A Conscious Leadership Model: Leading from Above the Line
The Above/Below the Line model of leadership based on the teachings of Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman and Haley Klemp and their book The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership is a whole different conversation on leadership and provides us with a new paradigm for sustainable leadership and business success. By doing this work, you will learn specific ways to shift yourself and your team from a fear based, I’m right, defensive way of being to a higher state of learning where trust, curiosity and commitment to learning are in the forefront of working together. This is the only place that innovation, creativity and collaboration can occur. In my mind, if you are not on the forefront of this leadership shift you will be outdated and miss what most leadership experts deem as the most important business competitive advantage going forward: accessing more intelligence from the smart people you hire and creating a more engaging, creative and productive work culture by rewarding learning and curiosity over “being right”.
The World is Changing
The world and businesses are changing faster than leaders can keep up with and leaders are stressed out. Technology is going to be 20 times faster by the end of this century than last. The old models of leadership had their purpose but are no longer sustainable as leaders with intelligence and distinct competencies is not enough anymore. Successful leaders must collaborate and innovate to survive which requires self-awareness, being present and learning agility. Research indicates that emotional intelligence (EQ) and learning agility are actually greater determinants of a leader’s success over the course of their career than IQ. For businesses to grow leaders must grow too!
A New Leadership Style is Required
My guess is none of you still have a flip phone! You probably update your car, your laptop and all your technology! When was the last time you updated your leadership thinking? You probably work hard maybe very long days, “doing” your job, but the main service you provide is “to lead”. Leading likely means you spend a lot of attention updating the “thing” you lead but do you update the way you lead or your mindset to leadership?
This model of leadership is a whole new conversation on leadership and provides us with a new paradigm for sustainable success.
You will learn specific ways to shift yourself and your team from a fear based, I’m right, defensive way of being to a higher state of learning where trust, curiosity and commitment to learning are in the forefront of working together. This is the only place that innovation, creativity and collaboration can occur. In my mind, if businesses aren’t on the forefront of this leadership shift, they might find that their business is moving faster than its leaders. Plus, those that lead above the line will clearly win the talent war.