Take a break. Sit quietly. Give yourself permission to let go of all thoughts, expectations and effort. Don’t “do” anything. Just let go.
3 Steps to Mindful Leadership
My job is to get leaders from Point A to Point B. That might mean getting them from {distracted} to {focused}. Or perhaps it could be a shift from {disconnected} to {empathetic}.
In all of these scenarios, we are using mindfulness as a tool to become a more effective leader. Making that shift requires more than just a quick overview of mindfulness techniques. It’s not an intellectual shift; for change to stick, new habits must become habitual.
I break this down into three stages.
First, you have mindful experiences. You feel what it means to be calm, clear and focused. You see the benefits.
Second, you use daily practice to strengthen specific skills: observing your breath, noticing your feelings.
Third, you actually change who you are. Your personal traits shift. Thanks to neuroplasticity, your brain actually changes. You don’t simply act differently; you are different.
The end result is you become a better leader: more self-aware, with greater clarity and focus. Distraction becomes an abnormality.
Mindfulness in America
Grateful to have attended (October 2018) the Mindfulness in America summit, learning about the positive impact of mindfulness from leaders in business, media, military, healthcare, technology, sports, academia and politics. https://lnkd.in/gFTzHHR
Speakers included Jon Kabat-Zinn (MBSR founder), Anderson Cooper, Arianna Huffington, Gisele Bundchen, Karen May (Google), Chip Conley (Airbnb), Michael Gervais (Seattle Seahawks), Tim Ryan (Congressman, Ohio), Major General Piatt, Mark Bertolini (AETNA CEO), Rhonda Magee (Chair, SIYLI Board).
Five of my favorite observations of the day...
"Mindfulness training helps pre, during and post deployment. We train the mind to be in the moment." Major General Piatt
"Begin the (difficult) conversations and be willing to stay with it through the rest of your life." Rhonda Magee
"The team helps you find your best and your teammates will help when you make mistakes." Michael Gervais
"How do you stay focused on what’s important amidst all the intentional distraction. Compassionate act can be fighting for what you believe in." Tim Ryan
"Its a delusion we need to burnout to succeed. Take small steps (to refuel), which are more sustainable, start with the smallest step that you can commit to." Arianna Huffington
Lesson #21 for the 21st Century
"In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power." writes bestselling author and historian, Yuval Noah Harari, in the opening sentence of his latest book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.
Yuval dedicates the final lesson in the book to Meditation.
"Without the focus and clarity provided by this (meditation) practice, I could not have written Sapiens or Homo Deus. At least for me, meditation never came into conflict with scientific research. Rather, it has been another valuable tool in the scientific tool kit, especially when trying to understand the human mind."