The 7 Characteristics of a Conscious Culture

1.        Trust: Conscious business have high levels of internal and external trust.  Internally, there is a high level of trust between the leadership and employees, within the leadership team itself and across teams at all levels. Externally,  there is a high degree of trust between the company and its customers, suppliers, other business partners, the communities within which it operates, investors and governments.

2.        Accountability: Conscious cultures combine high levels of trust with and caring with a strong emphasis on accountability. People stick to their commitments and hold esch other responsible for performance, efficiency and deliverables. Suppliers are accountable to the company and vice versa.  Accountability goes hand-in-hand with high levels of decentralization and empowerment, both of which are the norm in conscious businesses.

3.        Caring: The human need to care and be cared for is an extremely powerful motivation – often equal to and sometimes even exceeding the need to pursue one’s self-interest. Conscious cultures are marked by genuine, heartfelt love and care for all stakeholders. People in conscious cultures behave in ways that are thoughtful, authentic, considerate and compassionate.

4.        Transparency: There are few secrets in a conscious culture because there is little to hide! Financial books are usually open, salary information is more readily available, and strategic plans are widely discussed and disseminated. Conscious firms embrace the fact that most information of genuine significance soon becomes known in this age of instant digital connectivity.

5.        Integrity: A Conscious culture is marked by strict adherence to truth telling and fair dealing. Conscious firms readily forgive lapses in judgment, but do not tolerate lapses in integrity. The commitment to integrity goes far beyond mere adherence to laws. Conscious firms typically set global standards that exceed the requirements placed on them by law; they are guided by what they believe is ethically right, not merely by what is legally required or socially acceptable.

6.        Loyalty: Conscious businesses exist in a system of high loyalty. All the stakeholders are loyal to each other and the company. This is a natural consequence of the relationship mind-set that permeates the business. Stakeholders are more patient and understanding with each other when short-term blips or other unusual situations occur. High accountability ensures that those who consistently fail to live up to expectations experience consequences for their non-performance.

7.        Egalitarianism: Conscious companies do not have a class system that separates leaders from front team members at large. The salary differential between the top and front lines is smaller than typically found in traditional companies. Senior executives do not enjoy special privileges and perks that are not available to others. To a large extent, all employees have input in to how the company is managed and led. There is usually an open-door policy so that employees can communicate with the leadership team in an informal way.

Source: Conscious Capitalism. Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (2013) by John Mackey and Raj Sisodia.

Those characteristics above could also be applied to gov’ts (especially the federal gov’t).  Wouldn’t that be nice? As for the transparency (which Obama promised when he ran for POTUS), the State cannot be completely transparent about military secrets. I understand that especially during war time, but that doesn’t mean it can’t try to be transparent in other areas. Isn’t that what a democratic republic supposed to be?

I like to see the feds have more integrity and accountability too. That’s a good starting place. Yea, I know I’m dreaming.

In the book, the authors say every conscious business should have these tenets or building blocks:

1. Conscious leadership. Types of intelligence: Emotional, Spiritual (morals, deepest meanings, values), Systems. Servant leadership.
2. Higher purpose and core values. Higher purposes: The Good (service to others), The True (furthering human knowledge), The Beautiful, The Heroic (courage to do what is right)
3. Conscious culture and management.
4. Stakeholder integration.

One last thing. In the book the authors mentioned Nordstrom Rule #1: Use good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.

Not a bad suggestion for everyday life.