Start With Why: Conscious Leadership in the Age of Coronalism
In 2020, as the world reeled from the shock of a global pandemic, I coined a term to define the new chapter of capitalism we entered: Coronalism. It wasn’t just a health crisis — it was a reckoning. A point in history that split time in two: before and after. Under this new form of capitalism, the rules for leadership changed forever.
The best leaders today — the truly great ones — share something remarkable: they are not at war with themselves. Their internal clarity enables external decisiveness. They exhibit self-control, deep empathy, emotional resilience, and an unwavering respect for diversity and inclusion. They operate not from fear or ego, but from a calm center of conviction.
So what’s their secret?
It’s ancient. Timeless. Uncomplicated.
“Know thyself.”
This simple phrase appears in ancient Greek texts and Sun Tzu’s Art of War. It is the gold thread that weaves through the fabric of human wisdom across continents and civilizations. Why? Because without self-knowledge, we mistake our fears for our values, our job titles for our identity, and our performance for our worth.
Let’s pause for a moment.
Who are you?
Are you a manager? A doctor? A CEO? No. Those are roles — not essence. As José Ortega y Gasset wisely put it:
“I am myself and my circumstances.”
But today, we’ve lost the distinction. We confuse what we do with who we are. And in doing so, we surrender the steering wheel of our lives to circumstances, to stress, to survival instincts.
And it gets worse.
Modernity didn’t help. Nietzsche “killed” God. Descartes declared, “I think, therefore I am.” But if you ask an AI to explain that today, it might recite it like a slogan from a Manhattan ad agency — polished, marketable, and hollow. Truthfully? That phrase may have aged as well as dial-up internet.
I’ll take the opposite stance:
“Because I can pause my thinking, I become aware that I exist — and that I can transcend.”
This ability to pause, reflect, and distance ourselves from the noise — this is where leadership is born. Not from reaction, but from consciousness.
Even the supposed split between mind and body — another Cartesian relic — is falling apart. Neuroscience now tells us they’re inseparable. As Dr. Daniel Amen explains in Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, the physical and mental are deeply intertwined. Ignore one, and the other suffers.
So yes, let’s give Descartes his due. But let’s also move on.
Here’s the reality for leaders today: your clarity comes from self-awareness, not self-assertion. And your strength comes not from resisting pressure, but from transforming it.
Once you understand that you are not your job, not your circumstances, not your mistakes — then professional attacks won’t feel personal. You’ll respond with curiosity, not defensiveness. You’ll make better decisions, because they won’t be clouded by ego. You’ll become more present, less anxious, and far more resilient. You’ll shift from survival mode to what truly matters — leading with purpose, connection, and vitality.
Why don’t more people practice this?
Because our brains evolved to survive, not to transcend. But leadership requires the opposite — a conscious rebellion against automatic thinking.
Conscious Leadership Tip #1:
Know Thyself.
Separate your essence from your circumstances.
Do not confuse your role with your soul.
Lead from the inside out.
When you see yourself — and others — as human beings first, you’ll stop managing and start inspiring. That’s the kind of leadership the world needs.
And it starts with you.