The Mindful Heart - Leading ourselves and others mindfully

“Mindfulness lets us absorb the richness of the moment instead of going through life with half of our attention on the past or future or our own mental chatter.” Wisdom Commons

As leaders, we are accountable for creating environments in which our teams are nurtured and energized. Our culture innovates and flourish, and our communities are respected and guided.

When we think about mindful leadership, we think about leaders that are present and aware of their communication with others. Mindfulness is a courageous undertaking because it is trusting that we have it in us to hold and accept the feelings of others, to grant them hospitality by becoming aware how these feelings serve the people around us.

We become mindful when we discover the strength within us that endures leadership through the discovery of other people's human potential.

The word mindfulness is from a translation of Sanskirt words meaning “Attend” and “Stay.” Thus mindful leaders pay attention and stay with someone through insightful dialogue in the present. Leaders have to accept by letting go of their authority as the first step to give away control and allow freedom to let others discover who they are.

Mindfulness requires a healthy ego - surrendering our assumptions and opinions of the people we lead and being completely attuned to their feelings and emotions.

Mindfulness leadership is required for your growth as a leader and a person who wants to leave the world a better place.

As leaders, how to do we engage better with others through a mindful heart?

Our purpose is to inspire people to reflect deeply and think together about who we are, what we are about, and what we want to be.

• What I heard you say that I appreciated is…. A great way to allow others inside the leadership circle because we want to recognize their strengths. We take the time to spot their abilities and gift. We communicate and appreciate  their contributions as the highlight of the day.
• What I heard that challenged my thinking is….As mindful leaders, we must stay open when we are positively challenged by other people thoughts and perspectives. We welcome all feedback as part of our leadership and on-going self-discovery.
• To better understand your perspective, I’d like to ask you…Mindful leaders make every effort to listen and understand  people by asking questions to clarify and make a meaningful connection.
• Where do we need more clarity? Mindful leaders seek clarity and work toward simplicity as our world becomes more and more complex and challenging. We need to reach the clarity together when everyone is clear on the path to leadership.
• What has been your learning insight so far? What have you learned as a mindful leader? What were your take aways from discussion and leadership conversations?
• What have you heard that had real meaning for you? Finally, what conversation or discussion made the most impact to you when you practiced mindful leadership today with the people around you?

“I have found my greatest moments of joy and peace just sitting in silence, and then I take that joy and peace with me out into the world.” Holly Mosier