Mindful Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
I recently responded to an article in Psychology Today about leadership written by Victor Lipman, a leadership strategist and contributor. In our exchange we discussed mindful leadership and emotional intelligence. I commented to Mr. Lipman that managers who can demonstrate mindfulness in their interpersonal interactions are likely to be much more compassionate and effective managers. This occurs largely because mindful leaders have learned to cultivate a higher level of emotional intelligence, which allows them to be more present, compassionate, and aware of the needs of their employees. Our exchange spilled over into an article Mr. Lipman contributed to Forbes.com and has inspired me to continue this conversation about mindfulness qualities in leadership.
What I see, as someone who studies metacognition and human behavior, is the need for greater self understanding in our leaders. Broadly speaking, self understanding is the combination of self knowledge and self regulation (metacognition) that helps us to regulate our behavior and emotions, to be reflective and engage in self appraisal, to develop skills and strategies, and to implement them in ways that lead to positive outcomes. This type of thinking is especially needed in leadership roles as it helps to form foundational knowledge for future positive interpersonal interactions. Metacognitive thinking is closely related to emotional intelligence and contributes to both our self awareness and self management, which is what we draw upon in our interpersonal interactions. Emotional intelligence (Goleman et al, 2007) has been linked to many other theories and constructs in psychology including self actualization, social cognition and self efficacy.
In an article “Practicing Mindful Leadership” in Training and Development (March, 2013), Erika Tierney Garms identifies the key qualities of a mindful leader as self knowledge, self awareness and centeredness. She concludes that the rapid pace of our work lives requires leaders to make decisions quickly and prioritize their attention. The idea of multitasking may seem appealing to many, but does not always result in the best decisions. Our brains are not designed to give equal attention to simultaneous tasks. Prioritizing our attention leads to better decision making. Garms goes on to explain that the elements of mindful leadership are rooted in these four elements: mastery of attention, clarity of intention, optimization of attitude and emotional intelligence, and integration into every domain of daily work and home life. Achieving these elements requires a sustained meditation or mindfulness based practice. Integrating a mindfulness based practice into your daily routine can help regulate attention, gain clarity and be present in work life. Supporting the ability to maintain a positive mental attitude thus making you a more mindful leader.
“Bring light not heat.”
I recently included a conversation about mindfulness and leadership in a course I teach to school leaders at Touro University California. I was particularly inspired to do so after attending the Mindful Leader conference in Washington DC. One of the speakers was Bill George, an American businessman and professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School. He was also the chairman and chief executive officer at Medtronic, the world’s largest medical device company. Mr. George opened his presentation with a phrase that seems particularly relevant to mindfulness, “Bring light not heat.” Through mindfulness we seek a greater understanding of self or enlightenment, which brings focus, clarity, creativity, and compassion to leadership. Light also brings transparency, authentic openness, visibility and ability for others to see our actions. Light is illuminating, whereas heat can be perceived as intimidating or harmful. Scientifically speaking, heat can be a catalyst for change. But in an interpersonal context or situation, heat in the form of strong emotions or language can harm or cause pain without having a true benefit to the relationship. We know this to be true based upon our own interactions with friends, colleagues and family members. Mindful leaders seek light, not heat.
Mr. George went on to describe the 21st century as “Volatile, Uncertain, Chaotic, Complex and Ambiguous” which is why mindful leaders must have “vision, understanding, clarity, compassion, agility and adaptability and resilience”. It is generally true that leaders must align people around a shared mission. The mindful leader demonstrates greater self understanding and brings passion, compassion and empathy with the desire to empower others to support the mission of the organization.
George, B. (2018). The Mindful Leader. Mindful Leadership Conference, Washington DC, November 2, 2018
Lipman, V. (2019). How Mindful Behavior Can Lead To Better Manager-Employee Relationships (https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2019/01/08/how-mindful-behavior-can-lead-to-better-manager-employee-relationships/#3c1753cd2efd)
Tierney-Garms, Erika (2013). Practicing Mindful Leadership. Retrieved on June 1, 2018 from https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/practicing-mindful-leadership
