One of the questions I get often is how to bring a mindfulness initiative to an organization. This is not uncommon as organizations as diverse as Ford, Target, Apple, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, the U.S. Marines, and the New York Knicks offer mindfulness programs. So I was pleased when I attended the 5th annual Mindful…
I last wrote about the leadership skill of influence a few years ago. Since then, the interest in influence among my executive coaching clients is growing. It makes sense. No matter your position in an organization, you cannot always depend on your title to give you the authority to make decisions and move a vision forward. …
When we use the term “stance” in the context of leadership or business, we frequently mean “viewpoint” or “opinion.” I’m more interested in the actual posture of a leader. “Somatic” training and practices (“somatics”) use the body to create new awareness and change. This is not new in the field of coaching, and somatic practices are moving…
My blog post topics are often inspired by conversations I have with colleagues and topics of interest to my clients. This month, one of my clients, an introvert, asked me how he can improve his ability to network. As an introvert myself, and as someone for whom networking certainly doesn’t come naturally, this is the…
I recently started working with several clients who have the common leadership challenge of time management. Luckily, the July/August Harvard Business Review contains a perfectly relevant article, How CEOs Manage Time. While my clients are not all CEOs, the article still has recommendations and takeaways that are applicable to any leader. Set priorities. The authors…
The topic of mindfulness is frequently approached as a skill to be developed, which in turn supports capabilities such as improved focus and productivity. But there is another side of mindfulness which is just as important, and I refer to it as “heartfulness.” When we take the time to be mindful, we also increase our…
Last month I took a coach training class as part of my ongoing professional development. The class was based on concepts from martial arts, brought into a leadership context. In one exercise, we were supposed to push gently on a partner from different standing positions to evaluate our “leadership strength” in each position. At the…
When I first started researching mindfulness in 2011, the common attitude at the time was what I describe as “drive-by mindfulness.” Meaning, to develop the skill of mindfulness, you don’t have to cultivate a practice or dedicate time to it on your schedule. Instead, you can simply pause and take a few mindful breaths a…
A popular topic around leadership is employee engagement: how leaders can help create an environment where employees are enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace. I had never made a connection between employee engagement and performance evaluations until I read a recent Gallup study called Re-Engineering Performance Management. The Gallup study is part of a broader trend in re-thinking methods and…
Most people want to know this about mindfulness: For The Sake Of What? In other words, what do I get from being mindful? What benefits do I realize? I have learned that leaders can be more mindful individuals as well as help their organizations be more mindful. This in turn has a positive impact. Here’s…
Ten years ago, I made the fairly radical decision to leave my stable, salaried-with-benefits job to figure out What I Want To Be When I Grow Up. It turns out that while I still enjoy a good technical discussion, reflecting my engineering background, I also really love developing people, which captures what I loved about…
A new year is a natural time to talk about change. And directing and enabling change is one of the most important responsibilities of a leader. In today’s world of global connectedness and always-available and constantly-updated information, it seems like more than ever organizations must be willing and able to adjust to a dynamic environment. …
Mindfulness is seeing increased interest and popularity. The upside is that “mindfulness” is no longer a fringe word or activity. The downside is that it has been acquired to mean a range of things, which can be confusing to people who are new to mindfulness. Even among respected professionals in the field, there are not…
My Fall offering of my on-line ATD class, Essentials of Developing A Mindful Workforce, is wrapping up today, and next week I’ll be speaking at the ATD Talent Next Conference in a two-part session called Bringing Mindfulness To Work. Both offerings address the two questions that I most often get on mindfulness: how to bring mindfulness…
I’ll be speaking at the ATD Talent Next Conference in November for a two-part session called Bringing Mindfulness To Work. The session contains some content similar to that of my on-line ATD class, Essentials of Developing A Mindful Workforce. Both offerings cover two core topics of growing interest in the business world: how to bring mindfulness…
In a recent blog post, I talked about how resiliency is a leadership quality given more weight these days. I focused on one aspect of resiliency, effectively dealing with stress. But “resilient” has a broader meaning, which is the ability to handle adversity. There is a natural connection between mindfulness and resilience. People who practice mindfulness…
Leaders know that an important part of their job is to help their employees grow and learn. And this can’t happen without providing feedback, on what is working well as well as what can be improved. This doesn’t mean once a year at a scheduled performance review, this means on an ongoing basis. Giving (and…
The topic of resiliency in the workplace is becoming more popular, and one aspect of resiliency is the ability to handle stress. Leaders are constantly put in stressful situations, such as tight deadlines, organizational change, and high-stakes decision-making, and our employees experience the same stress. Stress takes a toll on our mental and physical well-being…
When I speak and write about mindfulness, the question I get most often is, “If I practice mindfulness, what does that get me?” I usually point to the growing body of research that demonstrates the impact of mindfulness. I also tell people that when they are mindful, they are more present and aware, and this…
Recently, one of my clients said that he wanted to communicate better with his team. Not the kind of “every day” communication to listen and understand, or to set clear goals and objectives – but to get his team energized by his message. He said, “It seems like other people know how to find just the…