Forget what you believe!

Krishnamurti's teachings set my mind afire and stirred my heart. He called for a revolution in the psyche of every human, and taught that the revolution of consciousness wasn’t affiliated with an outside entity – religion, politics, or society. Rather, he said, meditation, inquiry, and relationships lead to an experience of Truth. To me, hes' the granddaddy of Conscious Leadership, an advocate for the need for a radical change in society.

This radical change, I believe, isn’t coming from governments – they’re focused on protecting their people and tending to a massive bureaucracy. This radical change isn’t coming from religious bodies – they’re focused on maintaining community and advancing their ideology.

The radical change that humanity is aching for is coming from – surprisingly and even shockingly – organizational and business leaders. You, executive leader, have become the shaper of society. You are the de facto influencer of ideas, ideals, norms, and culture.

So you, my dear leader, are not only responsible for your team and organization, but increasingly also for the future of society and humanity. Are you ready for this? Are you ready to accept your role in the unfolding human story? Are you ready to upgrade your consciousness to be a better steward of this responsibility?

Krishnamurti has clear advice for upgrading our consciousness:

“Any conclusion or hypothesis – Individualism or Collectivism, Capitalism or Socialism or Communism, Reincarnation, etc. – is a belief. By accepting a belief, you exclude all other forms of thinking. Belief in God does not mean understanding God. A mind tethered to a belief, hypothesis or conclusion – whether based on its own experience or the experience of others – cannot go far; it is not free but conditioned. Therefore, belief is a hindrance to understanding.”

Krishnamurti’s suggestion – question your beliefs – is a terrifying idea. What am I if not my beliefs? 

Or as Stan, an experienced COO, put it, “My beliefs are right, they’re not random. If I doubt myself then the world is just mad and chaotic!”

But the path of a conscious leader passes through the gates of doubt, travels the fields of uncertainty, and enters the arena of Truth. You might start out as a conscious leader by recycling, and practicing fair trade, and diversity and inclusion, but you have to continue into the practice of Truth.

And I aint talking about some highly personal version of truth. On the contrary. I'm concerned, and you ought to as well, about a common leadership sickness with the symptom of, "mine is the Only Way.” I call this sickness PSYCHOSCLEROSIS, you know, the hardening of the mind. It’s a stiff, brittle, and rigid mindset that's hardened by too much certainty and too little curiosity.

This condition excludes new and conflicting ideas. And when we exclude ideas, we also exclude people.

So, leaders and executives with this sickness generate groupthink, restriction, discomfort, breakdown, and ultimately, decline.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got to have core values. And guiding principles, of course, are critical. No, you don’t need to walk around all day denying every belief every moment. This could make the simple task of buying a cup of coffee quite maddening.

But refusing to budge from your position isn’t powerful, it’s childish, it's based in fear, and it's unconscious.

There’s more power in questioning than in fixed answers.

There’s more power in examining your precious ideas than in killing other’s ideas.

There’s more power in including dissenting voices than in homogeneity.

Einstein, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, Marie Curie, Pablo Picasso, Steve Jobs, Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Andy Warhol, Amerigo Vespucci.

These are beacons of genius that shine because of breakout discovery and achievement.

Breakout.

They dissented from the normal, familiar patterns of others around them.

They questioned their tradition, culture, and beliefs.

Their illumination came at the cost of their compliance and conformity.

I say, REBELLION IS THE SEED OF ENLIGHTENMENT.

Enlightenment is understanding the non-personal truth.

Rebellion is rejecting the norm.

If the Truth were obvious, we’d all agree.

But we don’t.

Truth isn’t obvious.

If the truth isn’t obvious then we have to seek it away from the norm.

In Zen we call this practice Beginner Mind - a mindset of curiosity and inquiry. This is a practice of gently and consistently noting our cherished beliefs, opinions, and notions, and setting them aside. 

This willing questioning, this suspension of our certainty, this opening to possibility, this mature rebellion, is a leap of faith out of our comfort zone.

Beyond the comfort zone is innovation, possibility, growth, understanding, and perspective.

Beyond the comfort zone is access to deeper truth.

Beyond the comfort zone is expansive contact with Life.

And "expansive contact" is fancy words for LOVE.

Love is connection. Love is inclusion. 

Love is endless and holds everything within it.

When we love we don’t judge, we receive.

When we love we don’t push away, we pull closer.

When we love we don’t hurt, we nurture.

When we love we don’t belittle, we value the other.

Love is the most powerful of all the gifts of Beginner Mind.

Love is the most powerful of all leadership principles.

Love and curiosity are the sparks of conscious leadership.

The power you seek in certainty and fixed ideas isn’t sustainable.

The power you seek lies in questioning.

The power you seek lies in Truth.

The power your seek lies in loving.

There’s a trick to being a breakout and conscious leader – express your beliefs passionately, but hold them quite lightly.

This is the ticket to sustainable power, creative expression, and abiding love. And this is the path Krishnamurti illuminates for us, the path to a radical and positive change for mankind. 

Go to www.LeadershipBreakdown.com to learn more about applying conscious leadership in the real-world.