Are You Ready for the Next Evolution in Leadership – Conscious Leadership?
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 1
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Karen is a leadership academic, coach and author who specializes in coaching leaders who want to make a positive difference and leave a lasting legacy. Dave is the Vice President of Technology – where he has the responsibility of ensuring Cirium’s business and customer needs are realised by driving the strategic direction of the Cirium Technology team. Cirium is the world’s most trusted source of aviation analytics, delivering powerful data and cutting-edge analytics to empower a wide spectrum of industry players.
Does getting things done at work sometimes feel like wading through treacle? Has the workplace begun to feel more like a battleground than a team effort, leaving you drained and disillusioned? Are your colleagues trapped in gossip, blame, and complaint while the real issues go unresolved?
This article explores how these problems are symptoms of a deeper psycho-cultural problem. We have known for over 100 years what good leadership looks like, but we rarely put it into practice – because we’re scared. We’re scared of losing the race, of losing our power, of losing our position and we’re scared of the truth. All corporate scandals involve leaders who have been scared of the truth.
We face a choice. Do we go on a journey towards responsibility, integrity and courageous leadership or do we continue to be driven by the animal instinct to survive, defend ourselves and pursue naked self-interest? Both choices offer visions of the future. What future are you co-creating with your leadership? How can you and your people evolve into leaders with higher level consciousness – leaders that our society so wants and needs right now? This article explains how.
Why is leadership so frustrating?
Blame, avoiding responsibility, fear of honest conversations, never-ending stress, poor decision-making – these aren’t just everyday frustrations. In such environments, people unconsciously protect themselves: from criticism, failure, and the risk of being truly honest. The result? Progress stalls, trust erodes, and people do just enough to get by.
Conscious, responsible leadership is the solution – but do you have what it takes?
When you lead consciously – grounded in self-awareness and emotional intelligence – you not only manage your own defences, but also shift the emotional climate around you. You foster trust, enable collaboration, and crucially, get more done with far less stress.
So what is conscious leadership? How can it increase your impact at work and your happiness in life? And are you ready to become a truly conscious leader?
Why do they do that? The hidden cost of unconscious leadership
Someone is clearly underperforming, yet their manager insists they’re brilliant and shields them from critique.
A new senior leader with a record of high staff turnover is hired. Once in place, they criticise colleagues publicly and create a culture of fear.
A major project is failing. The root causes are complex, but everyone agrees: it’s all Tom’s fault.
These scenarios may seem irrational – even self-defeating – from a business perspective. But they make perfect sense from a human one. Each reflects the protective behaviours of individuals operating in fear.
The underperformer flatters the boss to feel safe – and the boss laps it up. The leader bullies others to feel powerful. The team scapegoats Tom to avoid facing hard truths. These behaviours are driven by unconscious needs for safety, power, belonging, control, and approval. When these needs are threatened, defensiveness hijacks our thinking and drives reactive, emotionally charged behaviour – often at the expense of performance and wellbeing.
This is what it means to live below the line.
Are you living above or below the line?
Jim Dethmer, author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, offers a simple yet powerful metaphor. He draws a bold black line across a blank page and asks:
Are you living above the line, or below it?
Below the line, we operate from fear. We blame, control, hide, and strive to meet ego-driven needs.
Above the line, we lead with curiosity, responsibility, truth, and compassion. We don’t avoid difficulty – we meet it with presence, integrity, and skill.
Conscious leadership is about choosing to live above the line – again and again.
It’s not a one-time decision. It’s a daily practice.
Five core practices of conscious leadership
Becoming a conscious leader involves a commitment to five essential practices:
Self-awareness 2.0
Radical responsibility
Emotional intelligence 2.0
Honest, direct communication
Strong compassion
These may sound familiar – but in conscious leadership, they’re taken to a deeper, more transformative level.
1. Cultivate self-awareness 2.0
Traditional self-awareness focuses on how others see us – via feedback, 360 reviews, and personality tools. This is useful, but it’s just the beginning.
Self-Awareness 2.0 is about witnessing our internal experience in real time – and understanding the unconscious patterns that drive it.
It includes two essential elements:
Presence – The ability to notice what’s happening as it’s happening in the moment.For example, frustration might show up as a tight chest or clenched jaw. These are signs of defensiveness – the ego stepping in to protect us. Leaders who are conscious pause, breathe, and choose a wiser path.
Deep inner work – Coaching or therapy that reveals and heals our emotional patterns.Much of our defensiveness stems from childhood conditioning.
Example: Anna’s Story
Anna’s boss suggests extra support to manage her heavy workload. She snaps, “I don’t need help, thank you.”
Her boss shrugs and walks off – his concerns about her defensiveness now confirmed.
But here’s what’s really going on. Anna parents, taught her to believe “Dependence is weakness.” Her boss’s offer unconsciously triggers her fear of seeming dependent and weak. Her body reacts – heart racing, thoughts spinning – and she instinctively says the opposite of what she feels and pushes him away. This is a defensive pattern called ‘reaction formation’.
What would a conscious leader do?
Through the process of therapy Anna consciously recognises her triggers and understands her reactions. She breathes and grounds herself. She realises she needs to reflect on her reaction and calmly responds:
“Thanks for thinking about me. Can we talk about this later?”
Same situation. Different outcome. Conscious leadership in action.
2. Practise radical responsibility
Dethmer calls this the cornerstone of conscious leadership.
Radical responsibility means owning your part in every situation – without blame, denial, or defensiveness.
But blame is deeply ingrained. It protects our sense of self – even when it sabotages outcomes.
Example: James and the Project Failure
James hires cheap consultants against the advice of his two most trusted senior managers. When the project fails, he blames everyone else – especially one of the managers, Gail. As everyone else is anxious about the project failings and their own jobs, they too start blaming Gail. Soon, everyone believes it is all Gail’s fault that the project is failing. Gail feels extremely stressed and, unable to defend herself, eventually leaves.
Notice how James blames everyone but himself. He creates a climate of fear through the process of emotional contagion. Everyone needs to release their anxiety so they copy James and blame Gail. This leads to a feeding frenzy with Gail absorbing all the stress and blame.
James never identified the true cause of the project failure because he would have had to take responsibility for hiring less effective consultants. He was scared of the truth. So the project failed. However, James was protected by his colleagues on the SMT (another tactic that senior teams use to protect themselves – ‘no-one breaks ranks’), so he kept his job. The other talented senior manager left and Gail sued the company for constructive dismissal.
Not only are no lessons learned, but the dynamics that led to failure are still in place.
This blame/denial dynamic is extremely common in organisations. Two examples can be seen in the Horizon Post Office Scandal in the UK and Boeing in the US. Both led to deaths of employees and/or customers.
A conscious leader would:
Notice his anxiety and reflect on its roots.
Seek coaching to process emotions and uncover his patterns.
Own his decisions and apologise to his team.
Create psychological safety and collaboratively find solutions.
This takes courage and skill. But it’s the only way to build trust, resilience, and long-term success.
3. Build emotional intelligence 2.0
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 isn’t just about staying calm. It’s about allowing emotions to move through us – without acting them out or shutting them down.
We learn to befriend our emotions and to see others’ behaviour as expressions of unconscious needs and fears.
Example: Matthew the complainer
Matthew keeps bringing up issues outside your control. You’re frustrated. You find yourself snapping at him and closing him down in meetings. Matthew’s resentment and frustration grows.
The conscious leader breathes and chooses curiosity. You realise Matthew’s complaints stem from anxiety, not personal criticism.
You respond:
“As you know, this isn’t something I can change. But if you’d find it helpful to talk about what’s worrying you, I’d be happy to meet for half an hour tomorrow. Would that help?”
Or, if the issue has been raised many times and space for empathy has already been offered, a conscious leader might offer honest, direct communication (see below):
“I understand your concern. But this is the reality we’re working with, and we need to stay focused on what we can control.”
You may need to say this multiple times. However, you use it as a mantra and don’t get triggered by the behaviour. This allows you to save your energy and to avoid being triggered by Matthew’s behaviour. Matthew will eventually change his approach once he sees it is no longer working.
Emotionally intelligent responses are intentional. They regulate energy, protect relationships, and maintain momentum. They are deliberate rather than reactive.
4. Communicate honestly and directly
Many managers avoid conflict, pamper egos, or use passive-aggressive tactics. But when we create space for honest, respectful communication, tension dissolves and trust grows.
Even naming difficult truths – like poor performance – can bring relief and clarity. When the unspoken becomes spoken, energy is freed for action.
It takes courage and skill. But paired with compassion, honesty becomes the foundation for high-performing, human teams.
5. Lead with strong compassion
This work is hard. You will stumble. You’ll doubt yourself. Others will resist or continue behaving dysfunctionally.
It’s easy to fall into self-blame or harsh “shoulds”:I should be more self-aware. I should have handled that better.
That’s why compassion is essential. Not soft, sentimental compassion – but strong compassion. The kind that holds you steady through discomfort, fuels your courage, and enables you to face tough situations with both grace and grit.
The core of conscious leadership
This is deep, subtle, disciplined leadership. It demands constant attention to your inner state – and the ability to choose your response.
Sometimes that response is challenge.
Sometimes, empathy.
Sometimes, humble reflection.
The core question you ask yourself – over and over – is:
What is driving my behaviour?
Am I protecting myself, or am I serving the mission with integrity?
This is the essence of conscious leadership.
It’s not about having all the answers.It’s about being anchored, aware, and skilful in the emotional currents of organisational life – especially when the waters get rough.
Final thought
Becoming a conscious leader isn’t a performance. It’s a practice.
It requires courage, humility, and the willingness to look within – especially when it’s uncomfortable.
But the rewards are profound:
More authentic relationships
Deeper trust
Greater influence
Renewed energy
A working life that uplifts rather than depletes
So the next question is: Do you want to become more conscious as a leader? If you are interested in finding out more about how to raise your level of consciousness in your leadership, or working with me to increase your leadership effectiveness, contact me on karen@karenblakeley.com or whatsapp me on 07977 857064.
Read more from Karen Blakeley
Karen Blakeley, Conscious Leadership Coach, Academic and Author
Karen set up and led the Centre for Responsible Management at the University of Winchester Business School. While there, she taught, conducted research, published books and hosted talks by renowned leaders at the forefront of responsible business. Since leaving academia, she has focused on coaching leaders who want to make a positive difference. Her last book, Leading with Love, looked at how leaders can build their personal and organisational influence, lead with compassion and leave lasting positive legacies.
