Conscious Leadership summary

When we think about “business,” many of us imagine big corporate companies monopolizing markets, squashing competitors, and always looking to maximize profits. But not all companies operate like this.

In fact, if you talk to business leaders you’ll often find that they’re in it for the purpose of the business: the meaning it brings to their lives and the value it brings to their customers. 

Meet Shawn David Nelson. He’s the founder of Lovesac furniture company, and he wasn’t always guided by purpose.

In fact, in his early twenties, Nelson was just concerned with making the world’s biggest bean bag – the “Lovesac” – and having a good time doing it. 

If your company had doubled in size, your shareholders were happy, and your profits were going through the roof, what would you do? Would you carry on the same way, or would you try to do even better?

This is the situation Ramón Mendiola, CEO of Florida Ice & Farm Company (FIFCO), found himself in back in 2008.

Did you ever tell small white lies when you were a kid?

Maybe you painted a pretty picture on your parents’ lovely cream sofa – and gave your sibling the credit. Or perhaps you ate the last cupcake and blamed the dog. As children, one of the first lessons we learn is to tell the truth. But many of us don’t do this enough – even when we’re adults.

Have you ever heard phrases like “natural selection,” “survival of the fittest,” and “it’s a dog-eat-dog world” being thrown around in business?

Well, that’s no accident. For years, we’ve been taught that “bloodthirsty conflict” is the fundamental reality of business – and that only the strongest entrepreneurs survive.

In the years leading up to the financial crisis of 2008, Iceland was in the throes of a boom-and-bust cycle. 

This is where an economy grows exponentially, creating abundant jobs and bringing high market returns to investors. Then it shrinks, causing people to lose their jobs – and investors their money.

When we think about the most successful business leaders of our time – people like Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos – we tend to assume they achieved great things single-handedly.

However, behind these talented entrepreneurs are fantastic teams that complement the strengths of their leader and compensate for their weaknesses.