Conscious Business Practices : A Deeper Perception

There are at least seven conscious business practices that emerge as the organization shifts its focus from external behaviors to inner resources. At a high level the organization broadens it perspective, deepens its perception as its actions become more intentional. This article looks at those practices that broaden the organizational perspective – first going deep within and then further beyond itself. Next, the organization’s field of vision deepens and changes the way it approaches normal, daily situations.

Cultivate Curiosity
The Conscious Business actually embraces uncertainty – seeking answers and solutions, rather than attempting to defend a point of view or quickly drive to certainty. By adopting an attitude of not knowing, the organization opens itself to broader possibilities and can more comfortably engage change. The business may even find it has far more power by embracing uncertainty than trying to exert control.

To operate in this manner, the business must cultivate curiosity and move beyond the conditioned mind of experience to see with a fresh eye. It does this by re-conditioning its leadership to face any new situation by first asserting they don’t yet know what is actually going on, opening the possibility of what’s really happening to reveal itself. They then engage an inquiry asking, “what appears to be happening here?” as a way to first assess the facts of the situation. While many leaders and managers stop there, the enlightened leader goes further to then ask “what’s really happening?” and “why is it happening?” and even further, “what is it trying to tell me?”. In this manner, the inquiry can open a communication with the whole system of the organization and hear what it is trying to say.

Engage Rather Than Resist
While the normal tendency of most organizations is to avoid or dissipate any tension or resistance, the Conscious Business recognizes conflict as an opportunity for growth. From a conscious perspective, there is a transformative potential of actually engaging opposite energies. By honoring resistance however it surfaces, the business can process any source of tension into meaningful change. From a whole system perspective, tension, resistance or conflict is viewed as a valuable feedback loop – providing information useful in moving the business forward. Through acknowledging and actively engaging resistance, the organization gains a powerful tool for integrating this valuable input back into the business.

Taken together, the practices of deepened perception provide the Conscious Business with rich new sources of insight that have the ability to actually transform and evolve the organization.