Full disclosure, I love what some may call “New Age Bullshit”. Let’s just get that out of the way. I also love business, strategy, group dynamics, human behavior, psychology and spirituality. People I’ve worked with over the years were just as comfortable asking me to develop a marketing plan as they were asking me for help with an issue they were having with a co-worker, spouse, or child.
I’m a strong believer in business concepts, and after nearly 20 years in the business world, I understand what it takes to make a business run and thrive. I’m also a strong believer in the concepts and practices of mindfulness, awareness, higher self, and other “New Agey” things (which I have also been practicing and studying for 20 years).
Combining a business mindset and a spiritual mindset form what I believe to be the most powerful type of professional, the Conscious Professional.
Before we go further, let’s break down these terms so you understand what the heck I’m talking about.
Spirituality- Spirituality is not religion, although spiritual concepts are taught by every religion. Spirituality is connection. The connection you have with yourself, others, and the bigger picture, call it Source/God/Other. You experience these connections as your intuition or sense of knowing, the love you have for your family, the sense of belonging you feel when you’re in nature, the feeling of being in the zone when you’re using your talents and gifts to their highest potential, and the feeling of fulfillment and joy.
Mindfulness- Mindfulness is the ability to bring awareness to your everyday experiences. It’s the commitment to noticing how you’re using your energy, how you are treating others, how much time you spend on your phone etc. Many also use the term mindfulness to mean meditation.
Awareness- Awareness is the state of being cognizant or having a direct perception of something. This is recognizing (in the moment) that you’ve been on Facebook way longer than you intended.
Consciousness- Consciousness is a higher level of awareness that allows you to connect your perceptions to a larger concept. This is where acceptance, openness, and oneness exist. Consciousness lives in your Higher Self. You become conscious of something when you realize how the pieces fit together at a higher level. For example, say your team isn’t producing the results you expect. Consciousness comes when you dig deeper into the reason for the failure. Instead of stopping at “My team is terrible,” it’s looking at all aspects of the failure and realizing how each party played a part. Did you lay out a clear goal with clear objectives? Were their priorities constantly shifting, or were they consistent and aligned with the overall goal? Do some team members need more training? Is the software efficient? Does your team feel trusted and empowered? When you ask and answer such questions, you arrive at a new level of consciousness about the situation. That your team’s failure is much bigger than them just not producing. You see things from a higher level, as if you’re watching a tv show where you can see how everything connects to cause the breakdown. You are now open to various changes that need to happen to get the results you want.
Higher Self- Also called Inner Self, this is the part of you that houses your intuition, gut feelings, dreams, goals, inspirations, and the things you just “know” to be true.
So how do these concepts work in the business world? Here’s an example:
Brad, VP of Operations for a large food service company, is scheduled to lead a touch base meeting for a project he’s managing at 9:00 am on Wednesday. He has an 8:00 am meeting that it is scheduled to end by 8:55, so he’s on time for the 9:00.
Prior to each meeting he leads, Brad sends attendees a clear agenda to ensure meetings are focused and efficient. If a topic needs more time, a follow up meeting is scheduled or it’s taken offline.
Brad arrives to his 9:00 two minutes early with a notepad, a pen and other documents needed for the conversation. He spent 15 minutes preparing for this meeting prior to his 8:00 so he would be ready to go when the meeting began. Brad sits down, opens his notebook, and engages each person that walks into the meeting by looking them in the eye and saying hello. Throughout the meeting, Brad stays connected with each team member, giving them his full attention when they’re speaking. He asks follow up questions and encourages others to do the same. If someone has an alternate view, he encourages a discussion, as Brad believes in openness and collaboration. Brad also makes it a point to stay aware of the energy in the room. He can tell if it’s waxing or waning and navigates the conversation accordingly. Because Brad is aware that each team member’s time is valuable, he is mindful of the clock and the agenda throughout the meeting. If it looks as if the team will need more time, they will schedule a follow up meeting, unless continuing at that time does not negatively affect the schedule of team members in or out of the meeting.
In this example, Brad practices mindfulness and awareness, he is conscious, and values the connection with his team.
Brad is mindful to keep the meeting focused and on time. He uses a tight meeting protocol because he is conscious of how meetings that run over or are rescheduled on the fly affect other people’s time, productivity, and stress level.
He’s also mindful to engage each one of his team members, expressing the value of and appreciation for their time.
Brad gives team members his full attention when they’re speaking, bringing his awareness to them and what they’re saying.
He is able to read the energy of the room and make decisions based on that information because he is connected and fully present with his team.
How would you feel if Brad was your team leader? Someone that was respectful of your time, listened intently and made sure that everyone was on the same page. Who came from a place of connection and collaboration.
This is what it looks like to incorporate seemingly “out there” concepts into a business environment. This is what a Conscious Professional looks like. Based on my experience in the business world, Brad looks pretty legit to me. I’m not an operations person but put me on his team because that’s the kind of boss I want.
Am I right?!
What do you think now? Legit or New Age bullsh*t?