Mindfulness: leadership at a new level

Stress and work

According to a study by the ILO (International Labor Organization), work-related stress could result in losses of between 0.5% and 3.5% of a country's GDP. Today it is not enough to be a great communicator, have drive, knowledge, credibility and know how to motivate people.

We now need leaders who know how to manage stress with a new level of awareness in order to transform organizations and adapt them to a changing and increasingly competitive environment.

 This new level of leadership requires competencies that are much more focused on the human touch and an integral vision of the people with whom they work.

Today we need leaders who can reach their focus on the present but with a strategic vision managed with creativity and adaptability. Leaders who know how to recognize their emotions and use them intelligently, especially in stressful situations. The best organizations are developing leaders who are aware of the impact of their actions on people and their environment in general.

That is why in recent years a new level of leadership has emerged through the practice of "Mindfulness". It is known as "Mindful Leadership" or mindfulness leadership.

What´s mindfulness?

Mindfulness consists of paying attention, moment by moment, to our thoughts, emotions, sensations and what our senses capture, avoiding making judgments about them.

Mindfulness requires practice to develop this level of awareness, but the benefits are impressive as it significantly reduces the level of stress and acquires a much better approach to decision making. By also working on discovering patterns of thought and action in ourselves, we reach a much deeper understanding of the reality we face and help us generate new alternative solutions.

If we truly want to be leaders who transform organizations, we have to work on our own competencies focused on reaching better concentration, better understanding, emotional management and systemic awareness. Mindful leadership is a leadership style that will make a 180-degree turn in the way we live in organizations. If we want to get skilled, creative, focused and highly committed staff, we must also be able to offer them leadership that meets their expectations, and that means being a mindful leader.

To start practicing mindfulness you only need to dedicate 10 minutes a day in which you only need to allow yourself to live in the present moment, letting the thoughts that appear pass. A very simple exercise to start is to concentrate on observing your own breathing without trying to control or relax it, just observe it. Naturally thoughts will come to our mind and as we practice, we will reach to learn to let them pass without getting "hooked" with them. In this way we reach a much more objective view of life that will result in benefits in our interpersonal relationships and problem solving.

Mindfulness is a training for the mind in which you will get great ability to concentrate. In these times in which we are surrounded by stimulations, it is difficult to do so and for the same reason we have learned to desensitize ourselves to our environment and the people around us. This has had a tremendous impact on the motivation and commitment of staff in organizations. Get your leadership skills back on another level through the practice of mindfulness.