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June 17 - October 24, 2021
By “space,” I don’t mean literally more square feet in our offices (though that might help). I mean mental and emotional space—“bandwidth,” to use the Internet metaphor: the capacity to see, feel, hear, and reflect on what is in front of us and what is inside of us. When we have that space, we can deal with even an urgent problem in a calm, creative, and humane way, rather than have an expedient reaction to the pressure.
Opportunities for leadership are all around us. The capacity for leadership is deep within us. SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT
So, rather than continue with a discussion, Sue suggested that we let what we had heard sink in and take some time for reflection.
This was a decision born not from the data, which remained inconclusive, but from their collective experience and intuition.
When you are mindful of this moment, you are present for your life and your experience just as it is … not as you hoped it would be, not as you expected it to be, not seeing more or less than what is here, not with judgments that can lead you to a conditioned reaction … but for exactly what is here, as it unfolds, meeting each moment with equanimity.
The best leaders are women and men who have first-class training, bright minds, warm hearts, a passionate embrace of their mission, a strong connection to their colleagues and communities, and the courage to be open to what is here. They’re driven to excellence, innovation, and making a difference.
We often simply do not have the space, the breathing room, necessary to be clear and focused, and to listen deeply to ourselves and to others.
A mindful leader embodies leadership presence by cultivating focus, clarity, creativity, and compassion in the service of others. Leadership presence is a tangible quality. It requires full and complete nonjudgmental attention in the present moment. Those around a mindful leader see and feel that presence.
That’s leadership presence: you give your full attention to what you’re doing, and others know it.
Such moments—when we fully inhabit our bodies and our senses are at work on more than an internal storyline, checklist, or rehearsed conversation—are what give life true meaning.
When the Institute works with an organization to bring mindful leadership training to its employees, we witness an example of the ripple effect.
When we are present and engaged, the effect is very different from when we are distracted and on autopilot. But it isn’t enough to want to be more present, to want to have a positive ripple effect. We need to train the mind.
The work of developing leadership presence through mindfulness begins by recognizing how much time we spend in a mental state that has come to be called continuous partial attention.
Neuroscience is now showing us that the mind’s capacity for multitasking is extremely limited. We’re really built for doing one thing at a time.
What do we do about that? Is leadership presence a natural gift possessed by a special few, or can it be cultivated? Can we train our minds to support our intention to live life with focus, clarity, creativity, and compassion even when our lives are hurried, fractured, and complex? Thankfully, we can.
With practice, noticing the sensations of the breath can be a valuable anchor to bring you back to the present, even in the midst of a chaotic meeting or a difficult conversation when the mind might otherwise be filled with distractions. The sensations of your breath are only felt in the present, not the past and not the future. So, if you can intentionally focus your attention on your breath sensations for a couple of breaths, the mind returns from its worries about the future or its memories of the past to be right here, in this moment.
You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose. INDIRA GANDHI
These balls included various roles: Spouse—married (and thankfully still am) to my college sweetheart Mother—two wonderful children, then aged ten and fifteen Executive—vice president and deputy general counsel of General Mills Daughter—very close relationship to aging parents Community volunteer—president of the board of a major nonprofit organization in my community
Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another. JOHN C. MAXWELL
Rather, your list might have included some of the qualities named by other leaders who have explored this reflection with me: Respectful Open thinker Compassionate Clear vision Able to inspire Great listener Creative Patient Collaborative Kind Teacher
First is the ability of a leader to connect—to self, to others, and to the larger community. Connecting to self is how we stay connected to our values and our ethics. It’s the rudder we steer with in the midst of the chaos. How deeply we are able to connect authentically with others is the difference between an organizational environment that values inclusion and one that is insular and divided into silos that rarely communicate with each other. It’s that inclusion that sets the tone for a workplace that is respectful and collaborative.
Finally, connecting to the community comes from being able to see the bigger picture and not get caught up in the minutiae of a single objective. That wider connection is how great organizations give meaning to their existence and inspire their employees. In the example of the chocolate recall in Chapter 1, the ability of the leaders to stay connected to themselves, each other, and their consumers helped them find the right choice.
Second is the ability of a leader to skillfully initiate or guide change. The important word is skillfully—leading not by command and control but by collaborating and listening with open curiosity and a willingness, at times, to live within ambiguity until a decision becomes clear. It’s also this capacity that fuels a leader’s willingness to take a courageous stand, lead the...
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These four fundamentals of leadership excellence—focus, clarity, creativity, and compassion—are qualities that originate within our minds and hearts, and we can strengthen and cultivate them through mindful leadership training. Let’s consider each of them in turn.
Mindfulness training is not: A religion A technique for clearing away thoughts A new age method involving chanting or incense A relaxation technique A training in deep breathing A way to eliminate stress
Mindfulness training is a method of developing the mind’s innate capabilities, including the capabilities that are most directly involved in the development of leadership excellence
Mindful leadership training was not requiring them to change their lives, to go more slowly, or to work less. It was cultivating an innate capability that enabled them to be more intentional about how they chose to spend their time.
The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer. HENRY DAVID THOREAU
The first step is to pause. In the pause, you have an opportunity to check in with yourself.
The second step is to open to what is here, actually here, rather than what you imagined or hoped would be here.
The third step is to listen deeply and redirect your attention when you notice the quality of your attention waning. This includes listening to yourself, to the sensations and thoughts arising as you listen to others speaking. You need full attention to take in what others are communicating: the words, the body language, the felt emotions—the full richness of a connection.
The fourth step is to speak the truth with the intention to do no harm.
I have only seen this done effectively when a leader models the behavior. For example, if a leader treats “bad news” as an opportunity for everyone to learn and for the organization to become more resilient rather than as a career-damaging event, the truth will quickly become an important part of the dialogue.
On the other hand, when truth is not an expected part of everyday dialogue, it is sometimes because employees have the belief that no one wants to hear bad news, and that only people who are not team players offer a different point of view. While they may seem smooth on the surface, these organizational cultures feel stifled, the employees are less engaged, and the organization is less innovative. Truth often offers us resistance, and resistance is good. As Maya Lin, the architect for the Vietnam Memorial, once said, “Without resistance, we cannot fly.”
Acceptance: seeing, feeling, and acknowledging things as they are in the present moment. Acceptance does not mean passivity, resignation, or agreement. It allows a clear perception of the present that informs our actions. Letting go: allowing change to occur by not holding on to thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It is an intentional act and does not mean suppression or forgetfulness. Openness: perceiving things as if for the first time; remaining aware of attitudes and opinions that may block such fresh perception. Generosity: giving in the present moment within a context of care and
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This simple exercise often reveals intriguing insights about the ways we communicate. Participants notice the relief they feel from just listening without having to work on a polite response or add a significant comment. They also notice that, although it could feel awkward at first not to interject little assurances to show that they were listening, the lack of those head nods and “uh-huh” comments did nothing to diminish the connection between the partners.
As for the experience of speaking in monologue, people often notice that speaking without the need to get it out quickly before someone interrupts allows them to go deeper and deeper into what they are saying and discover more about the significance of what they are noticing. Finally, in the spaciousness of a few-minute monologue, participants report being more likely to speak the truth because their thoughts and emotions were more clearly heard and understood, by themselves and by their listening partners.
It’s not so easy for us to communicate mindfully, especially about matters that have emotional content. It takes some effort and application. We ...
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PREPARED TO REALLY LISTEN
1. Pause 2. Open to what is here 3. Listen deeply 4. Speak the truth
Mindful communication and mindful leadership require that we trust the feelings that invite us to inquire more deeply about the situations we find ourselves in, rather than just completing tasks and checking off boxes.
THE NOISE OF MULTITASKING
The more responsibility you have, the more people you are leading and the larger the scope of your leadership, the more important it becomes to clear away the noise so you can listen to your wisdom and speak from the mind and heart—and, as importantly, so you can listen to what others are saying, and what they are not saying.
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. ALBERT EINSTEIN
