The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership book club questions

1. 1.

   The book says most people spend most of their time below the line. What is your honest estimate of how much of your recent leadership has been below the line?

2. 2.

   Gossip is defined broadly here — any talk about someone that you wouldn't say directly to them. How much of your daily communication qualifies? What would change if it stopped?

3. 3.

   Think of a situation where you were committed to being right rather than to learning what was true. What did that cost the outcome?

4. 4.

   The book distinguishes zone of competence, excellence, and genius. Which zone are you spending most of your time in at work right now?

5. 5.

   Taking full responsibility doesn't mean taking blame — it means giving up the story that something outside yourself caused the problem. Where are you currently unwilling to do that?

6. 6.

   The authors say candor is rare because leaders don't create safety for it. What specifically makes candor unsafe in the environment you're part of?

7. 7.

   Feelings as data: when did a feeling in a meeting signal something important that you didn't acknowledge at the time?

8. 8.

   Which of the fifteen commitments feels most foreign or most threatening to you — and what does that tell you?

9. 9.

   The book argues that eliminating drama requires each person to take full responsibility for their own experience. Where is drama currently present in your team, and what's your role in it?

10. 10.

    Have you experienced a leader who operated consistently above the line? What was it like to work with them compared to leaders who didn't?

11. 11.

    The zone of genius idea implies that doing what you're merely excellent at is a form of playing small. What would it look like to stop doing that?

12. 12.

    The commitment to appreciation requires seeing others not for what they produce but for who they are. Is that a natural practice for you or an uncomfortable one?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.