The Ross Simmonds Show

Conscious Leadership

Listen Later

In this episode of Create Like The Greats, Ross offers a transparent reflection on a book that has significantly impacted his leadership and personal growth journey in 2025 — The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp. Ross walks through all 15 commitments outlined in the book, sharing real-life examples and insights from his entrepreneurial journey. If you're striving to lead consciously, foster better teamwork, and level up your self-awareness, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways for you.


Key Takeaways and Insights:

1. Radical Responsibility

  • Embrace ownership for every situation
  • Avoid blame, shame, and guilt — they stem from toxic fear
  • Replace blame with curiosity: "What can I learn from this?"

    • 2. Learning Through Curiosity

    • Always stay in learner mode
    • “Above the line” vs “Below the line” mentality
    • Stay open, curious, and committed to truth—not being “right”
    • Framework: What I know / What I know I don’t know / What I don’t know I don’t know

      • 3. Feeling All the Feelings 

      • Fully experiencing emotions to completion
      • Use head, heart, and gut to inform decisions
      • Yoga, breathwork, and meditation as helpful tools

        • 4. Speaking Candidly 

        • Tell the truth with kindness
        • Speak unarguable facts and feelings: “I feel ___ because ___”
        • Avoid conflict avoidance and passive communication

          • 5. Eliminating Gossip 

          • Address issues directly with the person involved
          • Gossip is rooted in unmet communication and inability to process feelings
          • Test for gossip: Negative intent or unwilling to say it to the person? Then it’s gossip.

            • 6. Practicing Integrity 

            • Express truth, keep agreements, and take 100% responsibility
            • Framework for impeccable agreements:
            • Make clear commitment
            • Keep it
            • Renegotiate if needed
            • Clean up broken commitments

              • 7. Generating Appreciation

              • Practice giving and receiving appreciation fully
              • Celebrate the small things and appreciate yourself and your team
              • Create a culture of gratitude and acknowledgment

                • 8. Excelling in Your Zone of Genius 

                • Identify what you’re uniquely talented at and enjoy doing
                • Ross shares his own strengths: presenting, writing, people leadership
                • Reallocate more time to activities in your “genius zone”

                  • 9. Living a Life of Play and Rest

                  • Incorporate humor, spontaneity, and celebration into work
                  • Rest is a challenge, but vital for sustainable leadership
                  • Play isn’t frivolous—it’s a leadership asset

                    • 10. Exploring the Opposite

                    • Train your mind to challenge your own stories and embrace opposing truth
                    • Ross advocates for intellectual debates to stretch perception
                    • Ask: “What am I not seeing?”

                      • 11. Being the Source of Approval, Control & Security 

                      • Identify the root wants driving your behavior
                      • Seek internal rather than external validation
                      • Approval, control, and security must be self-sourced, not dependent on others

                        • 12. Having Enough of Everything 

                        • Abundance mindset vs scarcity
                        • Perspective: Ross shares personal examples of past financial hardship
                        • GRATITUDE = enoughness

                          • 13. Seeing the World as an Ally

                          • Every person and situation is an opportunity to grow
                          • Learn from everyone, regardless of status or age
                          • Let go of ego and embrace humility in learning

                            • 14. Creating Win-for-All Solutions 

                            • Build solutions that serve everyone involved—self, others, organization, and the whole
                            • Ross: “I’m rooting for you, whether you’re at Foundation or not.”

                              • 15. Being the Resolution

                              • Don’t just wait for change — BE the change
                              • Leave the world better because you existed
                              • Make an impact beyond yourself

                                • 

                                Resources & Tools:

                                🔗 The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership

                                🔗 Foundationinc.co



                                — 👋🏾 Let's stay connected —

                                ╰ Subscribe to my channel:  @RossSimmondsTV 

                                ╰ Instagram:  @thecoolestcool  

                                ╰ Twitter / X: @thecoolestcool  

                                ╰ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rosssimmonds


                                ...more
                                View all episodesView all episodes
                                Download on the App Store
                                The Ross Simmonds ShowBy Ross Simmonds