A mindful person leads from a position of full awareness.
Who is a mindful leader? This is a leader who accepts and embraces change and makes decision mindfully considering others.
A mindful person leads from a position of full awareness, by knowing how to respond gracefully with clarity instead of with an emotional reaction and how to ensure all team members feel recognized, accepted, affirmed and individual contributions valued.
A mindful leader has clarity and is calm in any crisis, is restrained from the temptation to over react, panic and jump from one problem to another, or end up blaming others for problems and avoid seeing their role in it; this kind of a leader then gets the power to revert a problem.
A mindful leader manifests themselves in the following levels of awareness:
1.Mindful of the subordinates - this is being aware of the influence that internal or external factors have on a group dynamics and can mitigate and ensure a group functions accordingly.
2.Mindful of oneself - knowing yourself fully and understanding what might affect you and therefore ensuring your personality does not affect how a group functions.
3.Mindful of others - being able to observe and categorize each team members’ weakness and personality and ensuring how you act towards them does not have a negative impact on the group.
4.Mindful of the bigger picture - ability to see the future and how today’s actions will shape and build a group and lead to the success of the overall objective.
The following habits can help you be a mindful leader:
1.Meditation
This gives you the time to listen and observe what you might otherwise overlook or undermine be it a new idea or a decision hence leading to creativity and innovation.
2.Openness
Letting your team understand what you expect from them and what consequences will come if one does not meet the expectation. This leads to the team involving you constantly and knowing they can always voice out their opinions too.
3.Self awareness
This is enhanced by getting feedback from others about you, as well as taking the time to reflect on your inner thoughts; accepting your emotional state as it occurs; regularly connecting with your personal purpose in life; and taking the time to reflect alone with no interruptions.
4.Consciously Responding rather than Reacting
We tend to be reactive and spontaneous a well a defensive in what we do which can be negative and demeaning therefore carefully observing and then consciously planning on how to respond is better.As the saying goes; Leaders Are Not Born, they are Made. Leadership develops.
What is your take on that? Let us know in the comments below.
