Mindfulness for Leaders

​Most of us live most of our lives unconsciously. We are not mindful. We are not present. We miss what others are saying and doing. We miss what is going on around us. Studies show that we miss about 47% of what is going on around us. We miss about 47% of our lives. 
 
Have you ever been driving and all of a sudden not known exactly where you were? You look up, and you think, “Oh, I’m already here?!” Or you’re in a meeting, and you missed the last minute or so of what was said? I call that my mini vacation to the Bahamas. It happens. But some people are so present all the time, or almost all of the time. How do they do it? They are mindful. 
 
Ok, so we don’t always catch everything that is going on around us. What about what is going on inside us – our thoughts, feelings, and attention? When we are not aware of what is going on within, we are at the whim of our ego, our unconscious mind, and circumstances around us. Self-talk, biases, and untested beliefs are driving our thoughts and behaviors instead of our conscious mind and our hearts. That can lead us to repetitive cycles of worry, frustration, shame, and lack of moving forward on our goals. 
 
We like our routines because we don’t have to think about them. We like our routine actions and our routine thoughts. They are comfortable. Our routines don’t take much mental energy. We can accomplish them on “automatic pilot”. 

When we are learning or doing something new, it takes more mental energy. We engage the prefrontal cortex of our brain to develop new habits or to find a new route to work. Once a behavior or thought pattern becomes habit, the behavior is managed in the basal ganglia. Neuroplasticity is the function that creates habits in our brains. You can read more here. Until a behavior, physical or mental, becomes habit, it takes more energy and consciousness. We need to be mindful to get the results we want. This is important when we set new goals for ourselves or anytime we are doing something new. 
 
We hear that effective leaders have emotional intelligence, are motivating, are good listeners and communicators, and build relationships effectively. Effective leaders manage conflict well. They hire, retain, and develop talent; and they are role models for others. All of these skills begin with mindfulness. If I can’t manage my brain, I can’t manage myself. For optimal performance, I must manage my thoughts. 
 
So, what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the quality or state of being conscious or aware. It is a deep and peaceful state. You can achieve it just about anywhere at any time. It sounds like work, but it’s really about letting go of much of the activity of the egoic mind. 

Are you the master of your thoughts, self-talk, and emotions? Mindfulness will help and will raise your work and life experience to the next level. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below.