Hi everybody! In this podcast episode of Rebel Leader With a Heart, I am having a conversation with conscious leader and founder of Hire & Higher, Karine Becker. We will discuss the importance of having conscious leaders, not only for your organization, but for the planet as well!
Who is Karine?
Karine is a loving mother of two daughters and is the founder and conscious leader of Hire & Higher, an executive search firm focussing on recruiting sustainable, conscious leaders. Karine decided to make this transition because at some point, she realized that things weren’t going so well for our planet. She still loved recruitment, but she was missing some purpose, that’s when she decided to focus more on companies who want to do a transition and find conscious leaders that will empower them and will accelerate that transition towards more sustainability.
What is a conscious leader?
The word ‘conscious’ has different meanings in different contexts and Karine and myself also have a different point of view on its definition, so I was curious to ask her: “How do you define a conscious leader?”
“A conscious leader is someone who works for the common good and is guided by a vision that takes into account all stakeholders of the company as well as the profit of the company. It is someone who wants to work for the good of all people, but also for the greater good of the planet, taking into account the impact their company have on the planet.”
For me a conscious leader is also somebody that is conscious of their values, but also their behaviors, thoughts, emotions, and especially under pressure. But on most views, Karine and I agree and even complement each other.
Are you serving your stakeholders?
There is an exercise I often give on workshops. I want you to think of the stakeholders you have. And now I want you to think of your day-to-day work. Where does your focus go to? TO the headquarters? To financial expectations? Or is it more to the people, the customers or the planet. It’s good to be aware that there is often a gap between your day-to-day actions and the actions that would greatly benefit your stakeholders and afterwards, the company itself.