In the 21^st century the term Conscious Business has become an integral part of business models and success longevity. Whether you are an employee, entrepreneur, corporate leader, or a corporate executive, the term consciousness is playing a critical role in all business industries an in everything we do professionally.

Why is this movement for inspiring everyday consciousness so important not only to business but to society as well? This shift in business from the “profit only model” actually encourages mindfulness and a more authentic attitude in business execution. It truly and more sincerely magnifies a “win-win” model of business operation by treating humans like humans instead of a mere business resource.

When people are treated consciously, injecting significance and value, it results in collaboration and cooperation at work and in society. Plus, being actively conscious of why you are doing something leads to the purpose of your doing it. We are all born with seeds of a conscious purpose present in our infancy state and, if not nurtured by family or society, a person’s individual conscious awareness or purpose could just disappear. The challenge in expanding that seed is that it takes conscious awareness and willingness to take action in order to grow consciousness, especially in business. When the purpose of a business is only to produce a profit, at the expense of the employees’ need to feel valued, cared for, and significant; that purpose will not serve the business or society long term.

Sherry Hakimi, founder and CEO of the organizational development firm Sparktures, recently stated, “An organization without purpose manages people and resources, while an organization with purpose mobilizes people and resources.”

You might ask yourself, why does serving society with a higher purpose in your business matter? Look all around you, people everywhere are experiencing some sense of conscious awakening to express their purpose and make a difference in the lives of others. Employees and consumers want to be part of, and buy from, businesses that promote a healthy environment of purpose.  So how does a business leader or owner build a purpose driven “consciousness model” in their business?

Here’s four simple steps that can encourage anyone in a leadership or ownership position (even solopreneurs) to embody consciousness of purpose in a business environment.

1. Promote Business Purpose and Profit – Sit down and align your true purpose with your business. More and more companies are becoming aware that they must take the lead in bringing business and society back together. A business can reap great rewards when an owner or leader taps into the power of his/her personal purpose. A true Conscious Business will have a higher purpose that transcends profit maximization. All human beings have a basic need for meaning, significance, and purpose and that need is greatly magnified in their business environment. When working toward a purpose in business their productivity improves and that leads to profit.Spend time understanding your profit goals. Profitability is important in every business because if a business is not profitable it will not be in business for very long. Defining a clear purpose for the business can be the key ingredient to long term sustainability.
2. Create a Conscious Culture and Community – First, create a clear vision statement that authentically outlines what your “conscious” business is to be in the future. It should become a source of inspiration for the society in which the organization takes action to affect change. Share that vision with everyone so you can build an energy of enthusiasm as your values come alive in your community, with your employees, and your consumers. Design a plan for a conscious business culture.  It must be alive with an energy of its own by fostering innovation and cooperation that engages employees with the processes of an organization and its work. Frankly, a true conscious environment will foster love and compassion so that it builds trust among the company and its employees, stakeholders, vendors and customers.  Love is a powerful and unifying force that truly brings a Conscious Business to life.
3. Put Your Conscious Purpose into Action –Every business should always be striving to improve their values, service, and conscious culture to create more loyal customers.  That requires action! First you must inspire and motivate your internal audience; your employees and affiliates. Finding ways to motivate and energize your employees can be overwhelming and with the new ‘conscious business model you may wonder, what does engaging your work force at a conscious level look like? Most importantly, you must walk your talk of being consciously aware;

1. Create an open discussion for ideas with everyone, not just management and let them know you respect intuitive intelligence and creativity
2. Include everyone at all levels of your business to awaken creativity and innovation giving everyone a feeling of ownership and empowerment
3. Make it clear how their contributions to your business will make a direct impact on your company’s purpose and reward them for their commitment
4. Stay on top of removing barriers that block or challenge personal inspiration when striving to accomplish a goal. Your employees should be able to creatively achieve the company goals in their own way within established guidelines.
5. Make sure they are given time, support and access to training to do their job. Remind them why their work is so important and the difference they are making in the world.

4. Respect the Intuitive Process of Your Managers and Employees – I conducted an independent study of 40 managers and employees from 20 companies and here are some of my findings. If intuition is an indication of creativity and innovation, I found that almost 40% of all managers were using conscious intuitive thoughts and information when solving problems and making decisions in addition to logical information. Many managers followed their organizational processes and their own “creative‐innovative” decision‐making process. Intuition as decision‐making style appears to be related to good problem-solving and organizational effectiveness. When intuitive managers are respected and encouraged their effectiveness in the workplace increases and everyone wins.

As Aristotle stated, “The whole is greater than the sum of all parts.” Your employees could feel devalued or insignificant about the value of their own work if they don’t clearly understand how their individual contribution has a direct impact on an overall goal. Achieving a goal becomes more rewarding when you know how you made an impact with a customer, a community, or even the whole world.  That’s what a conscious, purpose driven business is all about.