Mindful Leadership

Sharon Sherman and Juleen BuserRider UniversityMindfulness and Education Symposium, February 2017

Novel View of Leadership

The strategies of leadership and the qualities of an effective leader: Leadership as an “art and a science” (Pipe & Bortz, 2009, p. 35)

Viewing leadership from a different perspective: “Excellent leadership has at its core a focus on

healing, nurturing, and bringing about optimal states of healing for individuals and organizations.”

(Pipe & Bortz, 2009, p. 35)

Self-Reflective Leadership

Knowing oneself important in effective leadership Triggers Places of personal fulfillment Core values

Align leadership activities with core values Cognizance of stress/burnout

Strategies: Journaling Coaching/Counseling Values Exercises

(Ehrlich, 2015; Forsyth & Eifert, 2007; George, 2017; Pipe & Bortz, 2009; Wilson & Groom, 2002 )

Leadership and Self-Care Managing stress important in effective leadership

Power Stress: “the unique brand of stress that is a basic part of being a leader . . .”

(Boyatzis & McKee, 2005, p.7)

Complicated problems Solitary nature of leadership

Sacrifice Syndrome “Slippery slope. . . starts when we are doing the right things” (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005, p. 51)

Job top priority consistently

(Boyatzis & McKee, 2005 ; Pipe & Bortz, 2009; Wells, 2015)

Strategies for Self Care

Mindfulness practices Reductions in anxiety, stress, depression Meditations specific to self-care issues Increase in tolerating negativity

Sources of refilling separate from leadership roles

Boundaries between work and home

Seeking support to mitigate loneliness(Ehrlich, 2015; Boyatzis & McKee, 2013; Hunter & Chaskalson, 2013; Pipe & Bortz, 2009; Wells, 2015)

Empathic Leadership

Empathic and compassionate leadership “Mindfulness enables leaders to be fully present, aware of

themselves and their impact on other people, and sensitive to their reactions to stressful situations.”

(George, 2017: http://www.billgeorge.org/page/mindful-leadership- compassion-contemplation-and-meditation-develop-effective-leaders)

Beneficial relationships with colleagues Team atmosphere Improved personal reactions to conflicts

(Ehrlich, 2015; Gates & Gilbert, 2016; George, 2017; Hunter & Chaskalson, 2013; Pipe & Bortz, 2009; Wells, 2015)

Creative Leadership

Creative leadership “Cultivating uncertainty” as leadership principle(Raney, 2014, p. 317)

Open to change Fears and anxieties about future do not inhibit shifts

Stress management, self-awareness, mindful presence facilitative of creativity

(Gates & Gilbert, 2016; Hunter & Chaskalson, 2013; Raney, 2014)

Example

At a middle school, classes were held for teachers and school leaders for addressing: stress at work, reducing pain, improving attention and quality of communication,

and increasing clarity and depth of thinking.

They were taught to notice and tune into their own thoughts and feelings.

Noticing

“The next time you are in an interaction with a parent, colleague or student—consider asking one or more of the following questions.

What do you think/feel? What do you notice? What does situation remind you of? What about this situation/issue matters to you? How can I support you?”

(Wilensky, 2016: http://passageworks.org/mindful-leadership-for-educators/)

Tuning into your own self

“The next time you are in an interaction with a parent, colleague or student—consider tuning into the following in your own self:

What bodily sensations am I feeling as I relate to this person? What’s happening with my breath? Am I present or distracted? Am I meeting this person with a fresh perspective and willingness to learn or

with pre-conceptions about who they are or what they are saying? Am I being my authentic self with this person? What biases, world views, filters, perspectives might I be bringing to this

situation?”

(Wilensky, 2016: http://passageworks.org/mindful-leadership-for-educators/)

A quick exercise

Planning a Mindfulness

Initiative in Your School

Thinking about your own work environment Describe your work environment.

Is there a constant onslaught of inputs and stimuli?

What are your strategies for maintaining

presence of mind and good health?

Assessing organizational culture and setting goals What will be the reaction to a mindfulness

initiative in your organization?

What will be your goals and objectives? What will be your plan?

How will you assess the outcomes of your plan?

Planning, implementing & communicating What steps will you take to implement your plan?

What resources will you need to make it happen?

What will be the benefits and risks?

How will you get the word out?

Sharing out