Conscious Leadership

Leaders are very conscious of the impact of the perceptions that they create.

I got an opportunity to stay with a bunch of parents and their children who had visited my parent’s place to attend a summer camp in that city. I noticed how a parent’s perceptions and stories about a child contributed to the productivity and happiness of the child. It made a great impact on how worthy the children regarded himself/herself as. The common patterns that the parents were showing are that they have pre conceived opinions on how boys would be, or girls would be or a child from a poor family would be etc. Their stories were too strong that even others in the environment started to relate to the child as set by the negative perceptions of the parents.

The experience reminded me of a type a leadership that I was reading about few days back, and that I considered very necessary for leaders at all levels. It is called conscious leadership. All leaders including parents should learn the art of practicing conscious leadership. It is about being unattached to conventions or past reference points. It is about the willingness to take risks, destroy and un-create old systems, structures and routines for new ones. It is about being conscious regarding new aspects of reality. It is about exploring unfamiliar realms of reality. Conscious leadership can be thought of as becoming conscious of our own and other’s blind spots. I imagine conscious leadership is about throwing away the yellow sun glasses that we always used to wear to view the green fields. I extend it by adding that it is also about helping others throw away their yellow sun glasses and helping them to understand that the field is really green.

I invite all leaders (including parents) to inquire on a powerful question

What is REAL? What is real TODAY? What is real OUT HERE? What is real about THIS organization? What is real about THIS person? What is real about OUR CHILD? What is real about ME?

Answering this basic question will help us break the old beliefs, get out of the box and set the stage for success for ourselves and others.

About Prabha:
Prabha Sathyanarayanan is a professional coach trained at The Coaches Institute, San Francisco and an accredited MBTI practitioner who extensively uses the Co Active coaching model with her clients to bring out powerful personal leadership expressions in people and organizations that is resonant with their values. Prabha lives in Chennai and offers her private coaching sessions internationally over phone or VOIP.

Contact Prabha Sathyanarayanan
http://www.egyana.com
egyana@gmail.com

Leadership is about helping people see their magnificence

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We have heard about this famous quote. This quote made a profound transformation in my life few years back when I first read it. It was an ‘aha’ moment. After many years now, I am wondering what if I be ‘the powerful’ that I am. I shrink down immediately and what stops me to be my fullest is the fear that I may intimidate people around me with my power and they might feel dominated. When I wonder how not to diminish myself and at the same time not intimidate people, what shows up for me is to not impose my power on them instead hold people high and help them see THEIR magnificence.

So, I guess here, the style with which we conduct ourselves as a leader plays an important role in bringing out the best in people. And that is what Leadership is about. It is about bringing out the best in people.

So, what are some of the ways you can help people see their magnificence; at your work, in your life and in your environment?

About Prabha:
Prabha Sathyanarayanan is a professional coach trained at The Coaches Institute, San Francisco and an accredited MBTI practitioner who extensively uses the Co Active coaching model with her clients to elicit and nurture resonant expressions in them. Her personal mission is to bring out powerful personal leadership expressions in people and organizations that is resonant with their values. Prabha lives in Chennai and offers her private coaching sessions internationally over phone or VOIP.

Contact Prabha Sathyanarayanan
http://www.egyana.com
egyana@gmail.com

M.S. Dhoni and his Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

Last night, I enjoyed a fantastic cricket that was played by Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab. It was a crucial match since both the teams were trying to secure their places in the IPL semifinals. The target set by Dhoni’s team for Punjab seemed to be very easy for Punjab to win. But here’s the thing. Amidst all the stress, despair and after a loss to the Knight Riders the day before, Dhoni stayed focused and cool. He didn’t seem to buy in to the ‘No Possibility’ perspective that everybody had. The Chennai team, through an unbelievable victory, proved to the world that it is ‘Actually Possible’ even when others think it might not have been possible. The Super Kings won. Shivmani’s hands started to dance on his drums with great inspiration and happiness.

Dhoni keeps reminding me that positive leadership begins with awareness. Every time, he walks in to the presentation ceremony, he consciously acknowledges what they could have done better. That is what self awareness is all about. He seems to clearly inquire on the vital role that he needs to play as a captain during his team’s journey in the IPL. Not only that, he knows who he is and consistently demonstrates that kind of ‘being’ which is very unique to himself.

His ability to allow it to happen; let go and accept what is there; shows his willingness to experience his wins and losses, learn from them and not react to them but actually be very proactive. His ability to remain cool under pressure and to express emotions appropriately shows that he does not focus more on achievements measured by external standards, rather emphasis more on rewards that are intrinsically meaningful to him and his team.  Many might say that his success is related to his sharp mind and smart thinking, but to me it is more than that. It is his willingness to connect with himself at a deeper level, experience and start noticing what is there at the moment, including and accepting what is there and the confident ability to improve working from that place. This is exactly what high level of emotional intelligence means and is very crucial for leadership.

 According to the leading emotional intelligence psychologist, Dr. Daniel Goleman – the foremost and basic foundation among the building blocks for emotional intelligence competency is self awareness – knowing one’s internal states, preferences, resources and intuitions and managing one’s internal stages, impulses and resources that are foundation to success. Dhoni’s awareness about himself, his team mates, the opponents, the situation and the impact that he desires to create, is helping him and his team recognize their capabilities, allowing them to play with passion and with ease on a competitive ground under high pressure.

About the Author:
Prabha Sathyanarayanan is a professional coach trained at The Coaches Institute, San Francisco and an accredited MBTI practitioner who extensively uses the Co Active coaching model with her clients to elicit and nurture resonant expressions in her clients. Her personal mission is to bring out powerful personal leadership expressions in people and organizations that is resonant with their values. Prabha lives in Chennai and offers her private coaching sessions internationally over phone or VOIP.

Contact Prabha
http://www.egyana.com
egyana@gmail.com