Powerful You! Women's Network

By Jennifer Connell

• Have you ever worked in an organization where there was a lack of or inefficient communication?
• Have you ever been disengaged in the workplace?
• Have you ever set annual or quarterly goals only to find it difficult to achieve them, or keep yourself motivate after a few months?

Well...you are not alone and are in good company! And this is happening in businesses across the country.  In fact, it is well known and documented that traditional models of leadership endanger business success by fueling ineffective communication, disengagement, and an unproductive workplace.

Why Conscious Leadership Matters
Early in my career I worked in firm based in the United Kingdom. I started out in commission-only sales (no sales, no paycheck). The CEO and sales director of this organization were demanding, and not very interested in the employees’ well-being unless they were one of the sales ‘rock stars’ (translation: generating big profits).  After working there for a few months, I noticed a level low morale and energy among many of the steady performers. Their enthusiasm had waned and complaints and absenteeism increased. They were paid no attention nor offered professional support unless they had a great week marked by closing a big sale. In addition, there was a revolving door through which people coming in with big dreams would leave shortly thereafter feeling completely discouraged (I know this because I had ‘off the record’ conversations with many of them prior to their departure).

I felt in my heart that I could make a difference for those people who were not being cared for and approached the CEO with an idea. I believed that if the salespeople were offered training and development, it would inspire and equip them for a successful sales career in this organization and over time this would reduce the turnover and increase the morale on the sales floor. This in turn, would increase sales. He agreed and I developed and implemented a formal recruitment and training program for new hires and existing sales people. Within a few months, the communication between the leadership and staff improved, the salespeople became more engaged and they evolved into a sustainable, high performing team.

I did not know it at the time, but I was practicing conscious leadership! Since that time, I have studied conscious leadership formally, and I remain impassioned for it because of the profound effects it has had on transforming personal fulfillment and business success in myself and others. Conscious leadership can have a positive impact in your business! 

Who are conscious leaders?  They are leaders who are embracing an emerging model of leadership called conscious leadership marked by strong relationships with others and themselves. This model encourages leaders to create conditions that empower and enable others to take on leadership responsibilities at every level of the business.  You likely can relate to the fact that individuals have a need for a greater sense of fulfillment at work, at home, and in their communities. They crave a stronger sense of connection and fitting in, of feeling appreciated and whole within themselves. These desires when fulfilled, bear a strong resemblance to the qualities of an engaged employee. Entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and small business owners take heed because business leaders that fail to foster these feelings within themselves or among their staff encourage disengagement, and when disengaged individuals dominate a workplace, they have the capacity to stop business success in its tracks. Conscious leadership speaks to these very issues.

Scholars have discussed conscious leadership for more than a decade and multiple agreed upon qualities have been offered including:

•  Conscious Leaders are “awake at the wheel … they orient themselves to both internal and external worlds in a continual process of self-discovery and learning” (Anderson and Anderson-Ackerman, 2001).
• Conscious leadership requires a change in mindset from one where an individual operates like an automaton, engaging in repetitive patterns, to one where one behaves with a level of awareness, with more compassion and respect for others (Farr, 1998).
• Conscious leadership requires integrating one’s whole being with the external environment, acknowledging the interconnected systems of which we are all a part (Carter, 2009).

In sum, conscious leaders demonstrate a level of self awareness, they elicit the potential in others and they recognize and honor the interdependent connections of individuals with whom they interact or conduct business (i.e., vendors, outsourcing partners, joint venture partnerships, etc.)  When individuals embody these principles, they:

•  cultivate healthy communication;
• enhance individual and employee engagement; and
• foster sustainable success.

Here’s how a simple conscious leadership principle can have a positive impact on YOUR business.I invite you to explore the foundational aspect of conscious leadership: Self Awareness. According to Inc Magazine, self-awareness is one of the most valuable leadership competencies. It encourages one to examine such queries as:

• What motivates me?
• Do I know how to manage my energy so I can be an effective business owner-operator, leader or team player?
• Am I aware of the activities that energize me and drain me in relation to my business?

Surprisingly, many people are not able to answer these questions with clarity, and creating clarity is critical to creating a successful business. The first step to building clarity will demonstrate your capacity for self-awareness.  So let’s explore this through a simple activity:

• Sit quietly for a few moments and take a few deep breaths. Shift your attention to your strengths and the business goals or activities that energize you.
•  Now write down at least five strengths and describe the feeling you get when you are engaged in such activities.  For example, one of my clients says one of her strengths is developing the marketing plan for her small business. She feels creative and alive when she is working on it. Another of her strengths is creating sacred space for her clients; it makes her feels peaceful and thankful.  Now try it for yourself--list out at least five strengths and how they make you feel.
• Next, choose one strength that with focus will bring your business to the next level of success.
• Write down at least two actions to move towards more focus on that strength (examples include taking a class, restructuring your day, having a heart centered conversation with colleagues, etc)

How Will this Help YOUR Business?
Focusing on your strengths is important because studies indicate that individuals who focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life.  Focusing on strengths can dramatically boost engagement, which in turn, is known to improve communication & morale, increase creativity, productivity & sustainable success.

In conclusion, self awareness is the foundation of conscious leadership and it is profoundly pivotal to your business. Having identified strengths and committed to actions to bring your business to the next level, you are now equipped to modify or re-prioritize your goals to match your overall vision.  This in turn sets the stage for you to elicit the potential in yourself and others and enhance engagement and sustainable success.

To learn more simple strategies for leaders who want effective results and sustainable success, join us in a live lunch ‘n learn program during which you will receive the tools, support and resources you need to unleash the Conscious Leader in you!   Visit us and Register at www.jenniferconnell.com/leadership-course/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jennifer Connell is not your typical entrepreneur. She thrives when she serves in a consultative role, supporting individuals in developing their internal capacity to lead, adapt to change, and achieve new heights of success. She earned her Masters degree in Organizational Systems and integrates her multi-disciplinary professional and personal experience with her integrity, humor, creativity and passion. Her dynamic style enhances her ability to bridge the gap between an individual’s vision and the human resources required to fulfill it. As an accomplished businesswoman with years of both domestic and international experience, Jennifer has helped individuals and businesses incorporate leading edge disciplines and tools to cultivate healthy communication, enhanced employee engagement, and foster sustainable success.

Jennifer’s entrepreneurial spirit is boundless. After building and selling a successful nutrition and exercise center in New Jersey, she moved to Florida and now thoroughly enjoys serving her community and working with individuals who welcome growth and change. 

Conscious Leadership: Simple Strategies for Leaders Who Want Effective Results and Sustainable Success

Join us starting September 27th for 4 weeks to get the tools, support, and resources you need to unleash into the Conscious Leader in you. 

Do you want to: 

• Operate from a place of authenticity, and create effective results?
• Create a vision for professional growth?
• Foster creative problem solving?
• Create or deepen your commitment to your values of personal development and business transformation?

If so, you've come to the right place!  In this convenient Lunch 'n  Learn Telecourse, you will receive tips and tools to maximize your performance and create business success!  In this class you will:

• Develop and steward a passionate and purposeful vision
• Learn strategies to increase awareness of yourself, others, and external factors which will enhance your understanding your circumstances and help you decide how to respond in effective ways
• How to leverage your activities to manage your energy and maintain alignment with your goals
• Learn secrets to conduct effective communication with your colleagues, staff, vendors, outsourcing partners, etc. that produce accountable actions (peace of mind) and synergy
• Strategies for creative and effective problem solving

To Learn more and Register, Visit www.jenniferconnell.com/leadership-course/ 

"Healing with the Masters" a teleseminar series hosted by acclaimed author, healer and speaker, Jennifer McLean. This 12-week series provides you exclusive access to dozen's of the world's leading experts in spirituality, wellness and healing. Renowned leaders such as Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman (Way Of The Peaceful Warrior) Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations With God), Jean Houston, don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements), James Van Praagh(celebrity medium), John Gray (Men Are From Mars), 24 in total, PLUS more than a dozen inspirational videos, ALL giving you personal insights on how you can accelerate your consciousness and evolution.

This remarkable group of speakers are here to challenge you, love you and see that you are shifting and moving into the next best version of you. This intensive will be one of the most talked about events of 2011 -- Lock in your F.R.E.E access right now Click Here

By Debi Wacker

Putting our thoughts on paper can be a powerful experience - especially so with a journaling tool called Unsent Letters. Unsent letters can be a great way to attain all of one of the Four C's: 

• Closure
• Clarity
• Confidence
• Calm

The three most powerful Unsent Letters are 1) Letters to the Dearly Departed, 2) Letters for Amends, and Letters in a Bottle. Let's explore each one.

Letters to the Dearly Departed

This is probably the most common unsent letter that is written. With a need to communicate all that has been left unsaid, this tool springs from a desire to continue the relationship in some form, for a specific purpose. Begin by "brain-dumping" your emotions in your journal. Once you have started to slow down in the journal writing process, turn your focus to gratitude and positive memories. Then, transition your journaling into granting and asking for forgiveness. Maintain a calm atmosphere. Steady, deep breathing will help if you feel your body tensing up or becoming emotional. Remember that this writing is for you - to release emotion and gain clarity and closure on a relationship. When you are finished, burn the letter, shred it, or leave it at the cemetery. Because the magnitude of the emotional release can be strong, be gentle with yourself for some days after writing the unsent letter. Relax and let the healing occur.

The Amends Letter

With roughly 20% of the population in some type of 12-Step or recovery program from alcohol, gambling, smoking, drugs or food - and recent evidence showing the 40% of that amount suffered some type of triggering childhood trauma, using the journaling technique of an unsent letter can be a powerful way to release strong emotion. At Write to Health, we have had clients who are overcome with a sense of gratitude towards a friend, family member or even God, for that person's role in his/her addiction recovery. An unsent letter is a great way to put those emotions into words that speak from the heart - just one more approach to recovery journaling. You can always send this type of letter or use it as a preparation technique for a meaningful discussion. By the same token, Write to Health has also had clients who were traumatized by a negative experience. An unsent letter in this regard can help to express and release anger, frustration, and grief in a productive, beneficial manner. If this is your situation, please review our newest Write to Heal online class to assist you in a deep level of release. In addition, remember that the important aspect of this type of unsent letter is the RELEASE of emotion through your journal in a positive, life-giving manner.

Letter in a Bottle

"Future letters" can be directed to a loved one (such as an infant or young child) or to our own future self. I'll never forget the look in my teenage daughter's eyes when she opened a time capsule bottle her second grade teacher had supervised for her students. The letter I had written ten years prior had now landed a primo spot in her treasured lockbox. In that letter, I lauded her amazing talents in music, academics and athletics, and expressed my appreciation of her inside and outside beauty. The love I conveyed to her made a deep mark on her soul, I could see, and had come at an important time in her life as a young woman. Letters to our future selves are also wonderful ways to explore change and growth in our own lives. How far have we come and where are we going? I like to address each part of my self in the letter: physical, mental and spiritual. Some questions to start with might include: What is an athletic activity you'd like to explore? Are there books you've always wanted to read? How can you deepen your relationship with God? Other more general directions might include how we want to be different, or the same, in the future. Which aspects of your current accomplishments and relationships are you most proud? What is important to you today? How do you think this might change and how will you respond? Of course, another way to slice this pie is to explore your current and future selves in terms of life areas such as work, home, friends and community. Either way, it's important that we maintain our journaling focus and see the exercise to the end.

As the main types of Unsent Letters, these three approaches are extremely powerful journaling tools.
Some additional unsent letters you might try include:

• A Letter to the Editor
• A Letter to prepare for a difficult confrontation or a negotiation
• A Thank you letter, and
• A Love Letter. Of course!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:    Debi Wacker is a Journal Coach and co-owner of Write to Health http://www.writetohealth.com/, a creative writing adventure dedicated to helping people discover the healing benefits of journal writing. Write to Health's journal circles explore and celebrate health through writing about spirituality, addiction recovery, cancer survivorship, life transition, grief process and life legacy. Write to Health's online journal writing courses teach a variety of techniques including letter writing, clustering and lists. Debi specializes in strategic and market planning, program design and development, and copywriting. Debi recently returned to the college campus as a part-time professor. Reach her at debi@writetohealth.com.

The 18th Anniversary of an American Dream realized.
We Invite You To Celebrate Your American Dream!
-Gather in small circles to share and learn from our collective human experience.
- Enjoy LIVE song, poetry & art including a performance of The Declaration of Independence
-  Write your dream letter… your own intuitive declaration of independence
-  Tie your intentions to a balloon and release your Inhibitions into the universe

WHEN: Friday, September 9, 2011 at 6-10pm
WHERE: The Mansion - 3000 Main St, Voorhees, NJ 08043
REGISTRATION REQUIRED www.celebrateyouramericandream.com
*Your Donation is Tax Deductible* 100% of proceeds benefit The Teen Circle of Ten, a division of The Circle of Ten, a 501-3C non-profit movement empowering women to ignite Divine Love, Unity, Peace & Harmony at all levels of society.  Through education, leadership training, career coaching, support & love, youth develop key life skills, expand their hearts and catapult young dreams into reality.
thecircleoften.org.com/

“A DAY OF BROTHERHOOD” For A Day That We Will Never Forget The Holistic Mentorship Network is proud to present A Special Day to Honor the Feel Good Foundation and 9/11. Guest Speakers - Live music – Vendors-Healers-food and local produce. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Feel Good Foundation, an organization that was formed to help our firefighters, EMT's, and other responder teams that are now fighting medical illnesses as a result of being exposed to toxic materials on 9/11.  The day: healing sessions at 9 a.m., concerts at 11 a.m., end with a Candlelight Ceremony. Spotlight Speakers throughout the day.  WHEN: September 11, 2011. 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. admission, $10. WHERE: Brotherhood Winery, 100 Brotherhood Plaza Dr., Washingtonville, N.Y., 10992.  For information, visit www.holisticmentorshipnetwork.com, or call 973 300-1184 or 973 426-9208.