What conscious leaders can learn from Chinese New Year traditions

One of my favourite times of year in Singapore is Chinese New Year. It’s a huge celebration for many people in Singapore, and the decorations and music are in the streets and the shops as soon as the Christmas decorations come down.

Today marks the first day of the Year of the Wood Snake. As with many festivals, Chinese New Year has a number of long-standing traditions. I realised that many of these traditions resonate with the principles of Conscious Leadership and can inspire us to become more self-aware, purposeful and effective leaders.

Disclaimer: my friends who celebrate Chinese New Year shared their traditions with me, and I also checked my information on the Singapore National Library Board website. Any errors are my fault and I’m happy to stand corrected on these!

Chinese New Year Traditions And Conscious Leadership

Spring Cleaning: Reflect and Renew

🧹 Before the New Year, homes are cleaned thoroughly to sweep out bad luck and evil spirits.

🧹 In a similar way, conscious leaders work to improve their past habits and actions. sweeping out those practices which may not be working well for them or their team.

Exchanging Mandarin oranges: The value of respect and reciprocity

🍊🍊 It’s considered rude to visit someone’s home empty handed during Chinese New Year, so home visits usually involve presenting a pair of mandarin oranges to the head of the household. This gesture will be reciprocated during the festive period.

🍊🍊 Conscious leaders understand their impact on other people. With that in mind, conscious leaders take action to gather feedback from people around them, and act on that feedback.

Reunion dinner: Affirming a cohesive system

🍜 Family members return to the family home for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. This meal is a time for family to reaffirm the love and respect that bond them together.; something which helps to ensure the family’s cohesiveness.

🍜 Conscious leaders understand the way they show up affects everyone around them. They lead with a systemic mindset, empathy and open communication, to nurture strong relationships and psychological safety to drive collective success.

Red envelopes (hongbao): Sharing goodwill

🧧 The tradition of married couple giving red packets containing money to elders, as well as children and single adults symbolizes good luck and sharing blessings.

🧧 Conscious leaders are quick to recognise and reward their team's contributions, which creates a supportive and prosperous work culture.

Conscious Leadership Insights from the Year of the Snake

While your zodiac predictions for the year depend upon your own Chinese zodiac animal, there are a few general predictions for the Year of the Snake that have clear parallels in Conscious Leadership.

Adaptability: Embracing change

🐍 The Year of the Snake is often associated with adaptability and transformation.

🐍 Conscious leaders strive to be flexible and open to change. They continuously adapt to new challenges and opportunities, often by assessing the impact of their current practice and seeking to adjust their approach for improved outcomes.

Wisdom: Making informed decisions

🐍  Snakes symbolise wisdom and knowledge.

🐍  Conscious leaders display wisdom and knowledge about how their emotions impact their decisions and take action accordingly. This means that conscious leaders pause to regulate their emotions first, rather then making reactive decisions driven by emotions. As a result, they make decisions in a calm, responsive and intentional way.  

Resilience: Overcoming adversity

🐍  The Year of the Snake highlights resilience and determination.

🐍 Conscious leaders demonstrate resilience by facing challenges head-on and maintaining an optimistic mindset. Their optimistic mindset inspires their team to persevere through tough times, building a culture of strength and resilience.

Incorporating the wisdom and principles of Chinese New Year traditions into leadership practices can help everyone lead with greater awareness, empathy and purpose, making a positive impact in your team and your organization.

Here's to a resilient and prosperous year ahead! 🐍

Happy New Year to all those celebrating

新年快乐!

About Dr Sarah Whyte

Dr Sarah Whyte is a speaker, facilitator, counsellor and coach with over two decades of experience. She distils complex psychology and neuroscience research into transformative takeaways to empower people working in high-pressured environments where peak performance is an expectation.

The result? Clearer communication, lower stress, increased performance and higher productivity.

This is more than resilience, stress management, emotional wellness or wellbeing. This is The Conscious Leadership Advantage.