Now is the time to become a more conscious leader. What do I mean by that?

To be conscious is to be awake and present in each moment with self awareness of the impact your thoughts, feelings and actions are having on the situation and those around you. To be conscious is to pause and decide how to respond, to catch yourself in a knee jerk reaction and shift.

It is to know your strengths and act with confidence in the right measure–not holding back nor being overbearing. It is taking responsibility, owning what is yours and letting others be responsible for themselves, neither caretaking, nor blaming.

To be conscious is to know your centerpoint, your seat of wisdom and know how to remain connected to it, trust it, and act from that place. Most everyone has moments of presence like this, but it is often fleeting. To have this level of self agency, you need a magnifying lens and a manual to understand yourself in relation to others and the world around you. The Enneagram system of personality and self development provides a focused lens to see yourself with clarity, and guidebooks to understand what you’re observing. It provides the Aha of recognition and an understanding of behaviors that were previously baffling.

Even better, it outlines the path to change the habitual ways of thinking, feeling and acting that you may have thought were fixed–just who you are.

The good news is that you are not fixed. You are resilient and capable of lasting change and the Enneagram can help you do that.

The Enneagram is a framework for understanding yourself. There are nine archetypes that embody different ways of thinking, feeling and acting. When you are at your best, you are present in mind, body and heart and act from the essential qualities of your type. 

As a child, you are shaped by early experiences and the level of attunement your caregivers had with you.

The more attuned to your needs your caregivers were, the more loved and secure you felt, the easier it is for the natural qualities and gifts of your type shine through. 

Life happens and there are no perfect parents. Each type develops survival skills to get needs met and to cope when they are not. These strategies form the personality, apart from the characteristics we are born with. The personality is not who you are; it is a combination of habitual reactions designed to help you survive in a chaotic world. 

What does this have to do with leadership? Everything!

You can’t effectively lead others until you can lead yourself. You need self awareness, understanding and the ability to manage your thoughts, feelings and actions in order to grow and become the kind of leader you want to be. 

You don’t have to do it by yourself. Learning along with others and sharing your insights becomes a catalyst for transformation. If you are a senior leader, reach out to me for ways to get started.

Using principles of conscious leadership and the Enneagram system of personality is how I help people navigate challenging life transitions and grow as individuals and leaders.