Star leaders are being mindful today, are you?

The length and breadth of life is this moment.

The best people in this world, the greatest leaders of every century - people who have been the very epitome of Star leadership - they’ve all had one thing in common. They understood that the time now - the present - was all they had. And so, their happiness too belonged in the now.

Mark Bertollini , the then CEO of Aetna brought himself out of a spinal cord injury using yoga and mindfulness, with continuous disciplined practice till he no longer needed doctors and medication. He brought his insight from meditation and self-care into the company. He understood that employees were dissatisfied, unhappy and morale was going down. As a result, he invested 75 million dollars in reimbursing student loans, increasing the minimum wage, and healthcare programs. Soon, the market value of Aetna’s shares went up from 30 dollars a share to 1531!

Mindfulness is a practice derived from Hindu and Buddhist philosophy which helps you pay attention to the present, from moment to moment, and take conscious control over your actions and thoughts. The opposite of being mindful is mindless, the blank feeling you get when you are doing something automatically without much thought. Mindfulness is you executing your own will and control over each moment as it comes by. Researchers are gathering more and more data on how it permanently changes your brain , increases your personal well-being, and makes you more adept in situations that require focus and appreciation of the larger context.?

So, let’s see how Mindfulness might just have the answer to happiness at the workplace:

• Mindfulness? Busts Stress: We know how stress kills performance. And what kills stress? Mindfulness. You might find yourself in a constant fight-or-flight mode at work; but, as soon as you become more cognizant of your present, you step out of it. The moment you’re mindful, you realize that not every situation is a ‘what-if situation’, nor does every circumstance require you to make a huge decision. Mindfulness is the way to know what’s important in the now, and how to best tackle it instead of stressing over it. The core of anxious thoughts and nervousness comes from the feeling of lack of control over what is going to happen. Mindfulness lets you calmly be aware of all the different factors, and accept that you can’t control everything but gives you the relaxation to take small steps in the now.
• Mindfulness Fuels You: The opposite of self-care is essentially neglect. We neglect or ignore our own requirements, whether it’s a proper diet, need for love and affection from close ones, or giving ourselves reassurance. Mindfulness helps you to focus on the present moment, understand what you need and be aware of yourself. By being in touch with how they feel and what they truly want, mindful leaders can detach from the idea of a million things to do and concentrate on being fully functional overall. When we mindlessly keep doing the same thing without exerting conscious thought, we miss out on details, make errors in our work, feel burnt out, and lose energy and motivation. With Mindfulness, you can engage in complete relaxation when needed and be focused on your work when needed, instead of half-assing both.??
• Mindfulness Sustains Performance: Have you ever felt like there are days when anything is possible, you feel completely confident and elated, you shine in your work and think you got it figured out? But some days are the exact opposite, you feel slowed down in your head and body and you can read the same sentence for the millionth time but it doesn’t seem to make sense. Mindfulness-based relaxation is a way for you to tune your performance day in and out, making sure you can observe and regulate yourself according to your changing days. The trick is not to just think you can force yourself to do more work, but rather give yourself time to breathe, understand that every day is different and change your strategy according to your own changing self.?

Impact on Leadership?

Mindfulness-based programs have been offered to employees in Fortune 500 companies such as Nike, Google, Apple, and even more old-fashioned companies such as Goldman Sachs. According to the Fidelity Investments and National Business Group survey in 2016, 22% of employers provided some kind of mindfulness-based training program. These programs are consistently being associated with a decrease in absenteeism, slowing down burnout stress, and refreshing morale and productivity.?

When you pay close attention to the sensations and experiences passing by, your brain activates areas such as the insular cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These will increase your awareness of where you are situated, how your body and mind feel internally and give you mental control over these processes. Using this control and awareness, you can then objectively evaluate your situation, accept the obstacles comfortably, and be motivated to take up challenges.

Do you want to keep pursuing satisfaction without being able to focus on it and enjoy it?

Star Mindset

By being aware of what is bringing you down or up, you can remove obstacles, double down on strengths and make sure that you remain consistent in your performance overall. A star leader can be characterized as having a cool, natural control over what they think about and how they think about it. They essentially know what can be controlled and what parts have risk and uncertainty, and it is human to get anxious about such risks and uncertainties. Star leaders accept their own feelings about it and accept that their worry is unproductive, but their present action and focus can make a difference. They avoid spiraling out and can direct their own train of thought to relax, realign and go forward with determination.?

Do you want to calm down and take the right decisions without needless anxieties??

Few Immediately Applicable Action Steps

1. Schedule mini-breaks between two meetings to be fully emotionally present
2. Before entering a meeting or while giving a presentation take 2 minutes for breathing in deeply, hold your breath, and then release it slowly. While doing this mindful breathing, pay close attention to how you feel the breath in different parts of your body (nose, throat, etc).?
3. During your next meeting, feel the room by noticing what energy people are giving and how that energy is affecting you.
4. When you feel your environment getting too overwhelming and you want to calm yourself down, redirect the attention from outwards to inwards, and check up with how you feel, your sense of comfort, and what can help you feel more relaxed.?

Summary: A team cannot do much with a leader who only focuses on obstacles and works hard to remove them. Your team needs you to be relaxed, looking forward calmly, and be a genuine source of comfort. This doesn’t mean dismissing important deadlines or pressure, but being aware of it and putting the best foot forward in the present. #BeTheStar

Author: Smita Nagpal is the Global Talent & Human Resources Director - GAMMA at Boston Consulting Group. She believes there is a strong relationship between mindfulness and leadership. She has gone through the journey from being reactive to consciously taking a pause, paying attention to the present, clearing her mind of distractions, and simply focusing on ‘being’.? A self-exploratory journey of being a mindful leader has helped her grow in her career, build sustainable and strong team culture, and most importantly - stay happy in the moment!?

Disclaimer - The views expressed in this article are Smita’s alone and do not reflect the views of her employer.

Coach Vikram Co-Author: CoachVikram is an Executive Presence Coach who supports CXOs and senior leaders to make an impact, influence, and lead with ease. If your goal is to level up your leadership with mindfulness, Vikram is the expert you’ve been looking for. Connect with him if you want to start cultivating a mindful presence and allow more joy in your working life.?

References

1-Dube, R. (2013, July). 3 Examples of Mindful Leaders That Will Inspire You. ; Thrive Global. https://medium.com/thrive-global/3-examples-of-mindful-leaders-that-will-inspire-you-dce3b960bc23

2- H?lzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006

3- King, A. P. (2019). Mindfulness-Based Workplace Interventions for Wellness Promotion. Integrating Psychiatry and Primary Care, 191–208. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04266-0_13?

4- Sevinc, G., H?lzel, B. K., Hashmi, J., Greenberg, J., McCallister, A., Treadway, M., Schneider, M. L., Dusek, J. A., Carmody, J., & Lazar, S. W. (2018). Common and Dissociable Neural Activity After Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Relaxation Response Programs. Psychosomatic Medicine, 80(5), 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0000000000000590