How to remain a mindful leader in conflictual times
We are living in difficult times. The virus is still present with variants in our environment and there are a lot of debates around the vaccine, its effects and benefits but also between people who are already vaccinated and in favour of it, and others who do not want to, with sometimes a lot of violence in the communication.
On the business front, companies must define new ways of working and in particular find the right balance between being present in the office and working from home with all the consequences attached to that.
For many people, the period has been very difficult with sometimes a combination of stressful factors both in the professional and private life.
Despite that, companies still need to move forward, find the right equilibrium between achieving long-term goals and short-term financial metrics.
More than ever, leaders have a key role to play to give perspective, keep employees engaged and motivated whereas being very aware of the difficult times they sometimes have to face to define the right level of challenge.
Of course, Mindfulness can help a lot even though I am aware that remaining a mindful leader under those circumstances may be easier said than done.
As you take on greater leadership responsibilities, the key is to stay grounded and authentic, face new challenges with humility, and balance professional success with more important but less easily quantified measures of personal success. That is much easier said than done.
To keep the momentum and strengthen your practice, use every couple of minutes available during the day to focus on your breathing and check your feelings and emotions. As you know, your behaviour and state of mind have an incredible impact on the people around you in a sense or another.
Be self-compassionate.
Do not be too harsh on yourself and tell yourself that you are doing the best you can to make things moving forward in the right direction. Acknowledge when you go through difficult situations and know that it happens to a lot of people and that you are not the only one feeling or living that. But at the same time set boundaries when needed to protect yourself from too much negative energy.
Manage your energy.
Try always to quickly identify the things you have no control over and accept them even if it is difficult, to concentrate and focus your energy on areas which you can influence.
Practice and encourage authentic communication.
Share what you think and feel in a respectful way and encourage people around you to do the same. When given with the intention to help others, feedback is really a gift to enable people to be on the right path and grow. But make it clear that even under stress being aggressive does not lead anywhere.
Remember that your Monkey Mind can be highly active under stress and mislead you.
In those periods do not hesitate to question your thoughts and look for evidence. If you cannot find it, try to open your mind and think about other possible options that might be closer to what is really happening.
