Why The World’s Best Leaders Practice Mindfulness

This article outlines the research on why the world's best leaders practice mindfulness and the beneficial effects, separating fact from fiction. For leaders who choose mindfulness, the NeuraWorks 60-minute mindfulness workshop offers guidance on meditating and incorporating mindfulness into everyday life with various alternative practices. It delves deeper into mindful leadership, leadership styles attributed to mindfulness, and how mindfulness benefits leaders.

Many leaders are integrating mindfulness into their daily routines and reaping the benefits. As Ray Dalio, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Bridgewater Associates, puts it: "Meditation, more than anything in my life, was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I've had." Yet the question remains: What are the benefits of mindfulness for leaders?

This question comes as leading academics, researchers, and practitioners are calling out health apps, especially in mental health, that make claims unsupported by research and fail to disclose the efficacy of interventions, including adverse outcomes.?

When I was working on a trading floor, the CEO, renowned for being ahead of his time, once asked me how mindfulness reduced stress. I did not know how mindfulness worked or how it impacted leaders back then.?After years of research, I can confidently write this today, having reviewed 500+ research articles spanning a decade on the efficacy of mindfulness on leaders compared with no intervention. The summarised insights are from a critical review I authored from 19 studies.

The most robust research comes from the individual effects of mindfulness on leaders' well-being. Mindful leaders have increased cognition and reduced stress.

Regarding personal development, evidence to substantiate a strong correlation between mindfulness and emotional intelligence exists, but it is relatively weak. These findings are similar to psychological capital, synthesising efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism. At the risk of sounding controversial, I strongly caution against having confidence in these constructs until the research becomes definitive.

There is evidence to support mindfulness affecting leaders' performance and managing organisational change in terms of the collective effects that mindful leaders have on employees and the wider organisation, but the findings are varied.

Mindful leaders also develop transformed leadership styles. Here, we will focus exclusively on servant leadership (SL), which is a leader who places the needs of employees ahead of their own in the organisation's interest. Research has found that mindful leaders have greater reciprocity with employees, termed leader-member exchange (LMX). A study on the underlying principles of SL found that mindful leaders were better communicators. Communication as a single variable may determine why mindfulness leads to effective leadership in a collective capacity.

However, mindfulness is not a panacea. For some leaders who think mindfulness is just woo-woo, dreamed up by Silicon Valley CEOs at Burning Man, I get that.

Approximately 10% of people can not engage in mindfulness. This number will likely increase as mindfulness expands, particularly in work settings. Some can not, others do not want to, and there are ethical principles to consider, including cultural and religious differences. There is a risk of psychological harm to those experiencing trauma, some underlying health disorders or usage of psychoactive drugs. Overuse can result in emotional blunting. In these circumstances, there is an array of alternative practices.

NeuraWorks 60-minute mindfulness workshop offers personalised classes and practices that factor in the individual leader and work setting. The workshop provides an evidence-based approach through neuroimaging and research, with guidance on meditating and incorporating mindfulness into everyday life with various alternative practices. It delves deeper into mindful leadership, leadership styles attributed to mindfulness, and how mindfulness benefits leaders. Book a discovery call today at [email protected] or visit NeuraWorks to learn more.

By?India Staunton , Founder & CEO of?NeuraWorks . India is a neuroscientist with dual experience changing corporate wellness from within, having worked for 10+ years in global investment banking and holds an MSc in Psychology & Neuroscience and a BSc in International Management.

Today, I am sharing the research, insights and findings on why the world's best leaders practice mindfulness and its beneficial effects. You can check it out here.