Mindfulness in Leadership
"We see the world not as it is but as we are.”
~ Humberto Maturana
One day as I raced through the bookstore, my eyes fell on a title: I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can. I didn't realize it was the remarkable story of writer/producer Barbara Gordon and her courageous recovery from a Valium addiction. I just thought, Wow, what a great title. Too bad I don't have time to read it.
At Christmas, my husband gave me the book, Women Who Do Too Much. I didn't have time to read that either. I was too busy skimming through dozens of books on leadership, asking myself, How can we do more, do it better… and faster?
At the time, the irony was lost on me. I was dancing as fast as I could, doing as much as I could, pushing myself as hard as I could – and I didn’t see the problem with that.
Perhaps it was a sign of the times (we’ve all been through it, right?), but the times are changing. We, as a collective body of leaders, are beginning to recognize that in order to be truly effective leaders in the world, we first must learn to lead ourselves, within.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of Primal Leadership, calls this the leadership paradox. “For leaders, the first task in management has nothing to do with leading others; step one poses the challenge of knowing and managing oneself.”
This includes:
- Connecting with deep values that guide
- Imbuing actions with meaning
- Aligning emotions with goals
- Staying motivated
- Staying focused and on task
Our days are filled with competing demands and multiple, often difficult decisions to be made. Such work is deeply challenging. Rather than being run by the feelings and reactions that can arise in these situations, we all can cultivate a mindset where we notice reactions, yet choose responses that are aligned with our values, support our vision, and generate strong results. This requires a certain amount of internal stillness.
Many experts in the field of leadership are beginning to recognize the importance of spending time in stillness. Why? Because our leadership skills benefit when we take time to quiet our mind and simply be still. We become more closely aligned with the values and goals that matter most.
When we act in accord with these inner measures, we feel good about what we do. These positive emotions are contagious. When we, as leaders, feel positive, energized and enthusiastic about our work, so do those we lead.
Another benefit of spending time in stillness: we become far more aware of what’s going on – inside us, around us, and with other people. This heightened awareness translates to better decisions, easier interactions, and faster results. Eastern traditions call this Mindfulness – living in a state of full, conscious awareness of one’s whole self, other people, and the context in which we live and work.
Modern research reminds us of the deep value this age-old wisdom holds for all of us. Recent studies in management science, psychology and neuroscience have documented the holistic, beneficial impacts of mindfulness, contemplation and/or meditation.
In his timely and remarkable book, Presence, Peter Senge invites us to realize that we are not separate from our environment, and through self awareness we become aware of our impact and the impact of our decisions on others.
Living in the “present moment” we also learn to truly enjoy and appreciate those awesome moments in our days; those comical, endearing and inspiring comments from staff and students that make our work worth doing.
If you feel like you are dancing as fast as you can, I encourage you to take small steps toward a contemplative practice. Take just two minutes a day to sit in quietness, listen to your breathing and just notice what you notice.
As the mindful leader says, "Don't just do something, stand there." It leads to great results.
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