Mindfulness, defined by Meico Whitlock as “the mental state of focusing your awareness on the present moment while acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations”, is a hot topic these days, and speaking from personal experience, I can see why. In these times of pandemic-related stress and unexpected change; of political unrest and uncertainty; and even before all that, of the world evolving faster than we can keep up–a mindfulness practice is one important way we can keep our true north. I personally have spent several years learning a lot about different mindfulness techniques and watching how experimenting has kept me pretty, dare I say it, happy in spite of all the craziness.
And that’s just my opinion, but there’s actually good data around this. As Meico states in his post Mindful Leadership in Trying Times:
When things get tough, mindful leaders are better able to take a step back, shift from being reactive to responsive, and take decisive action.
According to the Greater Good Science Center, mindfulness is scientifically proven to:
- Sharpen attention
- Increase resilience in the face of stress and conflict
- Increase compassion
- Improve mental health
- Reduce psychological biases
Emily Rogers and Institute of Mindful Leadership also note that leaders who undergo mindful leadership training report:
- They are better decision-makers, more engaged and productive, and more compassionate
- Mindful leadership training positively impacted their ability to innovate (93%)
- It made a difference in their ability to think strategically (70%)
- They were more likely to respond with clarity, even under pressure (34%)
To explore the connection with culture and dig into the leadership aspect of it, we’ve integrated mindfulness into our coaching program.
How important is mindfulness for you as a leader?
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Meico Marquette Whitlock, Founder and CEO of Mindful Techie, is a speaker and trainer on mindfulness, technology, and productivity. Mindful Techie is an organization focused on helping purpose-driven professionals and organizations boost their personal and professional effectiveness and increase productivity and work-life balance in a digital world. Through talks, workshops, and trainings, Mindful Techie helps purpose-driven professionals and organizations integrate purpose, intention, and mindfulness into their day-to-day work in order to increase employee satisfaction, productivity, and work-life balance, and more effectively advance organizational missions and priorities.
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Photo by Aleks Marinkovic