Mindfulness and leadership: powerful allies

The current pace of life marked by the digital age often makes us feel that we fall in a kind of endless spiral. This is one of the reasons why we end up going about our day to day with our bodies awake, but with our consciousness asleep.

The same thing happens with leadership, because in this environment shaken by changes and increasingly challenging situations, chaos seems to rule the roost and not want to let go.

Then… How to find that balance so necessary to carry out effective leadership? The answer lies in mindfulness.

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Let's demystify mindfulness

Let's start by clarifying that mindfulness has nothing to do with lighting scented candles, playing relaxing music, closing your eyes and imagining a heavenly setting for a few minutes. The word mindfulness is interpreted as "full attention" and has to do with the ability to be consciously connected to the present moment to carefully observe everything that happens around from the perspective of serenity and acceptance.

Likewise, the practice of mindfulness is not reserved only for a select group of people, it is not conditioned by factors such as age, gender, profession or occupation, nor does it depend on the acquisition of extraordinary abilities or certifications academic. This means that anyone can do it whenever they want, as long as you keep in mind what you need to achieve it.

The results that “mindfulness” brings are as visible as they are transformative; That is why this tool has become part of the organizational culture of companies of all kinds and has become the key to success for leaders and entrepreneurs.

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How has the digital age influenced leadership?

It is not unreasonable to say that being connected most of the day has become so necessary that it even seems to be an almost natural action of the human being. This happens because in a certain way we have been pushed towards a new horizon full of situations that - whether we like it or not - make us dependent on technology and the conveniences it provides.

But ironically, this same atmosphere of progress and sophistication has given a bittersweet touch to the field of emotions, as factors such as stress and anxiety have been gaining more and more prominence, which makes people adopt an unbalanced and unhealthy dynamic.

Lack of attention, focus and calm is a common problem for many leaders and although it is not a new issue, today's fast pace day has turned it into a great challenge that is imperative to overcome if you want to successfully exercise the leadership.

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Benefits of mindfulness for leadership and professionals

Many wonder what is the secret to being a transformative leader. And although the task of leading certainly requires a series of characteristics, skills and tools, the ability to recognize the present moment and maintaining the connection with what is happening “here and now” facilitates the decision-making process and avoids distractions.

This is achieved through mindfulness, and below you will discover some benefits that its practice generates for leadership professionals:

• Helps improve responsiveness.
• Improves concentration.
• It allows to maintain a balance between what is thought and what is done.
• Provides greater clarity for the definition of routes and action plans.
• Promotes more effective communication.
• It allows generating more and better ideas.
• It makes the leader identify weaknesses based on the present moment.
• Helps keep calm in times of high pressure.

How to find calm and focus with mindfulness?

Mindfulness is not a matter of carrying out a few practical sessions, but of adapt it progressively until it becomes a lifestyle. And to find calm and focus through this powerful tool, it is necessary to develop a level of concentration that allows you to keep your attention on what really matters.

In practice, there is a key aspect that helps to find calm and focus: it is about conscious breathing. By paying attention to the movements and by feeling the movement of air in and out, you begin to create a strong connection with your body, your mind and your emotions, absorbing the positive and letting go of the negative.

The fact of observing and feeling the natural process of your own body from a conscious and neutral position will make you find the necessary calm and focus to discard erroneous patterns, broaden your vision and face any situation, especially those where the course of things depends on a crucial decision.

Keep in mind that mindfulness requires constant practice and that the results will be greater to the extent that you make it part of your daily life.

To help you, I put at your disposal the paper version, free during the pre-launch, of my new book Mindfulness for Leaders in the digital age. Get in touch with me.