Three mindful strategies of revered leaders

Three mindful strategies of revered leadersThree mindful strategies of revered leadersYouve seen The Mindful Revolution on the cover of Time. Youve heard about the studies. People in yur office talk about meditation and Yoga. What does all this have to do with work? Everything.close dialog Advertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from transform ro tate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012257 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012257 bx-creative-1012257 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was leid necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparentborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-AFvXBOB padding 10pxschirm blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)What would your productivity look like if you could complete your next project in 70% less time? That is the percentage of employees in the U.S. who are not engaged in their work according to Gallup. Odds are that some of the 70% work for you.While corporate training is a $70 billion industry in the U.S., mindfulness programs are flourishing organically from the inside. Stress prompted Janice Marturano, former deputy general counsel at General Mills, to create a mindfulness program at the company. It was so popular that she left to start her own institute. There are 500 employees on the waiting list at Google for the class Search Inside Yourself originated by Chade-Meng Tan, a Google engineer who now teaches mindfulness full time.Practice mindfulnessMindfulness is accepting what is without judgment. What does that mean? It is a particular way of paying attention to what is going on in your head and around you from a third-party perspective without getting carried away by it. It keeps you from judging, reliving the past or anxiously fast forwarding to the future.The brain is just like a muscle. It grows with practice. We build mindfulness with mindful daily practices such as a mindful walk where we dont replay a prior conversation in our head, but notice the flowers, sky, and environment of the surroundings. Other practices include meditation, crafts, physical activity, slowly appreciating a cup of your favorite tea or any other activity where your mind is still and you are present in the moment.Mindful leadership is setting the stage to accept the present while inspiring strategy for a meaningful. vision. Mindful leaders create no-blame environments, inclusive work places, and thriving cultures that makes a difference. They dont perseverate on the current bad results hoping for a miracle. They learn from them and rebuild early before all is lost.Great leaders manage themselves as much as they manage others. Their self-regulation stops them from pre-judging, closing off to innovation, being reactive. It opens them to making sound real-time decisions. They show compassion. They notice when someone is posturing instead of feeling threatened. They resolve conflict with deep listening so they may collaboratively seek common ground. They remove their ego from the conversation. They risk being seen authentically without the doubt of failure. And they dont make fear based decisions disguised as practicality.Be you-smart first Whats in the way?Self-awareness is key to mindful leadership. Assessments such as 360 Evaluations, DISC and MBTI are a good place to start. But that is just the beginning. Self-regulating in the moment builds with the abili ty to non-judgmentally notice your thoughts and behaviors before the ego interjects. This starts simply with noticing the pattern of your breathing without allowing your mind to stray basic yet challenging for the multitasking mind.Notice what makes you anxious and accept how that clouds your decisions. I notice I am being defensive and am not judging myself. I am a good listener. If you cant name and sit with what haunts you how can you help others face what holds them back? May I be gentle with myself in this moment. You can build your self-awareness with this free eBook Be the New SMART Leader.Deep listenWe listen in three ways 1) to insert our opinion once the other person takes a breath, 2) to formulate a solution before the other person can even finish talking, or 3) for the sake of understanding. The latter is deep listening. Leaders build on this by making the other person feel heard. What I hear you saying is that you doubt whether or not we can succeed and that scares you . Next time you are in conflict with someone, deep listen until they stop talking. Dont interrupt. (Thats where mindfulness pays off.) Ask them to tell you more. Then validate back what you heard and what was inferred. I bet thats frustrating. Trust evolves and collaboration builds.Mindfulness is a skill for all aspects of life. Mindful leadership is not about what you do but who you are no matter where you are seated at the table. When you show your team you care about them as much as the project, watch what happens to productivity.MaryLeeGannon, ACC, CAEis an executive coach and corporate CEO who helps busy leaders get off the treadmill to nowhere to be more effective, earn more, bemore calm and enjoyconnected relationships with the people who matter while it still matters.Watch her FREE Master Class training on Three Things to Transform Your Life and Career Right Now atwww.MaryLeeGannon.com.