What is Conscious Leadership and Why Does it Matter?

Part 1: My Own Journey toward ‘Conscious Leadership’ 

In today’s fast-changing workplace, leaders face complex expectations: employees seek not just guidance but also understanding, flexibility, and a shared sense of purpose. Conscious Leadership answers this need by emphasizing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and a strong connection to those we lead. It’s about being fully present, understanding our impact, and fostering trust and psychological safety.

The Conscious Leadership Group has articulated 15 Commitments that define conscious leaders. Three of these—responsibility, curiosity, and feelings—are central to the Bridge Team approach, supporting leaders in building trust, promoting psychological safety, and nurturing mental well-being. In their model, leaders are encouraged to recognize whether they are “above or below the line.” Above the line, we engage from a place of curiosity, creativity, and openness; below the line, we shift into survival mode, where fear and ego take charge. While this instinct is natural, it’s not helpful in today’s work environment, filled with stressors like high workloads and demanding stakeholders. The following video explains this brilliantly. 

Under pressure, leaders often slip into an “unconscious leadership state,” operating below the line. This contributes to high burnout rates—as high as 82% among senior leaders and 53-66% amongst those who work in high-stress fields like healthcare and education. Preventing burnout is a shared responsibility, but it begins with leaders checking in with themselves. Recognizing whether we’re above or below the line at any moment is essential to sustaining effective, conscious leadership.

The Journey Took Me Here…

The COVID-19 pandemic radically reshaped the way we work, leaving us questioning, What is teamwork in this age of hybrid and remote work? As an occupational health nurse, it hit me hard during the pandemic just how much I missed those spontaneous in-person moments—the ease of popping down the hall to check in or brainstorm on the fly. Hybrid work is a boon for work-life balance, but it can’t fully replace the immediacy (or joy) of real-time connection.

During two remote hiring processes in 2020 and 2022, I saw firsthand the challenges of onboarding with little to no in-person contact. I began to feel the isolation that hybrid teams experience, where coworkers are just distant enough to feel out of reach. Now, amid the constant pivot between office and home, I worry that 'silo-mode' may be our collective undoing. Without the full context of face-to-face communication, supervisors of remote teams confront a new and often daunting landscape, where team collaboration risks becoming shallow and purely functional.

To avoid a hollowed-out team dynamic—where we simply go through the motions, attend meetings, and deliver 'just enough'—we need a strategy that counters the unintended isolation of remote work. Without it, even the most cohesive teams may start to feel disconnected, distant, and ultimately less effective.

Both in-person and remote interactions benefit greatly from conscious leadership and collaboration. Drawing from various primary sources, I’ve developed an integrative framework called Conscious Leadership in Motion. This approach combines the fundamentals of conscious leadership with principles of physical and psychological health and safety, emphasizing high-trust team development. It incorporates specific tools like EQ-i 2.0 assessments, one-on-one coaching, and group facilitation techniques.

Post-pandemic, it’s clear that deepening psychological safety and trust is essential for teams to effectively notice, interpret, respond, and reflect. Without these foundations, resolving conflict, enhancing collaboration, and addressing root concerns becomes much more challenging. The cyclical framework here, combined with self-directed or leader-led coaching, creates positive feedback loops that strengthen connections, foster growth, and support smoother change initiatives by enhancing awareness and stakeholder buy-in.

In this first blog, let’s consider: What does it mean to be a conscious leader? and How can this approach transform your organization?

A Holistic Conscious Leadership Framework

Conscious leadership means leading with awareness—of oneself, the team, and the broader context in which everyone operates. It involves an intentional approach to decisions, interactions, and the shaping of organizational culture. Unlike traditional leadership styles that focus on external solutions and may overly emphasize team engagement, conscious leadership begins from within: How does my leadership affect those around me?

Just before the pandemic, I discovered the work of Jane Dutton and Monica C. Worline, organizational psychologists and authors of Awakening Compassion at Work. Their research highlighted the critical role of compassion, which resonated with the curiosity and empathy central to the conscious leadership model I was already exploring. The pandemic underscored the importance of compassion-driven support, especially during crises. Dutton and Worline’s approach emphasizes acknowledging suffering as part of the human experience, reminding leaders that while they can’t “fix it all,” they can recognize and respond to the needs of others with compassion. Their “compassion-based design principles” offer invaluable guidance for creating a high-trust, compassionate workplace culture.

Yet, powerful forces like group dynamics and organizational structures often hinder individuals’ ability to “act with compassion” or practice resilient self-care. This is where psychological safety becomes essential! Research from Dr. Amy Edmonson at Harvard, and particularly her 2018 book The Fearless Organization, reshaped my perspective on workplace psychological health and safety. Edmonson emphasizes psychological safety not as a moral stance but as a strategic advantage that fosters continuous learning, creativity, and innovation—qualities that, in turn, improve retention and other key metrics. Her research in healthcare and other industries revealed why some teams thrive while others struggle, framing psychological safety as a practical, ROI-driven concept.

No single framework covers all aspects of conscious leadership, which is why I adopt a “mixed methods approach” tailored to each client’s needs. Psychological safety, empathy, and responsibility are foundational to conscious leadership, and without psychological safety, these elements cannot flourish—nor can optimal mental health. At Bridge Teams, we approach team development with a primary prevention perspective: optimal mental health emerges from high-trust environments where psychological safety, emotional intelligence, and conscious leadership thrive.

Why Conscious Leadership Matters Now More Than Ever

The modern workplace has shifted dramatically. Remote work, shifting priorities, and increased mental health awareness have changed the expectations employees have of their leaders. Leaders who fail to adapt to these changes risk alienating their teams and diminishing productivity. But those who adopt conscious leadership practices can harness the potential of their teams and navigate the challenges of today’s workplace with greater resilience. As a matter of practice, we can view conscious leadership as the container (or vehicle) holding within itself the seeds of personal trust, psychological safety and emotional intelligence. 

What’s Coming Next in the Series

In upcoming blog posts, I’ll unpack each component of the Conscious Leadership in Motion Framework. You’ll gain practical insights and tools to integrate into your leadership style and workplace, making conscious leadership both accessible and actionable.

A Call to Action

Conscious leadership isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; it’s a journey that grows with time and reflection. As you navigate this path, remember that each interaction is a chance to build trust, encourage collaboration, and strengthen team resilience.

Are you ready to begin? In my next post, we’ll explore Noticing—the first step in conscious leadership—and discover how curiosity can unlock your team’s full potential.

Practical Takeaways – Start Today!

Take a moment for self-reflection:

• Where are you currently in your leadership journey—feeling “above the line” or “below the line”? How open are you to learning more about yourself in this moment?

• When was the last time you paused to recognize the emotional needs of your team?

• Imagine observing an “unhelpful” behavior on your team. What feelings might arise for you, and how curious are you to understand the source of those feelings?

• How might greater self-awareness enable you to lead more effectively?

In Closing

Conscious leadership is a transformative approach that empowers leaders to build resilient teams, foster trust, and achieve lasting success. The challenges of the pandemic strengthened my commitment to integrating conscious leadership, psychological safety, and emotional intelligence into my practice. Drawing on the foundational insights shared here, I’m confident that my team development framework connects diverse perspectives to inspire meaningful growth through committed leadership.