The traditional definition of a leader has changed significantly over the years. As the business landscape changes, so have the characteristics that define a great leader. It is important for business leaders to adapt if they want to ensure stability within the organization they are leading. At the same time, good leadership skills will help the whole team become more effective in what they do.
Industry experts are looking at the characteristics of diversity conscious leaders as the new model to follow for business leaders. This is dictated by the political, economic, and social factors that are ever-present in the global landscape that is changing how businesses approach leadership.
What is a Conscious Leader?
A conscious leader is someone who possesses the attributes that make them effective in leading their team and organization towards one goal. At the same time, they also recognize that they have certain attributes that could use some work or improvement. This unique skill is the first step towards becoming a conscious leader.
Conscious leadership offers many benefits. One of them is the ability to make smarter decisions that benefit everyone in the organization, rather than only a few. It is also beneficial in terms of recognizing the attributes that are lacking or those that would not be beneficial for a specific situation.
In order to get a complete insight into the benefits of this type of leadership, it is important to identify the characteristics of diversity conscious leaders.
5 Characteristics of Diversity Conscious Leaders
A well-defined purpose is a crucial element of becoming a good leader, specifically, a conscious leader. But it takes more than that to become effective in influencing and leading your team. There are five key characteristics of diversity conscious leaders that put your organization in a position to succeed.
Emotional Intelligence
The ability to keep one’s emotions in check is a vital characteristic possessed by a conscious leader. They are rational and focused rather than being governed by their emotions. When leaders allow their emotions to impact their decision, they are not making the best decision for their organization, as emotions can affect stress and anxiety levels.
Leaders with higher emotional intelligence are more conscious and empathic of others. They think clearly and don’t blow up emotionally. At the same time, they are able to treat every member of the organization with respect because they realize the value that each brings to the team.
The ability to control and manage emotions is one of the best traits of a diversity conscious leader.
Never Ceasing to Learn
The best leaders always yearn for new knowledge and learning. They continue to become better because they seek to be better. This is possible because they keep an open mind. They act like sponges that absorb information and use them in ways that would serve the organization in various situations.
One of the best characteristics of a conscious leader is that they see every opportunity as a learning experience. As a result, their subordinates can adapt to this same mindset. This makes it possible for the entire organization to grow as one since every member never ceases to learn.
It starts with not being contentñ with their circumstances and a desire to improve them. They also have a non-judgmental attitude; they embrace every experience and opportunity, as well as the people they meet. Conscious leaders take advantage of these because they can learn something, no matter how small. The moment there is a judgmental attitude, they cease to learn because it limits creativity and imagination.
Compassionate
In today’s workplace, there is a renewed focus on welcoming diversity. Many multicultural and gender-based differences among employees have resulted in internal conflict, which can inhibit productivity. This is where a conscious leader comes in. They need the ability to reconcile these differences in order for the employees or members of the team to develop tolerance for their differences – and to acknowledge those differences.
It takes a strong leader to be able to reconcile these differences and reach a positive outcome. The attribute of being compassionate plays a key role here. Conscious leaders are also compassionate; they sympathize with various groups (cultural or gender-based) and understand their sufferings. But more than understanding, they look for ways to provide equal opportunity for everyone so everyonee can perform to the best of their abilities.
Humility
A lot of leaders project the status of power in an effort to instill fear among their subordinates. While it might work for some, it won’t work for all. This is particularly true for a modern workplace that is all about diversity.
Leading with humility is the best way to go about it and this is what sets conscious leaders apart from others. Their awareness of self and the needs of others enable them to stay humble. They don’t even focus on their personal success but credit part of their achievements to the team.
Self-Awareness and Improvement
This is probably one of the most important traits and characteristics possessed by a conscious leader – self-awareness. Richard Branson is one of the most notable examples of this. He likes to refer to his self-awareness as one of his assets and one that has helped him succeed.
In fact, self-awareness might be the last on this list, but it could very well be the most important trait of a conscious leader. When you are self-aware, you identify your strengths and weaknesses. By not denying or ignoring your weaknesses, you give yourself the opportunity to improve on them and grow as a leader.
Self-awareness is also important because your behavior and attitude in life dictates the reality in which you live. Conscious leaders are highly self-aware because they strive for greatness. They welcome feedback from others – even negative feedback – in order to make improvements where needed to achieve the desired results (for themselves or the organization they lead).
Do you possess any of the characteristics of diversity conscious leaders like the ones above? There are more important characteristics that a conscious leader must possess, but these five are the bare essentials. When you have all of these five, you are on the right track towards maximizing performance and success – as a leader and as a part of an organization.
