Presence. Leading in the moment. Mindfulness. It all sounds great. But what does it really mean for busy leaders with a lot on their plates? Let’s define these crucial skills and contextualize them in ways you can actually use.
Mindful Leadership: Key Terms and Ideas
Mindful leadership is a management approach defined and driven by careful consideration and emotional intelligence. Foundational skills for mindful leadership include:
- Self-awareness: They understand the impact of their words and actions on their team and organization.
- Presence: Leaders who are present practice conscious communication and decision-making. They’re clear on their purpose and intentions. They lead in the moment, taking steps to prevent leading on autopilot or with high reactivity.
- Compassion: Mindful leaders strive for the most inclusive, welcoming workplace possible. They understand the connection between people feeling valued and doing their best work.
4 Risks of Leading on Autopilot
Mindful leadership matters because ignoring it is costly. Leading without it harms numerous outcomes, including:
- Diminished Focus: When leaders don’t take the time to approach their work with a clear head and a calm mind, things feel frenetic and vision gets cloudy. To prioritize effectively and accurately, we need the sharper decision-making mindfulness brings.
- Increased Stress: Sure. Leaders on autopilot may project “I got this”. But when a spanner gets thrown in the works, things deteriorate fast. If we don’t stay present, we don’t stay proactive. That constant reactivity does a number on our nervous system. If you’ve been feeling run ragged, it’s time to consider a more mindful approach. Your health depends on it.
- Poor Communication: On autopilot, we rely on impersonal, preloaded responses (in spite of demanding creativity and flexibility from our team and our peers). Without mindful interpersonal workplace communication, we risk ruining trust and halting the cross-functional collaboration that lets organizations thrive.
- More Errors and Mistakes: Thoughtful decision-making (or lack thereof) can make or break teams and leaders. Without pausing to consider consequences, or invite new solutions, leaders risk stunted or short-sighted decision-making that wastes time and energy.
What Mindful Leadership Looks Like: 5 Practical Examples
The benefits of mindful leadership abound, so how do we make it happen? Here are five practical examples of what mindful leadership looks like:
- Checking In: Checking in with ourselves and others can be a great first step toward self-awareness. Check-ins can happen any time, but they work well at the beginning or end of a workday, gathering, or one-on-one.
- Deep Breathing: Pausing to breathe deeply regulates our heart rate and helps us feel calmer. It also allows our mind and nervous system to work together to more accurately assess a situation and respond appropriately. As few as 3 deep breaths in and out can make a difference.
- Noting/Noticing: Making a mental or verbal note is an essential mindfulness skill, and you’ll be surprised just how much you can learn from it. From noticing where you’re holding tension after a tough day to pointing out when a detail was missed, there are countless opportunities to increase our attention and awareness.
- Acknowledgement: Thanking someone for the ways that they supported the team or project demonstrates attentive watching and listening. Try going beyond “thanks for your help” and getting specific about the positive impact of someone’s work.
- Accountability: Every leader needs to learn how to make an honest appraisal of their impact on their team, their organization, and their network/partnerships. This helps us recognize how we’ve grown, celebrate our accomplishments, and confront challenges more readily.
When It Comes to Tech, Mindset Matters
A note about technology as we begin our series on mindful leadership. We live and work in an increasingly digital world. It’s tempting to lean on AI automation to lighten the load for us and our teams in the name of mindfulness
“I’m automating this so I can be more present.”
“We’re using AI to get this done faster so we have more bandwidth.”
Instead of diving in, use mindful leadership to decide how or if you engage with AI and automation. Consider the environmental and social costs, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
- Is trimming some time off this project worth the high energy costs of dozens of AI prompts?
- Am I missing the chance to collaborate with a teammate by asking this tool to generate ideas?
- How can we automate only what’s necessary to avoid burnout and let our team’s unique strengths shine?
Moving Forward: Practice Makes Present
“Practice” is a fitting name for the steps we take to cultivate mindful leadership. It’s an ongoing effort, but every small step makes a difference. When making efforts to lead mindfully, perfection isn’t the goal. Ongoing learning and effort to build these critical skills is never wasted. We’re seeing tremendous progress, and we’re eager to share what we learn.
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We just kicked off Lead the Moment, a mindful leadership dispatch from Willow North Growth Partners.
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