Mindfulness: A Game-Changer for the Future of Leadership

For my entire adult life, I have been a Type A personality. I am driven, ambitious, and goal-oriented. If you are like me, you know the pros around this way of being are that you tend to achieve.

But the downside of wiring yourself to lead and live like this is there is little peace in your mind. You are always thinking, strategizing, and planning. Eventually, this can lead to a feeling of never being in the moment because your brain is always swirling around. And before you know it, this becomes the way our lives are conducted as days roll into years and even though we are achieving, we are really not fully living.

We know this often deep down inside. But, we are afraid to take our feet off the gas because what if we don’t achieve as much? Who would we be then? What if I told you there is a way to be even more successful in your career and also feel more peace, presence, and groundedness in your life, all while you are improving your relationships?

Well, there is. The path is through mindfulness. Now before you say, that isn’t for me. Read on, you may change your tune.

First of all, let’s talk about what Mindfulness is. It is a way of living and working where you are focused on the present moment. You are aware, as much as possible (I am not mindful every moment of the day. This is why it is called a practice.).

For example, in this moment if you are practicing mindfulness you would be aware of the feel of the chair against your body. Noticing the sensation of your hands against your device or keys on your computer. Be aware of the breath coming in and out of your body. Acknowledge the different thoughts that come in and out, but if they are not important to you in that moment, just let them go without the need to create a story about them. Just be.

Research has shown that mindfulness can have a major competitive advantage for workplaces that leverage it and foster its growth with their people. It has been proven to reduce absenteeism, boost performance, improve work relationships, and create a greater sense of engagement and enjoyment at work.

How does Mindfulness do all of this?

I have heard time and time again from my clients that Mindfulness is like watching the grass grow. You can’t really see it happen in front of you, but something is foresure changing inside of them. They feel different. Better. And that feeling projects out. When you create that kind of energy among a group of people within a workplace, the domino effects are profound.

From a scientific perspective, what is happening inside of us when we practice mindfulness? Our grey matter increases inside of our brains! This is especially relevant to the work environment when you look at the prefrontal cortex area of the brain actually growing when you practice mindfulness as this is largely where the control centre for our executive functioning lives. So when our brains grow, our capabilities grow here too. Your memory, organization, and leadership skills actually grow!

Why isn’t everyone doing this?

Good question. Before I was introduced to mindfulness, I had a perception that it was fluffy. When I tried it, it didn’t come naturally to me, as my brain was wired to jump. I didn’t believe there was value in focusing on my being and taking time away from doing. I didn’t want to waste my already precious time.

But, I was put into a unique situation where because of a brain injury, I had to try it. I was so desperate to heal, that I was willing to do anything the doctors said even if it felt completely foreign. So I gave it a shot. And I am sure glad I did. Once I persisted through the discomfort of something that felt so slow, I was able to tune into myself more. I felt a deeper level of peace than I had in a long time. I had a tool to de-stress, and also a tool to proactively set my day with intention in a way that feels true to me at my core versus just being fixated on revenue and growth. The neat thing is when you focus on the authentic core of being your best, the revenue and growth come as a secondary benefit to mindfulness. When you are at your best, you can deliver more. When you get out of your head for a few moments, you can sense opportunities around you that you never considered before.

Improved relationships are a big benefit to practicing mindfulness. When you are present with someone, focusing truly on them, that is one of the greatest gifts you can give anyone. Practicing being in the moment with someone, focusing on making eye contact, focusing solely on them and not on the other things in your mind, they feel that. They feel more connected to you and the relationship grows.

Before I tried mindfulness, I didn’t think it was for me. Just the word mindfulness led to images of monks in far-off lands who were living their lives away from the hustle and bustle of life. I didn’t see how that would fit into my life as an ambitious person. But, it has. I didn’t have much of a choice but to participate in mindfulness through brain rehab if I wanted to improve. But it also allowed me to play the role of the guinea pig to really learn what this was all about. And since it had been a game changer for me, I began to wonder if it would help my busy, high-level leader clients who sounded a lot like me from before.

This led me to create my Mindfulness Leading and Living Program which is aimed at a corporate style audience. It benefits people in their whole lives, which fits into my philosophy of coaching that we can’t fully compartmentalize our lives. What impacts us in one area, will eventually seep out into the next area and it takes a lot of energy to try to contain it. And, who has extra energy to waste?

I never would have guessed I would be a mindfulness expert, but life leads us down the paths we are meant to go. So here I am. Helping other leaders to unwind. To be. To lead with mindfulness and greater clarity, while feeling more peace about their work and lives.

Almost every leader I coach, I incorporate elements of my Mindfulness program. I take it at their pace and we assess together what their goals and needs are in this space. I also offer Talks and Workshops on Mindfulness.

Looking for Leadership Development in this Area?

Find out more about my Workshops on Mindfulness or for an Individualized Approach, learn more about my Executive Coaching programs.