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1.3 | How do these practices inform or influence your leadership?
Below, you will see the Session #1 reflection questions. Please answer these questions at the bottom of the screen.
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60 Replies
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These practices brought me more awareness and less rigidity. I had lighter interactions with others more often and could disengage from reacting to irritation on meetings.
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I have to practice more listening more patiently and inviting others to think of solutions for themselves, or as a group. I have a strong tendency to suggest suggestions quickly and this could often be done by the very people involved in their challenges.
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3-) In LEADERSHIP, I started feeling more grateful for the presence of my work partners, for their contributions and ideas. I can welcome them more each time. Even I often see them only on zoom, I began to treasure those moments and pay closer attention to what each of them have to say. The, I care more and can engage in the conversation.
When I remind myself that I’m listening and that’s all that I need to do, I find more peace to let myself rest in the present moment. There is nothing to prepare for or be protected from. No place to go, but simply to stay and contemplate.
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I cannot say to what extent how I feel at present is related to or dependent on the course and these practices, but I do overall feel more content than I have been in a long time with my work environment. My approach to leadership and people has not changed much, and my post-meetings and end of day/week reflections are not significantly different in structure, content and outcome. Most of what I do is very similar to what we are learning, although not as clearly formalized and it often manifests more intuitively than intentionally. But I do feel more at ease with the daily work grind, eventual shortcomings, challenges and interpersonal relationships, almost as if this is how things are – acceptance. All I can reasonably act on are my mind, speech and body – practice of mindfulness.
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There are good weeks and there are bad weeks. The weeks that are good are the ones where I am dedicated to my practice. The weeks that are bad are the ones where I am too busy to get that routine in. I am more self aware as a result of these practices – noticing when anxiety and overwhelm start to creep in. RAIN is helpful. I’ll try the listening again this week. I find it to be very hard over zoom to be focussed and present – especially on the 5th zoom call of the day.
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I feel sensations of tension when I’m not being aware of the body and sensations of irritability when self-care is lacking. This tells me that I’m not my better self without these practices. Being my better self allows me to investigate and notice when others might not be their best self. Experiencing the difference (lacking self-care and being in self-care), I can have empathy and bring compassion to my relationships.
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The realities I’ve been able to confront through these practices have enabled me to make some significant changes to how I relate to the present moment. My increased sleep has generally brought greater presence and awareness in my daily waking life. And my body practice has helped me better tap into my emotions as they arise, especially the emotions that could have become more reactive if I hadn’t been attuned to them in the moment.
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At this point, I’m becoming more aware of my reactivity and tension (unfortunately, a little later than I’d like). In my professional role, I often feel pressure to have the answer on the spot or make quick decisions. My hope is that with practice I’ll be able to tune into the moments proceeding my reaction with clarity and in the meantime, I’m testing out taking more time for myself. Challenging the notion (seemingly self-created) that I’m in fight or flight situations, and so far there hasn’t been any harm or disaster in pausing before responding.
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This helps me especially in listening to others in a more mindful way
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Being mindful of listening and speaking helps me to separate my agenda / the inner dialogue in my head from what the other person is genuinely saying. I’m able to better listen vs. just react to the problem or challenge that they are bringing up. It can help me be more present, show others that I’m present and clue me in to deeper emotions or issues that may be taking place.
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After our first session, I introduced 5 mindful minutes at the beginning of our weekly senior leadership meetings. I lead the team through a short meditation, where I ask them to just be aware how they are showing up today, to breath and notice.
I’ve noticed a far different energy in the meetings after such pauses. A collectively calmer, deeper and more open conversation ensues. We finish on time, we review the meeting and go our way. But what I had forgotten was to think of why we come together. And it was helpful to be mindful at the beginning of each session and remind the team:We only come together once a week, so let’s be present now together and lead with courage and compassion.
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In general, I find myself more grounded and equanimous in the context of challenges I face as a leader. Compassion and forgiveness play a big role in how I approach my work.
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I am more aware than ever before how emotionally taxing my job is. My role requires an enormous amount of emotional intelligence as well as tactical skills. I realize how exhausted I am and how much more compassion and care for myself I need to prioritize, because no one else will prioritize these on my behalf.
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The Monday after our retreat I had a frank discussion with our CEO (to whom I report) that I was feeling frustrated and not very productive. I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be, and my leaving the role was certainly a possibility. I wasn’t as mindful in the moment as I would have liked, but I might not have even gotten there if I hadn’t been more aware of the negative energy I was feeling as I talked about my work with friends. As a result of the talk, we shuffled my responsibilities–I’m much less frustrated, and the CEO affirmed that I’d had more valuable ideas for the company in the past two weeks than practically any other time in the 18 months that I’ve worked here.
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I’ve been focused on being conscious of my breath (as a way to check in with my body, any tension/stress) and to bring myself calm in higher stress moments. This has allowed me to show up with a greater presence with others—asking more questions and digging deeper (vs. giving advice) and managing conversations that might otherwise be challenging or conflicted.
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