I am happy to share an episode I was interviewed on the Team Anywhere podcast. We talked about the connection between leadership and mindfulness, Is there a connection between profitability and mindfulness? What is the benefit of mindfulness on a remote team? And why is it crucial now more than ever? To listen to the episode click here
From the Transcript:
Is there a connection between leadership and mindfulness? Is there a connection between profitability and mindfulness? What is the benefit of mindfulness on a remote team? And why is it crucial now more than ever? Today we interview Dr. Keren Tsuk to uncover the importance of Mindfulness Based Leadership.
We are in the midst of huge transformation and it’s transforming the way we live and work. Leaders want to be successful, creative, and innovative. To do this, leaders need to have a flexible mindset that rapidly adjusts to the changing needs of the environment. In order to do this, leaders need to practice Mindfulness Based Leadership.
Why is mindfulness important to organizations today?
Successful leaders need to be able to balance tensions. Leaders need to be able to hold tensions between opposite ends of spectrums. In business, leaders need to hold tensions in areas such as short term and long term business outlooks, speed and quality, and employees’ needs and the organization’s needs. As a result, leading mindfully allows leaders to hold space for these tensions and enable the right solutions to emerge.
What is Mindfulness Based Leadership?
What mindfulness is
Classic Definition:
The ability to be present, here and now, intentionally, and in a non-judgemental way. (Mindfulness Definition of Jon Kabat-Znn)
Keren’s Definition:
Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of the experience that we are going through in a non-judgemental way and without being managed by it. So this could be a thought, an emotion that you’re feeling, or a process you’re going through.
When Mindful Leaders feel stressed, they acknowledge and share it with their team. Observing and acknowledging stress allows leaders to manage stress rather than letting stress manage them. Additionally, Mindful leaders also acknowledge other people’s stress and give space to the emotions that occur inside of them.
Mindfulness Leadership Bridges Logic With Emotion
We are afraid to connect to and express emotions. In order to avoid our emotions at work, most of the day we work from our mind. However, other important leadership skills like creativity, passion and compassion come from our heart. Mindfulness Based Leadership enables leaders to be more complete. As a result leaders can handle tensions better and find more accurate solutions as they practice mindfulness.
Four Things Mindful Leaders do to Solve Team Problems
- Make Sure Everyone is Fully Present before meetings (Including themselves)
- In opening meetings, mindful leaders ask, “On a scale of 1-10, how present is everybody right now?”
- Create the Space for Tough Conversations & Address Emotions
- Leaders are especially mindful to create the space to solve problems and acknowledge emotions like anger.
- Mindfully empathize with their teammates’ situations.
- Mindful leaders are fully present to listen rather than offering a solution. They are compassionate and empathetic towards others.
- Focus on Self-Management – Walk the Talk
- Mindful leaders have the ability to manage the thoughts and emotions in their internal world. These leaders vulnerably share the thoughts and feelings occurring inside of them.
- Leading through this place is leading by example. “We can’t be for others more than what we are for ourselves.” To illustrate: you can’t love anybody, more than you love yourself. So, if you’re judgmental toward yourself, you will be judgmental towards your employee.
