Let’s be honest, most leadership advice goes out the window when the pressure’s on and your hair is on fire. Deadlines stack up, your team’s stretched thin, and your brain is stuck in unhelpful loops.
This is when “conscious leadership” matters most and also feels hardest to access.
In simple terms, conscious leadership is about being aware of how your inner world – your thoughts, emotions, energy, etc. – shapes the way you lead.
It’s pausing, and choosing how you show up rather than reacting on autopilot. And it offers you the opportunity to lead intentionally.
Lately, I keep coming back to this simple (and surprisingly sticky) analogy from the philosopher Alan Watts.
Imagine you’re in a boat. (Think speed boat vs. paddle boat.)
Behind you is the wake – the churned-up water you leave in your path. It represents your past: experiences, wins, failures, feedback, relationships, and regrets. It shows you where you’ve been, but it doesn’t determine where you’re going.
And yet, how often do we let the wake drive the boat?
When we lead from old stories, like holding onto past mistakes, past hurts, and past identities, we give yesterday a lot more influence than it deserves. Conscious leadership offers us the opportunity to notice when we’re doing that and choose differently.
Now think about what’s powering the boat: the engine. This is the energy of the present moment. Your mindset, your emotions, your clarity (or lack thereof). Are you running on stress and self-doubt, or calm, curiosity, and courage?
That inner state is always shaping your leadership and how others experience you.
It shows up in how you ask questions. How you handle tension. How you make decisions.
Finally: Where’s the boat headed? That’s your vision. You might not have an exact destination, and that’s ok. But you do need a general sense of direction, which includes values, purpose, or the kind of leader you aspire to be.
When we get clear on where we’re headed, we stop letting the wake choose our path forward.
Here are a few “coachy” questions for you in case you want to check your alignment:
- What part of my “wake” am I dragging into today that’s no longer serving me?
- What’s fueling me right now? Stress, purpose, fear, clarity?
- Am I steering with intention, or am I on auto-pilot?
Here’s the good news: you can change course if you don’t like the path you’re on.
You can adjust the engine speed. Set your GPS to a different endpoint. Toss overboard anything no longer needed. 🛥️
Future you will thank you.
