29 October 2014

The 5 capabilities of mindful leaders. Building resilience and an open mind


Developing mindfulness as manager is a learning process. Learning ensures that an experience, a moment consciously lived in the here and now, can influence your future behavior. With mindfulness, you build resilience.  That offers you the possibility of consciously choosing between action and reflection. And so you learn to approach the future with an open mind.

These are the five capabilities a mindful leader builds by practicing mindfulness:

  1. Greater attentiveness, because you learn to play with your attention and know where it is and learn to consciously bring back your attention in the moment.
  2. Greater resilience, you are better equipped against the pressure of work and the turmoil around you. You learn to better determine the limits of your own availability and the balance between work and private life.
  3. Greater emotional intelligence, because you learn to use not only the mental signals but all other signals of the sensory experience.
  4. Great clarity of mind, because you are less easily dragged along by thoughts, emotions and feelings. You can then choose for  a conscious response and no longer allow yourself to be swept along in an automatic reaction.
  5. Greater ability to switch between action and reflection, with which you can better steer your team and your organization.

When do you start practicing?