Conscious Capitalism Chapter of Boston - Conscious Conversation about Inspiring Leadership

Conscious Conversation about Inspiring Leadership

July 27, 2017 12:19 PM | Anonymous

Post by Darby Hobbs

Business leaders face tough choices, make mistakes, and have transformative realizations that shape their approach to leading their companies. To get some insights on what it takes to be an effective conscious leader, members of the Boston chapter of Conscious Capitalism gathered at ImpactHub Boston on June 22 to discuss the topic as part of our Conscious Conversations series. Panelists included:

Bob Scoville, President of Performance Talks, Inc.
Megan Driscoll, CEO and Founder at PharmaLogics Recruiting
Andy Atkins, Vice President, Client Experience at Bates Communications
Angela Cavallaro, Director, HR and Employee Engagement Programs at Next Jump

The speakers provided great insights on leadership based on their own experiences, particularly the importance of trust and engagement with key stakeholders. Those stakeholders can include employees, customers, investors, vendors, the community, and the environment.

A very interesting line of conversation was around the important distinction between “transactional trust,” which is necessary for every relationship, and “relational trust,” which is desirable for productive relationships. As Andy Atkins explained, trust is foundational to a leader's ability to influence stakeholders, and highly-trusted leaders outperform untrusted ones.

When talking about employees, Megan Driscoll noted the importance of evaluating potential hires on more than just their qualifications for the role. Think about whether you would have a beer and burger with them, because you are entering a committed relationship – from on-boarding to off-boarding. Hire likeminded people that you want to work with, because the more you invest in your relationship with them, the more it will pay off for your business. Angela Cavallaro echoed this perspective, noting the character is a key component of a good employee relationship and hiring just for skills will not build a high trust organization.

The panelists’ stories served as food for thought to stimulate small group conversations about leadership challenges for conscious businesses. Within these focused discussions, participants shared personal experiences, coaching one another on approaches and solutions.

What do you think are the components of an effective conscious leader? Did you gain new insights by participating in the June 22 event? Let us know if you were inspired to drive change in yourself or your organization by continuing the conversation in our community forum.