An Invitation to Become a More Conscious Leader
For hundreds of generations including our own, we have been conditioned to a “domination” mindset of leadership that puts the needs of one human being above another. Whomever the person in power — the king, the boss, the teacher, the parent, the priest, the government official — their choices and their will are imposed on those they lead.
The domination mindset of leadership is based on fear: “do what I say, or else I will use my power to harm you” (a “punishment”).
And I have language that I can use so that you — not I — are responsible for the harm I do to you: “you deserve it.”
The more benevolent leaders in this mindset emphasize giving you something you want (a “reward”) if you do what they say.
Either way, the person in power is using the extrinsic motivation of rewards and punishments to manipulate and coerce the people they lead to do what they say.
At the core of this domination leadership is a mindset of “I matter — and you don’t.”
Over the millennia this domination mindset has been built into our language, our thinking, our culture, our families, our institutions, our laws, our policies — perpetuating the mindset so that it becomes pervasive, invisible and subconscious. We say “that’s just the way the world is” … “that’s just what a leader is.”
“Conscious” leadership sees another way.
A way based on trust and care, rather than fear.
It flows from a mindset of “I matter AND you matter” ...
( ... continue reading this article in the Substack publication, "Becoming a More Conscious Leader" ... )
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