Being a leader comes with many responsibilities, which can quickly become overwhelming without the proper resources.
As a leader or entrepreneur, you are in charge of people and many other projects, and you need intelligence, creativity, determination, and the ability to navigate through challenges with grace. This is where mindfulness comes in, as it is a powerful tool that can help you excel.
Our research shows that many successful entrepreneurs, such as Steve Jobs and Russel Simmons, credit their success to mindfulness practices.
Consistent mindfulness practice helps them harness their creativity, innovation, energy, and ability to remain calm in the face of challenges.
This helped them gain a competitive edge in their fields and they managed to grow their businesses by leaps and bounds. It also enabled them mainly in their personal life and overall health.
Read on to understand mindfulness, its benefits, basic steps of practice, and apps you can use for your daily practices.
Understanding Mindfulness
Mindfulness is being fully present at the moment without judgment or distraction. It involves paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and surroundings with awareness and acceptance. This helps react consciously instead of reflexively.
You can learn this skill slowly as there are different ways to practice. The best and most simplified way of practicing mindfulness is by taking deep breaths whenever you feel stressed or overwhelmed.
And the best part is that you can do this from anywhere. It helps you refocus and center yourself. Alternatively, you can find a quiet spot, plug in your headphones, and follow your instructor through the mantra.
Other people prefer to practice mindfulness by going for a jog, indulging in yoga, taking a stroll in the woods or by the river, or disconnecting from the internet.
Did you know that you can also practice mindfulness when eating or drinking? Simply focus on the sensations your body experiences when doing the activity.
Mindfulness Basics that Leaders Should Adopt
To incorporate mindfulness into your life as a leader, here are some essential tips to get started
Choose a Meditation Method That Fits Your Character and Personality
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to mindfulness; finding a meditation technique that resonates with you is essential. This could be traditional seated meditation, walking meditation, or mindful journaling.
Some popular meditations include guided meditations, body scans, mantra recitations, and mindful breathing exercises. Experiment with different methods until you find what works best for you.
Commit to Practicing Every Day
Consistency is key to reaping the benefits of mindfulness. Set aside at least 10 minutes each day for dedicated practice—this will help make it a habit.
- Find somewhere quiet and leave all your gadgets behind to avoid distractions.
- Set a time for the time you want to meditate. It can be 5 minutes or 15 minutes.
- Sit in a comfortable position. You can bring a mat. Ensure that your spine is straight and stable, not slouching.
- Rest your hand on top of your legs by adopting a meditation posture.
- Close your eyes and slightly drop your chin.
- Then, start taking simple breaths and focus on how it feels when you breathe air in and out of your nose. Ensure that you are counting as you breathe in and out, and choose your point of focus.
- Repeat this process until you are done.
The 5/8/1 Mindful Meditation Techniques for Better Leaders
This simple technique is ideal for leaders as it’s simple to follow and practice. It involves:
- 5 minutes of physical movement. You can do yoga, take a walk, or stretch during this time. You can go up and down the stairs if you are at work or don’t have space for a walk.
- 8 minutes of meditation: If you have no idea where to start, you can use apps such as UCLA, PELOTON, Deepak Chopra Affirmations, and Calm. When practicing mindfulness, learn meditation; you can record yourself; learn how to record yourself with ZENmix. This will help you go back and look at your form and behavior when you are in your zen moment and learn how to improve your practice.
- 1 minute of deep breathing: You can use apps like Calm to help you time your breathing.
This is how the breathing technique works:
- Breathe out slowly and release all the air in your lungs
- Then, breathe in slowly through your nose while counting in your head. This will enhance your awareness of how air fills your lungs and stomach.
- Hold your breath and count up to four.
- Exhale slowly while counting up to four.
- Then, hold your breath for a count of four.
- Repeat this process for a maximum of five rounds.
Mindfulness and Entrepreneurs
As an entrepreneur, incorporating mindfulness into your life can have numerous benefits for both you as a person and as a leader. Let’s explore some of these benefits:
Promotes Innovation
By practicing mindfulness regularly, you train your mind to be open-minded and curious instead of reactive or judgmental.
Most successful leaders attest to practicing mindfulness, which has greatly helped when innovating new products.
For instance, Steve Jobs attests to practicing mindfulness, which helped him be more present, think outside the box, and come up with innovative solutions to problems his users were facing. This enabled him to produce better products for the users.
Cultivates Resilience
An entrepreneur or leader occasionally faces setbacks, failures, and challenges. How you respond determines the kind of leader you are.
Mindfulness helps cultivate resilience, meaning that you are equipped with mental toughness to handle every challenging situation without giving in.
This means that whenever you are in a difficult situation, you can take a step back, observe, analyze, and regulate your emotions, and come up with a fitting response instead of reacting reflexively.
A study conducted on professionals across all industries found that mindfulness helped significantly improve their resilience.
Collaboration
Collaboration with other businesses brings about success in business. Every leader must aim to be an effective and collaborative leader by enhancing their understanding, practicing empathy, and being open to new perspectives.
Practicing mindfulness helps leaders recognize opportunities.
During negotiations, a collaboration a leader who practices mindfulness can regulate their feelings, read the room, and determine whether it’s a worthwhile venture.
The ability to regulate your feelings and see a situation from other people’s points of view helps you develop better connections at the workplace, making you a more considerate and effective leader.
Improved Communication
Many people have disputes in the workplace because they don’t communicate effectively, which clouds people’s feelings and leads to misconceptions about a situation.
Mindfulness practice allows you to step back from the whole situation and better understand where the parties are trying to deliver. Listening without distractions or judgment helps you foster better relationships with team members, clients, and partners.
Self-Management
Knowing how to manage your time is a crucial skill for entrepreneurs and leaders as they often have multiple tasks simultaneously, which can be overwhelming. Mindfulness helps you stay grounded and manage time efficiently by prioritizing tasks and avoiding burnout.
Managerial Competence
As a leader, your emotional intelligence plays a significant role in managing a team effectively. As such, you must take care of every aspect of your life, including mental and physical health. You can do this by exercising, eating healthy, and getting restful sleep.
You must also lead by example, showing up at work and doing your best; as such, your subordinates will follow by example. It would also be good to introduce meditation to your employees because exemplary leaders work smarter, not harder. By ensuring they regularly practice mindfulness, your employees will be at their best in mental and physical health. They will also manage their time well, ensuring the best for the assigned projects.
Decisiveness
Regular mindfulness practice teaches you how to quiet the mind chatter that may cloud decision-making processes. This leads to more clarity when making crucial business decisions.
Charisma
A mindful leader exudes calmness and confidence – qualities essential for inspiring others towards a common goal.
You must recognize that your personal and professional lives are linked. As such, you must ensure that your personal life is smooth; only then will you be able to work without worries.
This also transcends to your employees. If you want their output, you must ensure that they are healthy and happy, including their families. That means you extend benefits like health insurance, work trips, and bonuses. This helps eliminate many worries in their life.
The fact that you show interest in the lives of your employees makes you a charismatic leader.
Better Life
Entrepreneurship often comes with long hours, stress, and pressure, which can lead to neglect of important areas of life, such as mental and physical health and family.
Mindfulness can help mitigate these negative effects by helping you balance your busy life and still allocate time to spend time with your family and take care of your health.
As such, mindful meditation not only makes better leaders but also ensures that you are present for your family and friends.
Apps for Meditation
In today’s digital age, there are many apps available that can help you incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine. Some popular ones include Headspace, Insight Timer, Ten Percent Happier, and Balance App.
Final Thoughts
As an entrepreneur and leader, practicing mindfulness can positively affect both yourself and your business. By being present at the moment with awareness and acceptance, you can become a more effective leader who inspires and empowers others toward success.
