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It is possible to create a thriving business culture where shared ideas, innovation, and creativity support an organization to succeed, expand and even defy expectations?

A business like this may seem a rare occurrence, but in truth, anyone can instigate a creative and collaborative culture by applying some simple tools – and being willing to become a conscious leader.

What is a conscious leader?

Consciousness includes all possibilities and rejects nothing. Consciousness allows us to take off the blinders and barriers we put in place with limited thinking and mindsets. A conscious leader is committed to seeing beyond any limitation or problem to what is truly possible – and they are willing to have anything, and anyone contribute to them along the way.

Here are 4 key elements you can put into play to consciously lead you, the business, staff and colleagues to create a business culture that is collaborative and expansive:

Let Go of...

A topic that comes up in business often is the fear of failing. It is a topic that is shared at all levels of employees, across women and men, and no matter how successful or senior they may be in their current positions. The irony is that because most people fear the unknown, they start to create the worst case scenario in their head. The perceived fear stops them in their tracks; creating a moment of paralysis that distracts them from what they can truly accomplish.

Get out of your head

If you are willing to clear your mind, you may find that the situation or task at hand may be simpler than you were actually creating in your head. You can use your breath to bring your focus beyond the perceived fear. The following breathing exercise is a quick way to provide clarity, bring fresh oxygen into your body, lungs, and brain while also slowing down your heart rate.

Tool: Sit down, or in a standing position, take a breath from under your feet and bring the breath up to your head; then...

Do You Work Over-Time For Your Fears?

This is an intentional play on words. You could, literally, always be working overtime in your job because you have a fear of losing your job.  Or, you could be a slave to your fears and working all of your fears overtime in every aspect of your life, not just business.

Fear is a distraction. It is not creative. It does not assist you to achieve or avoid – anything.  All distractions stop you from connecting with that which lies underneath, usually your creativity and power.

It’s not about examining your past to understand what caused you to be this way.  It’s about what you truly desire to create as your life and your business, and whether the choices you are making are contributing to that outcome.

What you can do about it? 

 1.Stop!

Sounds simplistic, I know, but it really does start here.  Whenever you catch yourself in your ‘fears’, which are not real (remember, they are only a...

When You’re a Woman in Business

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Resilience is part our biological and historical make-up as women. It’s well-documented that not only do we tend to live longer than our male counterparts, we are also the ones who, at times of war and upheaval, have kept commerce and communities going. 

So how does this resilience play out in the world of business, and why is it so important?

Resilient women are those with the ability to see the bigger picture, a vision for a greater future, and who are willing to take the actions required today to bring that future to fruition. In essence, resilient women are leaders for the future.

As a leader for the future, you recognize that your choice is the creative element for what happens now and in the future. To have more choices available, you must challenge the limits and thresholds you’ve consciously or unconsciously placed on yourself.

Bust your limits, build your resilience as a leader, and take your...

“There are many ways to reward employees for a job well done, going beyond, or for a creative idea…my favorite example of building a culture that values employees is a short survey asking the team how they would like to be rewarded.”

When creating a business, there is a great deal of thought put into what the company will be and do, the types of clients it will serve, and ways it will be marketed. One of the major factors that most businesses unconsciously omit is the experience created for the employees. No matter what kind of company you are creating or already have established, the employees are key in its success – so build a culture that values employees.

In order to create a culture that values, rewards, and engages employees, you have to be willing to draw inspiration from and include all employees, regardless of hierarchical position, in conversations. Furthermore, you want to foster a creative and engaging work environment and one that rewards...