Mindful Leadership is an approach to leadership that integrates mindfulness practices with lessons from interpersonal psychology. This method has quickly become one of the most sought-after subjects for management courses and training programs alike.
Mindfully strong leaders possess the capacity to overcome any obstacle with ease and grace, providing a positive narrative by reframing obstacles as opportunities and setbacks as milestones along their journey.
1. Be Present
Mindful leadership requires keeping their attention focused in the present, enabling them to make better-informed decisions and engage their teams more closely.
Being present helps reduce stress and distraction by keeping you focused on what lies ahead, rather than overthinking past or future events. One effective practice to develop this skill is Morning Pages: writing down whatever comes to mind without judgment in order to provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize, or sync up with what lies before us each day.
Mindful leaders encourage diversity of perspectives by inviting team members from different backgrounds and experiences to share ideas freely, and accepting diverging opinions. Furthermore, mindful leaders demonstrate self-compassion by accepting their own shortcomings without self-criticism, leading to increased transparency and trust within the workplace, ultimately motivating teams through an environment that fosters an atmosphere of open dialogue.
2. Be Authentic
Mindful leaders are known for being authentic and inspiring their teams to follow suit. They value ethics and integrity in the workplace culture they cultivate, which contributes to higher employee retention rates and greater productivity.
Becoming a mindful leader means being true to oneself, so it’s vital that managers prioritize their physical and mental wellness by practicing self-care – such as exercising or taking time for themselves – or prioritizing relationships with both employees and supervisors.
Authenticity means creating an environment in which team members feel safe to express their opinions and contribute to the success of an organization. This can be achieved through encouraging diversity, promoting transparency and actively listening to employee feedback; doing this allows managers to ensure their actions align with their personal values and beliefs.
3. Be Empathetic
Empathy is an integral component of effective leadership as it allows individuals to comprehend and identify with other’s emotions. Empathy helps develop trust between people as it fosters mutually beneficial relationships that increase happiness in one’s life and promotes helping behaviors.
Certain situations and people may make it easier for some individuals to empathize than others, for example when their loved one becomes sicker than expected. Empathy is not fixed trait; rather it can be developed through training.
Empathy can be taught and developed through mindfulness practices, emotional intelligence, and listening skills. Empathetic individuals may find themselves overwhelmed by negative emotions and can experience stress or burnout as a result.
4. Be Compassionate
An influential leader can command attention, stir emotions and shape the future of companies and industries – yet may feel disconnected from their true purpose due to lack of authenticity, transparency and core values.
George discusses how successful leaders understand both their emotional strengths and weaknesses as well as their guiding principles, or “True North,” that help guide their behavior during difficult times.
As Corie Barry became CEO of Best Buy during the pandemic, she knew layoffs would be her final resort and waited to announce them until workers could access government unemployment subsidies. For more information, check out Shortform’s comprehensive book guide Discover Your True North.
5. Be Self-Aware
Mindful leaders have an awareness of themselves that allows them to understand their thoughts, emotions, strengths, and weaknesses; this helps them make more thoughtful and intentional decisions. Furthermore, mindfulness allows leaders to better manage stress for themselves and support team members through difficult situations.
Mindful leaders work to foster an inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and respects equality, helping foster innovation and creativity by inviting different viewpoints to come forward and share their opinions and perspectives.
Mindfulness requires the ability to listen and accept new information without prejudging, which can be practiced through seeking feedback from employees and supervisors regularly. Say What You Mean provides an excellent resource on effective communication techniques – a must-read book for managers seeking to cultivate mindfulness within their leadership style.
6. Be Flexible
Mindful leaders possess the flexibility and adaptability required to adapt quickly to changing situations, encourage diverse viewpoints and foster an environment conducive to creativity, while being open-minded enough to accept uncertainty as part of learning experience.
“They can recognize their emotions and biases, which helps them make rational decisions. Furthermore, they remain calm during stressful or high-pressure situations – creating resilience within teams.”
They demonstrate a level of humility and humanity that inspires team members. Furthermore, they advocate transparent communication channels between employees and them and themselves so they can raise questions or voice opinions openly – an approach which avoids an adversarial approach that limits growth and inhibits innovation.
7. Be Resilient
Resilience refers to the ability to adapt successfully to challenging or difficult life experiences, requiring mental, emotional and behavioral flexibility in order to meet internal and external demands.
Resilience is a learned capacity that can be developed with practice. While certain people may possess more natural resilience than others, research indicates that resilience can be developed in anyone given access to appropriate resources and strategies.
Key factors of resilience include having strong social support, practicing realistic optimism and finding meaning in one’s circumstances. Furthermore, developing problem-solving skills and finding purposeful activities are effective tools in building resilience.
8. Be Transparent
Mindful leaders are transparent, encouraging others to express themselves freely without judgement or restriction. They welcome new ideas and aren’t afraid of letting creativity flourish; mindful leaders understand that teams with know-it-all attitude won’t be as productive as teams that embrace different perspectives and are open to learning new things.
Mindful leaders prioritize both their physical and mental wellbeing, making sure they get enough restful sleep and consume healthy meals. Additionally, mindful leaders take time out for activities that foster holistic wellbeing such as exercising or practicing meditation.
Mindful leaders recognize their conditioned responses to stress and are adept at reframing challenging situations as growth opportunities rather than setbacks, creating a more positive and resilient work culture. Furthermore, mindful leaders tend to treat themselves with the same compassion they show their teammates.
9. Be Empowered
At a time of authoritarianism, polarization, and social inequality, leadership has never been more essential. According to Bill George, former chairman and CEO of medical-device manufacturer Medtronic and executive fellow at Harvard Business School, leaders should focus on finding their moral compass — their True North.
Internal values and principles provide guidance for decisions and actions; however, they can easily become deflected by external pressures to please others or lure of rewards that don’t fit with one’s core ethics.
George uses Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors during their faulty ignition switch scandal, as an inspiring example to demonstrate how resilient and effective leaders can remain true to themselves while facing various leadership challenges. This approach helps make leaders resilient and effective under difficult conditions.
10. Be Creative
Bill George and co-author Zach Clayton offer practical guidance and insights from interviews with over 125 global leaders that outlines ways to optimize leadership that is authentic to yourself and aimed at making positive impacts in today’s volatile society. Their book True North provides practical advice and insight on how you can enhance authentic leadership.
George highlights mindfulness and meditation as an example to demonstrate his point that leaders need to be clear about what matters to them most, especially during conflict situations like when Donahoe had to choose between taking his children to school and meeting clients, making a decision by being honest with both his boss and clients about what was important for him – which demonstrated courage, humility, and responsibility- three essential qualities of a truly authentic leader.
