How to Heal a Workplace

CHAPTER 4Conscientious Leadership: How to foster it in the workplace

Whether we are talking about emotional intelligence, empathy or soul-centred leadership, we are focusing on the notion that we bring our whole sense of care and concern to our decision-making as a leader. In this way, we promote an environment of emotional safety in the workplace.

I often find this notion tends to ‘bristle’ leaders in Western corporates. In fact, when I look back at some of the corporate thought leaders from the last 50 years, I see deliberate action to avoid any emotional presence in the workplace — unless it was used to gain some an advantage over a competitor or client.

Mark H McCormack's book What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School¹⁷ promotes the use of psychological principles to gain an advantage over your competitors, negotiate deals and control employees. This incredibly popular book was written at a time when business deals were made on the golf course, and the key communication tool in business was a well-worded letter on important-looking letterhead! Is it really any surprise that this insular system has given way to poor health outcomes via chronic disease and heart failure?

The changing world of work

One of the big shifts that resulted from COVID-19 was that employees really pulled back from the system of work, and had time to reflect on what was important to them — perhaps it was their families or their ability to live a life they enjoyed, which also means having ...