As a leader, you have to be discerning with a healthy sense of skepticism. You cannot afford to jump on the latest trendy bandwagon when it comes to your leadership. You have to be strong, steady and dependable, relying on widely acknowledged best practices and time-honored methods.

Mindfulness may seem like the latest trendy technique for leaders, so it’s easy to understand why you might be wary of learning more about it.

While it’s true that mindfulness may appear trendy these days, it is important to recognize that it is actually a practice that goes back thousands of years. Its presence on magazine covers and newspaper articles may be a flash-in-the-pan development, but mindfulness has been helping people live fuller, more productive and more authentic lives for nearly as long as humans have inhabited the planet. And it will continue to be a practice that helps leaders and others long after it has ceased to be a business buzzword.

Yes, mindfulness can help leaders lead more effectively, but I see it as more than just a technique for improving leadership. I see it as an absolute necessity for effective leadership.

How Mindfulness Helps Leaders Lead

When I talk to leaders, I repeatedly hear many of the same complaints.

They tell me about how they feel stressed out, anxious and constantly behind schedule. They wish they could get more sleep and spend more time with their families. They talk about wanting to be more present with team members and more connected with the pulse of their respective organizations. For a long time, it was assumed that these aspects were simply part of the package for those who chose a life of leadership.

I reject the notion that leaders should be stressed, tired, anxious and lacking a life with proper work-life balance. I know from experience that leaders can be rested, relaxed, focused and present. I have seen leaders who sustain a keen, laser-sharp focus on their teams and organizations without running themselves ragged. So, what separates those leaders from the rest of the pack? The answer, more often than not, is mindfulness.

Here’s what mindfulness can do for leaders:

• Reduces stress
• Protects against health issues such as high blood pressure
• Alters the brain positively in ways that enhance memory, learning and emotional regulation
• Teaches leaders to pay attention to the moment at hand
• Allows leaders to keep better watch over their emotions and feelings, leading to an enhanced ability to keep them under control
• Helps develop greater self-awareness of their impact on others
• Reduces feelings of pressure that are common for leaders
  

Virtually all the complaints from leaders I cited above can be addressed successfully with mindfulness. However, it is important to remember that mindfulness by itself is not a cure for any condition, nor is it a magical practice that automatically makes leadership easier. For mindfulness to be truly transformative, it has to be undertaken as a regular practice.

The Power of Practice

Mindfulness gets its power from practice and consistency.

Engaging in meditation or any other mindful act just once will probably have little to no impact. Engaging in a mindfulness practice every day for a week will not do a lot, either. But if you sustain your practice consistently, engaging with it daily for several weeks in a row, you are sure to notice changes.

Mindfulness alone will not be the cause of those changes, the transformation also comes from your actions.

What mindfulness does is allow you to be more present with your thoughts and emotions. It does not create change, but it helps you create an inner landscape where positive change is easier to manifest. Essentially, a mindfulness practice will generate a greater level of awareness. And once you become aware, you gain the power to make deliberate, positive and transformative changes.

For example, let’s say you are feeling stressed out on a constant basis. Practicing mindfulness will not reduce stress by itself, but it will make you more aware of the factors that are contributing to your stress and strain. When you are mindful, you have a more enhanced ability to recognize the triggers that lead to stress. You become aware of the specific situations that lead to tension. And when you have this type of awareness, you are gifted with the knowledge of what you have to change to build a richer, more fulfilling life of leadership.

Taking the First Step on a Journey of Mindful Leadership

Becoming more mindful and integrating a practice into your life can seem intimidating. You are busy and have very little time for brand-new practices. Thankfully, I am here to help!

If you’d like to get started learning more about the benefits of mindful leadership — and how you can begin living a more mindful life — I encourage you to take a look at this blog post, which features some tips on becoming more mindful as a leader.

I also invite you to stay tuned to this space in the coming weeks. I will be writing more about mindfulness and how it can be a real game changer for leaders like you and me. So be sure to check in with my blog for the latest mindfulness insights.

Have questions? Leave a comment below or contact me directly. I can be reached by phone at 1-855-871-3374 or by email at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca.

I look forward to hearing from you!