.
2. Develop Emotional Literacy
Emotions provide valuable information and insights, but many leaders struggle to manage them effectively. Conscious leaders understand the importance of being emotionally literate and develop the ability to identify, locate, and release their emotions in a healthy way. This allows them to access the wisdom and guidance that emotions offer without getting stuck in drama or reactivity.
Practical Application:
A manager struggling to communicate effectively with their team could pause, take a few deep breaths, and ask themselves, “What am I feeling right now?” Identifying the underlying emotion, such as fear or anxiety, allows them to address it directly rather than reacting from an unconscious state. They can then communicate with their team from a place of greater clarity and authenticity.
3. Embrace Play
Play is essential for creativity, innovation, and well-being. By bringing a playful mindset to their work and their interactions, conscious leaders can create a more relaxed, enjoyable, and productive environment. They understand that play is not the opposite of work, but rather a powerful force for generating new ideas and fostering collaboration.
Practical Application:
During a product design brainstorm, a conscious leader would encourage the team to explore all possibilities, even seemingly “crazy” ideas, without judgment. They would create a safe space for playfulness and experimentation, fostering an environment where innovative solutions can emerge.
4. Explore the Opposite
Conscious leaders understand that their beliefs shape their perception of reality, but also that those beliefs can be limiting. They actively challenge their beliefs by exploring the opposite, opening themselves up to new perspectives and possibilities. This practice expands their understanding of complex situations and allows for more innovative and inclusive solutions.
Practical Application:
A leader grappling with a complex decision could challenge their initial belief that there is only one “right” solution. They might ask themselves, “What if the opposite of my belief is also true?” This simple question can open up new perspectives and possibilities, leading to a more creative and holistic approach to problem-solving.
5. Cultivate Sufficiency
The belief that there isn’t enough creates competition, fear, and a sense of lack. Conscious leaders challenge this scarcity mindset and cultivate an experience of sufficiency, recognizing that there is enough of everything - time, money, love, energy, etc. This shift in perspective creates a foundation for generosity, collaboration, and sustainable success.
Practical Application:
In a tech company facing rapid growth and change, a leader might encourage the team to shift from a scarcity mindset (“we don’t have enough resources”) to one of sufficiency (“we have everything we need to succeed”). This shift in perspective can foster greater collaboration, resourcefulness, and a sense of shared abundance.
Suggested Deep Dive
Chapter: Excelling in your Zone of Genius
This chapter is particularly relevant to AI product engineers as it encourages individuals to identify their unique talents and passions and find ways to apply them in their work. This can lead to greater creativity, innovation, and job satisfaction, all essential for success in the rapidly evolving field of AI.
Memorable Quotes
What’s Wrong with Being Right. 17
For this reason, we say that knowing when you are below the line is more important than being below the line. Leaders are in real trouble when they are below the line (closed, defensive, and committed to being right and keeping their ego alive) and think they are above it. This leadership blindness is rampant in the corporate world.
CHOOSING TO SHIFT. 25
From our experience, and probably yours, creativity, innovation, and collaboration (all keys to high-level problem solving) occur best when we operate above the line. In fact, they don’t occur at all below the line…
WHY WE BLAME. 48
Blame, shame, and guilt all come from the same source: TOXIC FEAR.
THE WISDOM OF FEELINGS. 93
Feeling a feeling all the way through (the main objective of Commitment 3) means letting that feeling have its full life cycle (less than ninety seconds) by breathing, moving and vocalizing, resting in calmness, and riding the next wave through to completion.
In a Nutshell. 124
Trust is rooted in love and control is rooted in fear. We believe love-based organizations win over fear-based organizations.
Comparative Analysis
This book provides a distinct approach to leadership compared to traditional leadership books like “Good to Great” by Jim Collins or “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. While those books focus on external behaviors and strategies, “The 15 Commitments” delves deeper into the internal state of the leader, emphasizing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and conscious communication. It aligns with the principles of mindfulness and self-regulation, similar to the concepts explored in “Mindset” by Carol Dweck, but applies them specifically to the context of leadership. The book’s emphasis on “above the line” leadership, grounded in personal responsibility and curiosity, is unique and offers a fresh perspective on how to create thriving, collaborative, and creative organizations.
Reflection
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership offer a compelling vision for a more humane, effective, and fulfilling approach to leadership. However, the book’s emphasis on personal transformation and anecdotal evidence may not resonate with all readers. Some may find the concepts overly idealistic or lacking in rigorous scientific backing. Additionally, the book’s focus on internal states may not fully address the complex systemic issues that contribute to unconscious leadership within organizations. Despite these potential limitations, the book offers valuable insights and practical tools for leaders who are committed to personal growth and creating a more conscious workplace. The emphasis on emotional intelligence, open communication, and taking responsibility is particularly relevant in the context of AI and technology, where the rapid pace of change and increasing complexity demand adaptability, empathy, and a commitment to ongoing learning and collaboration.
Flashcards
What are the characteristics of “below the line” leadership?
Closed, defensive, and committed to being right
What are the characteristics of “above the line” leadership?
Open, curious, and committed to learning
What is radical responsibility?
Taking full responsibility for the circumstances of your life, letting go of blame
What is the author’s definition of emotion?
Energy in motion, or feelings as physical sensations. They are neither good nor bad.
How do you release an emotion?
Locate the sensation, breathe, allow it, and match your experience with expression
What should be revealed with candor?
Facts, thoughts, feelings, and sensations
What is gossip?
A statement about another made with negative intent, or that the speaker would be unwilling to share in the same way if the person were present
What is the author’s definition of integrity?
Wholeness, characterized by energy management, congruence, and alignment
What are the four zones in which people work and live?
Incompetence, competence, excellence, and genius