Mindful Leadership

This month, we first look at how mindfulness helps people stick to a heart-healthy diet before considering how mindfulness works to reduce technostress in the workplace. Then, we look at survey results highlighting the importance of an inclusive and safe workplace environment as well as insights from the Workplace Stress Index. Lastly, we turn our attention to optimism about workplace wellness initiatives. We have summarized the main ideas and key takeaways below with links to the full articles.…

By The Mindful Leader Team

This month, we first look at a study showing that most workers consider wellbeing to be equally as important as salary. Then, we examine how employees feel about wellness workplace initiatives before taking a deep dive into the paradoxes of showing compassion at work. Next, we explore holistic health and burnout in the workplace as well as just how important leisure activities are for reducing workaholism and work stress. We have summarized the main ideas and key take…

Key Highlights:

• Make mindfulness relatable and accessible. Avoid spiritual or esoteric language and focus on tangible benefits.
• Build a network of mindfulness champions. Start small and gradually build your network, pitching the concept to potential champions at every introductory class.
• Collaborate with curriculum developers to integrate mindfulness into the learning and development curriculum. Ensure that programs remain true to their core principles while making them accessible and pra…

By Mindful Leader Team

In a world inundated by duality, there's a pronounced urge in the human psyche to choose sides. Whether it's political affiliations, brand loyalty, or social ideologies, this dichotomy is pervasive. But what drives this impulse? And in a climate that's ever polarizing, how can mindful leaders navigate these choppy waters? Let’s explore.

The Psychological Urge to Belong

At the core of our need to align with a group or a set of beliefs, is our intrinsic desire for belongi…

A thought-provoking session at the 2022 Mindful Leader Summit led by Lili Powell, Ph.D., explored the role of resilience and attunement in leadership. This article delves into the insights shared during this session, highlighting the profound impact of leadership on guiding individuals and teams toward growth in the aftermath of adversity.

Why Resilience Matters

The central question addressed during the session was, "Why do some individuals thrive and grow after facing adversity, while other…

By The Mindful Leader Team

This month, we look at mental health in the workplace according to three different sources: the CCLA’s 2023 corporate mental health benchmark report, the 2023 Workplace Wellness Survey, and the 2023 Employer Mental Health Report Card. Then, we’ll explore one of the first qualitative studies on mindfulness training in healthcare professionals as well as a new study exploring the relationship among mindfulness, meaning in life, psychological resilience, and depression. …

By The Mindful Leader Team

This month, we look at how mindfulness shapes goal setting and goal pursuit before considering the potential consequences of posting about your mental health on LinkedIn. Then, we’ll review the likely changes to employer-based healthcare in the coming year and explore how workplace stress differs among Gen Zers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and Baby Boomers. Finally, we’ll dive into the latest evidence-based guidelines for managing anxiety and depression in cancer patients …

By The Mindful Leader Team

This month, we learn about new research that uses ultrasound to trigger a meditative brain state as well as the positive benefits of meditation for old and young populations alike. Then, we shift to the findings of two workplace wellness studies, one centered entirely on the needs and priorities of younger millennial and Gen Z workers and the other looking at how C-suite executives can better support employee health and well-being. For our last article, we’ll see how …

By Mo Edjlali

I always thought that I needed to go for what I considered the middle path, the “gray” but I was wrong. We, humans, are biologically wired for binary thinking, naturally leaning towards 'either-or' perspectives, thinking black or white.  So I came up with a mantra to “think gray”.  The problem is when you think gray you lose the power of what is in the white and what is in the black and end up with passionless mediocrity. Worse yet you might oscillate between the two and feel at c…

By Kristin Neff, guest contributor

What keeps us from being kinder to ourselves?

Most people don’t have any problem with seeing compassion as a thoroughly commendable quality. It seems to refer to an amalgam of unquestionably good qualities: kindness, mercy, tenderness, benevolence, understanding, empathy, sympathy, and fellow-feeling, along with an impulse to help other living creatures, human or animal, in distress. But we seem less sure about self-compassion. For many, it carries the whiff…