A Program to Nurture the "Conscious Leader" in All of Us
It starts with enhancing your self-awareness and skills of human connection …
A New Spiral of Learning is about to begin …
Are you ready to take action to become a more conscious leader?
Winter 2025/2026 Cohort of the Conscious Leader Program | Dec 3 - Feb 25
The next 13-week spiral in the journey to deepen skills & mindsets of conscious leadership within a mutually supportive learning community ... begins Dec 3!
It meets weekly on Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 2:20pm EST (6:00pm to 7:20pm GMT; 10am to 11:20 PST).
Enroll by Wed Nov 26th!
How you show up in your day-to-day conversations and interactions matters. It has impact on the way other people show up around us.
Whenever we use language that has even a nuance of blame or guilt in it, then we instill fear, reaction and resistance in the people around us.
And yet, the common language that each of us uses every day is typically filled with judgments and blame, whether we intend it or not.
We are all called to lead
When I use the word “leader” in the title of this article, I mean it in the broadest sense. We are all called to lead in different ways, in different aspects of our lives … as parents, as coaches, as teachers, as head of a committee or a social group. Of course, we also choose to accept more clearly designated leadership roles within workplaces or government: project leader, team leader, supervisor, manager, director, Executive Director, CEO, or board member.
And — what may be the hardest leadership role of all — each of us is called to be the leader of our own beings. Taking responsibility for how we show up.
The default cultural model of leadership is “Domination” leadership
For hundreds of generations including our own, we have been conditioned to a “domination” mindset of leadership that puts the needs of one human being above another. Whomever the person in power — the king, the boss, the teacher, the parent, the priest, the government official — their choices and their will are imposed on those they lead.
Over the millennia this domination mindset has been built into our language, our thinking, our culture, our families, our institutions, our laws, our policies — perpetuating the mindset so that it becomes pervasive, invisible and subconscious. We say “that’s just the way the world is” … “that’s just what a leader is.”
“Conscious” leadership sees another way.
A way based on trust and care, rather than blame, guilt and fear.
In the political and business landscape we live in today, I believe there has never been a more critical moment to demonstrate that there is a different way to lead. A way that values the dignity of people while also valuing fulfillment of purpose and sustainability. A way that refuses to coerce or manipulate or harm to get what we want, and instead inspires by connecting to what matters. A way where people expand and come alive into their highest potential rather than contract in fear.
My yearning is to build a nurturing community of conscious leader practitioners to enliven this journey for all of us.
A place that stimulates each of us toward new self-awareness and pragmatic skills that have real impact on how we each show up as a leader. A place where each of us can interact with others who share our quest and develop mutually supportive relationships. A place that becomes a living example of the consciousness and culture we each want to create within our own team or group.
The core of this nurturing community we are building is the Conscious Leader Program.
In 2024, we created a new evolution of the Conscious Leader Program that harvests the wisdom and learnings from our experiences over the last three decades, both in content and in structure.
Here are a few highlights:
An expanded intended audience to include the broadest sense of “being a leader.” Though originally designed for leaders within workplace settings, it is equally applicable to leaders in other social settings as well: in the family (parents, partners), in schools (teachers, coaches), in community groups, etc.
Publicly available to individual leaders. Formerly available in its full form only privately within workplace organizations, it is now available as a public offering so any individual leader can enroll and participate.
Fueled by the potency of human needs as a catalyst for transformation. Needs-Based Communication* (aka Nonviolent Communication™ or NVC) continues to be at the heart of every aspect of the Program.
Organized in 3-month (13-week) “terms.” Each Course or Spiral within the Program lasts 13 weeks. You can choose to take only one course/spiral, or several. You can choose to continue in a consecutive term, or pause until you are ready to continue.
Active engagement in a Conscious Learning Community. A "cohort" is a community of people who meet weekly at the same time and day of each week. Each cohort includes members with different levels of skills and experience. The community itself becomes an environment of trust and mutual support that invites authenticity and vulnerability which accelerates your development.
Weekly 80-min group facilitator-led sessions. Interact weekly in-person (via zoom) with your specific learning community of peers and experienced practitioners. Plan to spend another 80-90 minutes each week in prep or practice activities.
An online portal provides access to discussion groups, learning materials, recordings of live in-person sessions, and a step-by-step process of activities for each session of the Course.
Bonus Benefits
Monthly facilitator-led Group Coaching calls on zoom.
Complimentary 3-month paid subscription to this publication and community on Substack: Becoming a More Conscious Leader
Program pricing is structured as a monthly subscription with monthly fees between $150 (Four-Term Plan) and $180 (One-Term Plan).
Special Discount for new participants in the CLP program: For new participants in the CLP program, we are offering a 17% DISCOUNT on Course 1 within the Program’s One-Term Plan. That reduces the monthly fee from $180/mo to $150/mo for the 3-month term of the course.
Use this Coupon Code to receive the discount when enrolling: COURSE1WELCOME
Note: I don't want the cost of the program to be a barrier to participating in it. If it is a good fit for your needs, I am open to exploring creative options to make the finances work.
A New Spiral of Learning is about to begin …
Are you ready to take action to become a more conscious leader?
Winter 2025/2026 Cohort of the Conscious Leader Program | Dec 3 - Feb 25
The next 13-week spiral in the journey to deepen skills & mindsets of conscious leadership within a mutually supportive learning community ... begins Dec 3!
It meets weekly on Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 2:20pm EST (6:00pm to 7:20pm GMT; 10am to 11:20 PST).
Enroll by Wed Nov 26th!
I invite you to enroll.
Have a look at the details of the Conscious Leader Program to see if it is a good fit for you. We would love to have you as an active participant in our Conscious Leader community.
And if you know someone who might be a good fit for the Program, I encourage you to share this post with them.
Have questions or want to talk in person about the Program?
I invite you to attend a monthly live in-person information session focused on the "Conscious Leader Program: Q&A with Gregg.”
Thu Sep 11 | 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM EDT
Thu Oct 9 | 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM EDT
Thu Nov 13 | 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM EST
Or contact me directly …
* Needs-Based Communication (NBC) is based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg, which he called "Nonviolent Communication™" or NVC.
I have chosen to call the process Needs-Based Communication (NBC) for two reasons:
First, human needs are the heart of the process.
Secondly, I have wanted to avoid the common initial reaction from people in business that "... we're not a violent place."
Within this post and in related communications, any of these names or acronyms may be used, and they all refer to the same process.
Gregg Kendrick has been a Certified CNVC Nonviolent Communication™ Trainer since January 2006.