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1.3 | How do these practices inform or influence your leadership?
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I have not had an opportunity to practice mindful listening and speaking with my work group since the beginning of this experience. I will pay attention to our next zoom meeting this coming week.
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These practices help me withdraw from a narrow minded-cannot approach to these are the variables I cannot change, everyone is stuck, but now how can I find the solution to the real issue.
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While I am separated from my team currently, I have had few opportunities to bring these practices to any immediate leadership contexts. In terms of how these practices can influence my leadership, I am mostly thinking in the future tense.
After observing my own dynamics with confidence-humility / stillness-sparkliness / precision-flexibility, what I most look forward to exploring with my team and colleagues is how mindful “stillness” can create greater space for shared reflection and mindful listening.
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I have been reminded that everyone I work with is also struggling with their own life, and own body. I have tried to give more and more attention to my body while talking with (and e-mailing) others. When I do this, it is helpful.
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They are helping me to open my heart to others.
I know how to design, to build, to get it done.
I have been challenged in letting my heart come into the work sphere. I didn’t think I could do it without compromising my process parameters.
And here I can see the glimpse, that the heart is the only way to lead. -
These practices allow a special place for the mind to connect with others. The influence is, to get out of the way, or to get out of myself and allow more space for the principles.
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I tend to carry a contagion of stress and my mind often has trouble transitioning after work. By refocusing on my body and noticing, it has been easier to be present after work in my private life, or when switching from a high stress work situation to a low stress (but equally important) interpersonal situation at work.
Thoughts seem to move at 100 miles an hour, and my work-mind has so many projects and a forever growing list of “to dos.” And they seem to be stuck on auto repeat. Luckily, in the sitting practice they run out of fuel after a while.
I have been able to slow down and realize my limitation in energy and time, to decide on one task, and to also focus on keeping my other commitments (without so much guilt). This body-mind can do a lot, but only so much!
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I am less reactive and less likely to feel negatively about people and events.
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Having recently resigned from a leadership position because of a toxic boss, I am working to appreciate how leadership isn’t just a formal position or something visible, but rather a way of being in the world, emerging from any interaction/relationship. Human-to-human, cultures and environments, all interconnected. These were qualities that I tried to bring to my recent position, listening to facilitate spaces for others to share and grow into co-leadership, which helped others but hurt me, so I stayed until resigning was the only agency that I had left. The mindful practices/homework illuminated that resignation from a position doesn’t halt those leadership qualities (and may even keep them alive and strong). In my current state of uncertainty, I am appreciating that leadership may arise in any moment that facilitates spaces of care. I am curious about compassionate invisible leadership in non-hierarchical positions (especially since pitfalls occur with invisible labor, equity, etc. — since some leaders won’t listen to people in non-leadership positions) and about strategies to integrate mindfulness into organizational structures if there’s resistance from the top to equitable reorganization through diverse knowledges/methods.
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These practices have helped me be calmer, more present and engaged, and bring greater clarity to conversations. I’ve been able to more easily let go of things that may have otherwise left me anxious. I want to play more with confidence/humility, precision/flexibility, stillness/sparkle. I feel like this and mindfulness of listening and speaking are areas for me to keep working on. I also have recognized that I need to get better at asking for help.
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Staying in my body helps me practice my patience. Patience for things to unfold as they will.
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I’ve been thinking a great deal about humility, as I’m concerned that I often lead from an egoic stance. This sense of humility is served by entering spaces with “Beginner’s Mind”.
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My interpretation of “leading” others is simply to inspire others to be their best. The way I see mindfulness and the work we’re doing as helping inspire others is that it’s about giving space for others to lead themselves (as opposed to me leading them). To me, the mindfulness here is about doing less directing, more listening and more attunement to where others are at. I believe it’s more about inquiry and clarification for others about what’s motivating and inspiring to them, and then encouragement to go after that. I’m taking liberties here in how it all connects, but that’s how I’m seeing it right now.
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They directly inform my leadership style – how do I create and contain space for all folks that I work with to be able to notice their own experiences, to be in the spirit of self care, to be their most authentic selves at work. That requires an ongoing flexibility and nimbleness that we disallow if we treat each other like machines. We are not machines – we are living breathing holy beings that are deserving of love and respect in all parts of our life. I try to lead with these more pragmatic values like respect, autonomy, compassion —
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They directly inform my leadership style – how do I create and contain space for all folks that I work with to be able to notice their own experiences, to be in the spirit of self care, to be their most authentic selves at work. That requires an ongoing flexibility and nimbleness that we disallow if we treat each other like machines. We are not machines – we are living breathing holy beings that are deserving of love and respect in all parts of our life. I try to lead with these more pragmatic values like respect, autonomy, compassion —
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