In Asia, many businesses are family owned or set up by a group of two or three people. After being in business for 15-20 years, many founders are starting to look for a “way out”.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be an IPO listing, but instead simply stepping aside and not being involved in the company’s affairs all the time. It is only natural that business owners look to create more time for themselves and their families after so many years of working hard to build a successful business.

A large part of my work is to help business owners to groom successors. The following are what remarkable leaders do before they choose to step aside:

• Building up and grooming successors

• Creating a high-performance team

• Streamlining communication within the company

• Aligning everyone with a vision so powerful that people will willingly roll out of bed every morning and run to work to make things happen!

And I guide them how to do it.

The process towards conscious leadership is very simple, which I have divided into five steps – vision, energy, cohesiveness, decision, and competition. Let’s review each step.

1. Vision

No company will reach its fullest potential without a vision. Many people confuse vision with goal setting, but these two are very different. Vision is a bigger why. It is something that makes your people work extra hours without asking for a raise. It creates a team dynamic that helps each person to perform way beyond their own expectations. It is a bigger idea that makes each person in your company want to be a part of something greater than just themselves. On the other hand, goal setting is simply one of the tools leaders use to bring their people closer to the vision. Goals help us to measure our progress, to check on the direction, to stay on the path but the journey starts with creating a powerful vision.

2. Energy

As one of my teachers, Blair Singer, said: “Highest energy always wins.” And it is so true. Energy breeds energy. Positive energy creates more positive energy. Misery creates more misery. Respect creates more respect and so on. Having a very high energy in the office throughout the day is one of the key factors of business success. When people are excited and energized they literally move mountains, or at least constantly push each other to be better, to do more, to perform higher. Isn’t it what each business owner dreams about? The aim should be to have a team that drives itself towards excellence and outstanding performance.

3. Cohesiveness

Human beings are tribal animals. We want to belong to a group that we can identify with. We want a group where we feel safe to be ourselves, knowing that we won’t be crucified for our shortcomings and insecurities. We want a group where encouragement is valued more than criticism, where feedback is always constructive and is aimed to bring out the best in people, and where we feel that our individual power and talents are elevated to the next level. We want a group where we are a part of a collective greatness. Purpose-driven leaders know this and consciously create such environment for their people.

4. Decision

Authentic leaders learn how to make tough decisions. Leadership itself is one’s ability to stand in the heat and stay true to one’s own message despite any challenges faced. For those who choose to play a bigger game, decisions are not always easy and not always popular, but this is a price one must pay for choosing an extraordinary path. Do you want your company to be the leader in your industry? Do you want your people to be the best in the world at what they do? Do you want to have the strongest players in your team? It all starts with making tough decisions.

5. Competition

The evolution of human beings wouldn’t be possible without a healthy level of competition; without it we would not have electricity, cars, TV, internet, and smartphones. Competition is such a powerful force that it can both destroy a business or bring it to the heights of success. It is the leader’s responsibility to promote a healthy level of competition into the work environment. Let people compete with each other, strive for greatness, test their own boundaries, step into the unknown, and take a leap of faith. And all of that with the spirit of empowerment, friendship, and joy.

These five steps are what conscious leadership is about – collective evolution through personal greatness and unleashed individual full potential.

P.S. Do check out my “People Power” website as I share 8 tips you can use to network and connect with high-power people.

_{This post was first published on Yana Fry blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.
Edited by Nedda Chaplin
Image credit: Exciting boardroom meeting with business people in trendy office space from Shutterstock}

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