Living the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership

From the Oceanwave Coaching blog

If you’re like many top leaders, the last few years of trying to navigate overwhelming uncertainty while supporting others has been incredibly challenging. It can feel like you spend all of your time and energy just treading water instead of focusing on improving the parts of your organization that need it the most. Practicing conscious leadership, as described by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Klemp in their book The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, might be the boost you’re looking for.

The central premise of the book entails 15 guidelines, or commitments, that emphasize ending drama (1-6), reinvesting that reclaimed energy (7-9), deeply understanding who we are (10-12), and how we relate to, and co-create with, the world (13-15).

The book also introduces the concept of “below-the-line” and “above-the-line” thinking. Below-the-line thinking involves closed, defensive thought patterns that are focused on you being right, while above-the-line thinking embodies open, curious, and growth-oriented mindsets. Understanding this distinction helps you recognize your own thought patterns and shift towards more conscious and effective thinking and action.

Each commitment addresses a specific aspect of leadership development, ranging from personal accountability and embracing curiosity to effective communication and fostering a growth mindset. There’s a structure to the commitments that help you progress along a psychological developmental path and move from below to above the line and from the To Me style of leadership to the By Me style.

To Me leadership is synonymous to being below the line. These people exhibit a victim mindset and see themselves at the mercy of what happens to them, seeking someone to blame for their problems and insecurities. They often ask “Why?” Why is this happening to me? Why don’t my coworkers respect to me? Why didn’t I get that promotion?

By Me leadership shifts from below the line to above the line, and the people who lead from this style have moved from the victim mindset to consciously creating with others. They take responsibility for what is happening in their lives and are open to curiosity and learning from whatever circumstances they find themselves in, co-creating the outcome with others.

So what are the commitments, and what are some real life examples of above- and below-the-line thinking that might show up in your work as a leader?

The Commitments and Examples of Above and Below the Line Thinking For Each

Ending Drama: Commitments 1-6

The first phase of the journey of Conscious Leadership starts with identifying and reducing drama in you and your team. Engaging in drama is human, but also a choice that we purposefully make and can therefore purposefully avoid. It sucks away our energy and causes unnecessary complications in our lives. Drama can be one or more of:

• Unproductive use of energy
• Revisiting the same issues and problems?
• Dysfunctional relationships?
• Being overwhelmed by negative emotions

1. Taking Radical Responsibility: True transformation begins with acknowledging that leaders have the power to shape their reality. By accepting radical responsibility for their choices, leaders empower themselves to influence outcomes and lead with intention.

Imagine a project that’s falling behind schedule.

• Above the Line: “I acknowledge my role in the project’s delay and will take action to address it, involving the team in problem-solving with me. I’m accountable for the outcome.”
• Below the Line: “The team didn’t provide enough support, which caused the project to fall behind. It’s not my fault.”

2. Learning Through Curiosity: Transformational leaders embrace a curious mindset, valuing each experience as an opportunity to learn. By cultivating curiosity, leaders become lifelong learners, continuously seeking knowledge and fresh perspectives.

Imagine being faced with a new challenge or unfamiliar territory.

• Above the Line: “I’m curious about how we can tackle this challenge. Let’s gather diverse perspectives and brainstorm ideas.”
• Below the Line: “This problem is too complex; there’s no use trying to solve it.”

3. Feeling All Feelings: Self-awareness is a cornerstone of conscious leadership. Leaders who connect with their emotions and encourage their teams to do the same create an environment of authenticity, empathy, and understanding.

Imagine that you notice someone who seems disengaged with their work.

• Above the Line: “I noticed you seemed a bit distant in the meeting. Is everything alright? I want to understand how you’re feeling.”
• Below the Line: “It’s not my job to address someone’s emotions. They should bring their personal issues elsewhere.”

4. Speaking Candidly: Transparent communication builds trust. Leaders who commit to speaking candidly foster open dialogues, which lead to better collaboration, idea sharing, and problem-solving. Imagine giving a performance review that both acknowledges accomplishments and also being frank about areas that need improvement.

Imagine giving feedback to someone who has mixed performance.

• Above the Line: “Your performance has been strong in these areas, and there are some opportunities for improvement here. Let’s work together to help you grow.”
• Below the Line: “I don’t want to upset them, so I’ll just tell them everything is fine.”

5. Eliminating Gossip: Leaders talk directly to people with whom I they an issue or concern, and encourage others to do the same. This increases trust and circumvents the spread of incorrect information through the grapevine.

Imagine that a colleague has been consistently missing project deadlines.

• Above the Line: “I’ll talk directly to my colleague to understand the situation.”
• Below the Line: “I don’t like confrontation, so I’ll ask other people on my colleague’s team and their boss what’s going on.”

6. Practicing Integrity: Transformational leaders uphold their values and align their actions with their principles. Demonstrating unwavering integrity builds credibility, trust, and respect within the organization.

Imagine facing a tight project deadline.

• Above the Line: “Even though we’re behind schedule, I won’t compromise quality. I’ll communicate the situation honestly and seek a balanced solution.”
• Below the Line: “I’ll cut corners to meet the deadline; no one will notice the difference.”

Investing Energy Reclaimed From Drama: Commitments 7-9

Now that you’ve regained that energy you were spending on drama, what do you do with it? It’s time to reinvest it in activities that rejuvenate you and your team.

7. Generating Appreciation: A culture of appreciation boosts morale and engagement. Leaders who recognize and celebrate their team members’ contributions create a positive work environment that nurtures loyalty and motivation.

Imagine your team just had a great quarter.

• Above the Line: “Great job, team, on exceeding our targets! Your dedication and hard work truly made a difference.”
• Below the Line: “They’re just doing their jobs; I’ll claim credit for their work when I present it to our executive team.”

8. Excelling in Your Zone of Genius: People perform their best when they’re in their zone of genius and doing the things they love, when all their talents, skills, and passion are all aligned. Leaders seek this sweet spot for themselves and help others to reach it.

Imagine an opportunity to be promoted into a role that you aren’t interested in, but that pays more money.

• Above the Line: “I know that if I take this role, I won’t be motivated and my work will suffer in the end. I’ll politely decline or see if we can change the role so that it makes full use of my talents.”
• Below the Line: “I may not like this job, but at least it’s more money. I’ll put in enough effort to get by.”

9. Living a Life of Play and Rest: Infusing joy into the workplace fosters creativity, reduces stress, and enhances teamwork. Leaders who prioritize rest and playfulness inspire a vibrant and innovative culture.

Imagine your team needs some rejuvenation and a spark of creativity.

• Above the Line: “Let’s introduce a ‘Fun Friday’ activity to break the routine and infuse some playfulness into the workplace. It could be a game or a creative challenge to spark joy among the team.”
• Below the Line: “Playfulness has no place in a professional environment; it’s a waste of time and distracts from our work.”

Seeing the Truth of Who We Really Are: Commitments 10-12

Once you’ve stopped focusing on drama and instead spent your energy on things that create a cycle of renewal, you have time and energy to deeply introspect about who you are as a leader. These commitments will help you move from co-dependence to co-creativity.

10. Exploring the Opposite: Leaders who approach situations with an open and reflective mindset encourage resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to learn from others. They realize that they ascribe a self-reinforcing “truth” to their own opinions, and use that knowledge to see beyond them.

Imagine you and your partner strongly disagree about how a project should be run.

• Above the Line: “Although I know what works based on my past experience. I also recognize that my experience is only one of many, and that your different experience is just as valid. There isn’t necessarily a right or a wrong, only our interpretations. Let’s try it your way and see what we learn.”
• Below the Line: “Your past experience with this may be different, but I lived mine so I know it’s the truth and this is the right path.”

11. Sourcing Approval, Control, and Security: When leaders realize that security, approval, and control come form within, they can promote an environment of curiosity, vulnerability, and discovery. They don’t fear other’s judgements or need of their permission to feel whole.

Imagine that a customer provided extremely negative feedback about your product.

• Above the Line: “I can’t control the tone of customer’s feedback, but I can control how we respond and improve our processes. I’ll gather my team, address the issues, and find solutions.”
• Below the Line: “I need my boss and team to think I’m doing a good job. This feedback reflects poorly on me, so I’ll hide it from them.”

12. Having Enough of Everything: When a leader operates from an abundance mindset and believes that they have enough of everything, time, love, money, energy, space, etc, they avoid the scarcity mindset of us-vs-them. This gives the leader the confidence to propose solutions that share the bounty with others.

Imagine a situation where your project and another need the same resources.

• Above the Line: “Our goal is to enable the success of the company as a whole. Instead of trying to grab resources for ourselves, we should think about what the company needs right now and reframe this as a prioritization question to think about what we do first, or how we balance our needs by being creative.”
• Below the Line: “We have a finite number of resources, and should get them because I proposed my project first.”

Relating Co-Creatively With the World: Commitments 13-15

13. Experiencing the World as an Ally: Wise leaders recognize that every situation is an opportunity and that everyone around them is an ally who can teach them and help them growth.

Imagine that you find one of your coworkers extremely difficult to get along with because they constantly undermine any initiative you undertake.

• Above the Line: “While it would be easy to get angry about this, what can I learn from this person and this situation? Perhaps I need to focus more on building a better relationship with them or address some underlying issue that’s causing issues”
• Below the Line: “This person is always sabotaging me. I’ll just transfer them to another department to make the problem go away.”

14. Creating Win for All Solutions: Leaders who prioritize win-win solutions foster collaboration and healthy relationships. This commitment encourages leaders to find solutions that benefit all stakeholders, contributing to sustainable success.

Imagine you’re struggling with resources and prioritization across teams.

• Above the Line: “Let’s collaborate with the marketing team to design a joint campaign that benefits both departments. By sharing resources, we can achieve mutual success.”
• Below the Line: “I need to make sure my team gets the upper hand in this negotiation. Their success doesn’t concern me.”

15. Being the Resolution: Transformational leaders recognize where there are needs and focusing on becoming the solutions.

Imagine that your company struggles with transparency.

• Above the Line: “We’ve gotten feedback that people don’t understand why we’re making the decisions we are. I’m in a number of meetings where these decisions are discussed, so I could suggest that we publish weekly summary notes to give people context, possible volunteering to doing so myself..”
• Below the Line: “It’s not my job to provide clarity around why we made these decisions!”

You can start living the commitments and shifting towards the above the line mindset by creating daily practices for yourself, creating or joining a community that will learn with you and help you with accountability, working with a coach one-on-one to help create that structure and accountability, or even partnering with others at your place of work to shift the entire culture. Whatever you choose, enjoy the journey as you continuously learn.