In addition to creating a culture keepers program to support the ins and out of crafting a values-aligned culture. It\u2019s just as important that all the humans in your workplace are taking care of their own well-being and sense of personal alignment with mindful leadership. We all deserve to know about and build these skills so that we can live life on purpose. It\u2019s not your job as the owner or leader in your company to personally evolve each of your team member\u2019s sense of well-being. But it sure does send a powerful message when you embrace conscious, mindful leadership practices like these. <\/span><\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s strategic planning<\/a>, budgets<\/a>, or even goal setting. We can activate mindful leadership in those future planning experiences by engaging in the process with intention. No texting or emailing while talking to your colleagues about the vision. Be fully there, and choose to be curious and active in observing what\u2019s coming up along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n It happens when choosing your values with integrity over and over again. If you truly want to embrace your values in your daily habits, routines, and experiences. You must be mindful of whether you\u2019re living in alignment with them. It’s a key to being a mindful leader.<\/span><\/p>\n Something as simple as a full body check (where your mind, gut, and heart say yes) combined with your values filter will give you the information you need to make choices that serve you. For example, you might be having a really off day and want to understand where you\u2019re out of alignment with yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n Close your eyes; perhaps even put your hands on your heart. Take long, deep breaths to slow down, and simply ask yourself, \u201cWhich one of my values can serve me now? How can I activate it with ease and grace in this moment?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s important to know how to tune in to understand how you can bring your values front and center into choosing your next steps. When we are honest with ourselves about what\u2019s out of alignment with our mind, body, and spirit, as well as with our sense of well-being, we have a real chance of getting back in alignment.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2021, I launched my inaugural online values-based mindfulness cohort program, The Journey to\u00a0Alignment<\/a>. <\/span> Watching these humans wake up to themselves has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I knew that these practices would serve them, but I didn\u2019t realize how quickly they\u2019d be able to take big steps forward in setting boundaries<\/a> with themselves, loved ones, and colleagues. I was blown away by their vulnerability in learning new techniques to connect to their heart, soul, and inner wisdom. <\/span><\/p>\n And I was fueled with possibility when I heard story after story of how they felt new levels of peace, authenticity, and inner harmony as a result of intentionally choosing their values everyday. One person finally set boundaries with their mother, another with their fianc\u00e9, and a third with their workplace. They all shared stories of using the tools to return to themselves in times when they felt completely out of control and harnessing them to feel a sense of grounding, power, and peace. <\/span><\/p>\n At work, pain can show up from a presentation that didn\u2019t go as well as you had hoped and during which one of your partners didn\u2019t have your back when you needed their support. Or a colleague who made you the brunt of a joke in a client meeting, making you feel like you had to smile your way through the embarrassment. Fear can show up as being hit with a major attack of imposter syndrome while preparing for a big presentation. Or not knowing whether you\u2019re going to lose your biggest client.<\/span><\/p>\n These are debilitating feelings that we\u2019re often hiding, and therefore we double down on suffering in silence. <\/span><\/p>\n Start by focusing on the intricacies of your breath (like the feeling of it going in and out of your nostrils, whether it is shallow or deep, the pace of it). This forces your mind to shut down the racket and be here now. You might even try imagining that there\u2019s a light following your breath through the nostrils and down to the belly. Closing your eyes and watching your breath go in and out can be incredibly peaceful. As can repeating the mantras \u201cI breathe in peace\u201d on your inhale and \u201cI breathe out stress\u201d on the exhale. Just a few rounds of that repetition can make a massive shift in your inner grounding.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, I recommend box breathing<\/a>. This is also known as Navy SEAL breathing or tactical breathing because it\u2019s the technique they use when in high-stakes situations. It\u2019s exactly as it sounds. You create a box with your breath: inhaling for four counts, holding your breath for four counts, exhaling for four counts, and holding for four counts. Simply repeat that pattern for one to two minutes. Then see how much clearer your mind becomes and how your body eases. <\/span><\/p>\n – A Detroit study<\/a> looked at how meditation improved productivity in the workplace. It was found that absenteeism fell by 85 percent, productivity rose by 120 percent, and injuries dropped by 70 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n – Researchers at Boston University<\/a> found that meditation programs could reduce anxiety and depression, making workers more optimistic and increasing their satisfaction with their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n – In a Harvard study<\/a>, participants went through an eight-week mindfulness training program to determine the effects it had on focus. It was shown that meditation helped the subjects make faster and more attention-based adjustments, an ability that is very valuable in the workplace.<\/span><\/p>\n – Health-care company Aetna conducted a study<\/a> with Duke to determine the return on investment of its mindfulness programming. Aetna figures that the productivity gains alone amounted to $3,000 per employee, an eleven-to-one return on its investment.<\/span><\/p>\n – Organizations<\/a> that introduce mindfulness programs see up to a 200 percent return on investment.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve had so many people tell me that they tried to meditate but that they didn\u2019t do it right because they had thoughts come up.<\/span><\/p>\n Michael Bernard Beckwith<\/a> taught me that meditation is like a washing machine. You know how in the beginning of the wash cycle, the machine has to rumble your clothes in a way that releases the dirt from them? Well, the beginning process of meditation is the agitation cycle. All your thoughts (that \u201cdirt\u201d) need to come up in order for them to ultimately be rinsed and released. Then after that agitation is complete, it\u2019s time for the rinse and clean stages. The key is to make it through the agitation to get there. This is precisely how meditation works.<\/span><\/p>\n The best teachers in meditation say if you have lots of thoughts, you\u2019re doing some of the greatest work, because you\u2019re allowing the space for them to be released.<\/span><\/p>\n There are loads of free apps, online trainings, and videos that are such great ways to start your practice. <\/span><\/p>\n With one ding of the bell, I close my eyes and take deep breaths while reminding myself of why this meeting matters and what I intend to feel as a result of it. For example, I may say to myself in my mind, \u201cThis meeting matters because it\u2019s a chance for me to get on the same page with my team members after being away on vacation. I will feel reconnected and rejuvenated as a result.\u201d An energy chime is a simple tool that you can find easily online. Personally, I ring one that vibrates at a frequency that activates the heart chakra so that I can feel that heart connection in the process of choosing consciousness.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s also a wonderful tool called the Five-Minute Journal (available in both app and hard copy form). It has a daily system for putting your top three intentions for the day. The developers frame it as \u201cWhat will I do to make today great?\u201d These are intentions, my friends! <\/span><\/p>\n I can\u2019t tell you how many years I numbed out the whispers, ignored the signs, and popped a pill to get through. Today, when I notice my neck feeling stiff or have a headache coming on, I stop and check in with myself to see what I can do to tell my body that I heard it, that it matters, and that I will take care of it.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s the simple practice of closing your eyes (if you want) and slowly scanning your body from your head to your toes to see how it\u2019s doing. You can notice where you\u2019re tight, where you\u2019re feeling well, and then be intentional about giving yourself loving attention wherever your body could use it. A stretch, a walk, perhaps even a nap are great ways to start to build a kinder relationship with your body\u2019s whispers.<\/span><\/p>\n I have coached people with histories of migraines, massive shingles outbreaks, and even heart attacks who had been muscling their way through stress instead of slowing down and listening to what they needed to do to be healthy. One of my clients had her appendix burst and become infected in her body because she chose to ignore the pain and push on to meet her deadlines. Then after having emergency life-saving surgery, she came back to consciousness with her laptop, ready to get back to work from the hospital bed. You are not meant to just pay the bills and die. <\/span><\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019d want to take it a step further and take retreats or vacations where you commit to divorcing from your tech while you\u2019re away. <\/span><\/p>\n Because I live in the city, that is usually a walk to my nearby park and back. While I\u2019m there, I make a point to admire the trees and critters running around, take in the fresh air, and sometimes even take my shoes off and plant my feet in the earth for some grounding. So if an hour-long meeting gets canceled. I take a fifteen-minute walk in nature and still have forty-five more minutes to get back to work with greater clarity and focus after connecting with the wisdom of Mother Nature.<\/span><\/p>\n A simple thing like watching a bird take off and land on the very tip of a twig, the wind rustle the branches of the trees, bending them back but not breaking them, or even a bug carrying a huge chip on its back to feed its colony can be inspiriting and ignite new ideas, thinking, and possibilities for how to go about solving your own problems. There is a scientific process around this idea called biomimicry\u2014which is a practice that learns from and mimics the strategies found in nature to solve human design challenges and find hope along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s say that you roll out a brand-new badass product that your team has spent an entire year developing. Then a few days later, you learn that a company, very similar to yours, just released its version of the same product.<\/span><\/p>\n What are you telling yourself about the current situation? Are you saying that it is impossible to be successful now? Or are you saying that it is a great opportunity for the market? If you\u2019re telling yourself it\u2019s impossible, then you\u2019ll get an impossible experience. But if you\u2019re telling yourself it\u2019s a great opportunity. Then you\u2019ll be willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work that\u2019s required for that incredible opportunity that lives on the other side of it. The same goes for internal issues. If you have a top-performing team member who isn\u2019t seeing eye-to-eye with their supervisor. Do you automatically huff and puff about how annoying people\u2019s issues are? Or do you see it as a chance to get to understand their perspectives and viewpoint more accurately?<\/span><\/p>\n She and my grandfather, Poppi, were in an assisted living facility in which people would move to different parts of the building depending on the level of care needed. There was an on-site medical area in which residents who were being treated stayed. It was also a place where many of the patients passed away. Poppi had passed away just a few weeks before my grandma had to be moved into that section of the facility. <\/span><\/p>\n When I went to visit her, she was really overwhelmed and frightened because they had put her in the exact same section, room, and bed where her husband had just died. She was not OK. And then my aunt said to her, \u201cMaybe this is Dad\u2019s way of keeping you close to him. Maybe this is how he\u2019s able to be in bed with you now as you heal.\u201d In an instant, her entire demeanor changed. She believed in that possibility and felt a new level of closeness to him, rather than fear. And quite frankly, it was what I needed to hear and believe in order to not file a complaint with management there. The ripple effects of a grounded reframe are significant.<\/span><\/p>\n A bad hire draining everyone of their sanity was what was needed to home in on the qualities that mattered most for that position. A lost client that you thought would be with you forever is an opportunity to learn where things need to improve for future clients. An embarrassing flub addressing your team can be exactly what you needed to show others that you\u2019re human, too, and can own your mistakes with grace. There is always a chance to reframe what you\u2019re experiencing in order to find the peace in the possibility on the other side of it.<\/span><\/p>\n This mindset work is about the vision, where we\u2019re headed\u2014not being naive, with our heads in the sand, blinders on, embracing toxic positivity, but rather having a healthy frame to work toward the future from the lens of possibility.<\/span><\/p>\n It is a great way to be a mindful leader. If you happen to be in a conversation where people start to go down a path of negativity and lack, whether it\u2019s at work or anywhere else in your life, here are a few phrases you can try:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n – \u201cOK, so what\u2019s the possibility that lies within that opportunity?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n – \u201cI\u2019m curious about that, and I would love to continue that conversation at another time so that we can stay on track right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n – \u201cIt feels like we\u2019re getting stuck in the weeds; let\u2019s reset together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n – \u201cNow that I know why you think it won\u2019t work, give me three reasons why it might work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n – \u201cI hear you and can relate. Let\u2019s recognize that as a challenge and build from it so that we don\u2019t get trapped there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Say you have a limiting belief that it\u2019s not possible to be a CEO of a thriving business and also take vacation. That may feel very real to you right now at this moment when you look at everything that\u2019s stacked against you for truly getting time away. If you want to transform that limiting belief, you could actively seek out successful business leaders who share your values and who have mastered the art of vacationing. Get curious, ask questions, and be open to learning what they did to create that reality in their lives. Do whatever you can to acquire evidence that vacation is possible as a successful leader. Take action with what resonates with you as a mindful leader.<\/span><\/p>\n This is the same concept as when the four-minute mile record was broken. Before it happened, everyone thought it was impossible to run that fast. After it happened, it was only a matter of time before it was regularly broken because athletes knew that it was humanly possible.<\/span><\/p>\n When you have created a culture problem using your thinking mind, you may need to shift to your feeling heart in order to find a solution with mindful leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n We get stuck in our heads. We\u2019re taught to work harder, do more research, or think more deeply on it. What may be needed is for us to work at a slower pace, check in with ourselves and others more often, and feel more deeply. There\u2019s a groundbreaking organization called HeartMath that has done extensive research on heart intelligence. I highly recommend that you check them out. Especially if data and science jazz you to prove that it\u2019s important for us to listen to our hearts. They provide several skill-building techniques to help people move from their heads to their hearts quickly. <\/span><\/p>\n You may choose to do it publicly with your eyes closed and ask others to join you. Or do it anywhere you want without anyone being aware of what you\u2019re doing. While I was giving a keynote address, an audience member slung a question my way that completely undermined and demeaned what I had presented during the previous forty-five minutes. <\/span><\/p>\n In the past, that would have been a jarring experience that made me put on a mask to be someone I wasn\u2019t in order to stay professional. Not wanting to shut them down completely in their tracks. Instead, I was able to feel their energy coming my way and connect deeply with my heart at the very same time. Then, I envisioned that my heart was connecting and beating with theirs. That we were both humans who mattered and that what they were saying wasn\u2019t personal. In the end, they stayed after the talk to meet me, take a picture together, and thank me for hearing them and supporting their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n Reconnecting with your heart and the hearts of your team members can change the entire way you run your business for the better.<\/span><\/p>\n When I am working with teams of highly analytical and data-driven people. There can be a hesitation with these types of exercises. They don\u2019t want me to facilitate something that might make people feel uncomfortable, which I get. But what\u2019s unfortunate is that they\u2019re also unwilling to see what might be possible for their people when they try. I\u2019ve done heart-centering practices with firefighters, cybersecurity teams, engineers, computer programmers, and doctors across practically all generations. I\u2019m always hopeful when they openly share how close-minded they were at first and how much better they felt when they tried the mindfulness leadership exercises.<\/span><\/p>\n Every ounce of energy spent on slowing down to see where you\u2019re mindful or practicing mindfulness leadership will ultimately get you further ahead in activating a whole team of people who can do the same. For value promises to seep into the very sinew of your organization. You must engage the body, and the heart in particular, as well as the mind through your values work.<\/span><\/p>\n Your culture keepers programs, mindful leadership and team members will be there to ignite that embodiment with purpose. You\u2019ll link arms and step forward together into the horizon of potential. Knowing that you\u2019ll keep one another lovingly accountable to behaving in alignment with your shared company core values. You\u2019re not alone, and you\u2019re better together.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re someone who\u2019s hesitant about this kind of work. Try it out in your own life and lean on your fellow culture keepers to celebrate wins, talk through sticking points, and get curious with your questions. Take one mindful leadership practice at a time. Give it a genuine shot, then decide if it\u2019s something that will make its way into your personal tool kit. It\u2019s easy for me to advocate for these things because of the tremendous effect they\u2019ve had on my own life and the lives of those I\u2019ve worked with. At the same time, one size does not fit all. The point is that you keep adding to your tool kit, swapping tools out and sharing them with others who could benefit from their power.<\/span><\/p>\n This was an excerpt from <\/span>MaryBeth\u2019s book – Permission to Be Human: The Conscious Leaders Guide to Creating a Values-Driven Culture.<\/span><\/a>As my mentor, don Miguel Ruiz<\/a>, often says in his apprenticeship teachings, \u201cWhen we change our own world, we can change the world around us.\u201d<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
Mindfulness also applies when planning for the future. <\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
Living your values<\/a> doesn\u2019t typically happen by chance. <\/span><\/h4>\n
Happiness doesn\u2019t exist in the absence of our values. <\/span><\/h4>\n
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span> It\u2019s an eight-week quest of self-discovery to remember who you are at your core and to return to that place of personal alignment within. Through a combination of training modules and live group coaching. We explored what true core values alignment was when it came to managing emotional and physical energy as well as igniting healthy boundaries, habits, and routines that honor our heart\u2019s wisdom. <\/span><\/p>\nIt is a holistic approach to seeing life through the lens of our unique values and making choices that invite our values in and keep our frustrations out.<\/span><\/h4>\n
Values-based mindfulness works, and you can access it anytime because, just like your breath, your values are always with you.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
Through the following highlights. You\u2019ll learn powerful mindful leadership tools and tangible techniques to help you return to the present moment and end your suffering.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
Check out my FREE box breathing guided practice here.<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
Creating a daily meditation practice, if only for five minutes a day, will have a transformative influence on your life and mindful leadership skills. <\/span><\/h4>\n
I highly recommend Insight Timer\u2019s Seven-Day Learn to Meditate free course<\/a> to walk you through the basics of adopting your own practice for your mindful leadership journey.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
Before the start of an important meeting and especially on days with loads of meetings where I desire to stay grounded in the face of anxiety and chaos, I ring my energy chime. <\/span><\/h4>\n
The more you can be precise and clear about what you want to experience, the more likely you will experience it.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span> A body scan<\/a> is an excellent tool for doing just that. <\/span><\/h4>\nDon\u2019t let your work take over your ability to truly live a healthy and fulfilling life.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
I often choose to go on retreats into the beautiful mountains of Idaho where I\u2019m off the grid so that I can\u2019t cheat and check in when my ego starts to nag me to see what else is going on in the world.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
I have a really fun if-then policy<\/a>. If a meeting gets canceled, then I go spend time in nature.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
In the workplace, this can often be seen with competition. <\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
One of the most powerful reframes I ever experienced was outside the workplace, with my grandma. <\/span><\/h4>\n
At work, we might reframe failure as an opportunity for growth. <\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
Once you know your limiting beliefs, you can reframe your mindset and help others with theirs. <\/span><\/h4>\n
Another great way to work with your limiting beliefs is by finding evidence that it\u2019s possible to prove to yourself that what you\u2019ve been telling yourself is not true. <\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
We can\u2019t find solutions in the same headspace they were created. <\/span><\/h4>\n
One of them is through a Quick Coherence Technique<\/a>, which goes as follows:<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n
This can take a minute or less and can have a massive transformative effect on your well-being and mindful leadership skills. <\/span><\/h4>\n
Slowing down to reconnect with your heart is an incredibly powerful way to honor the wisdom that it carries. The wisdom that we all carry as a human race. <\/span><\/h4>\n
The point here is to nurture the values-based practices you\u2019ve worked hard to build up. Whether through a culture keepers program or mindful leadership practices. <\/span><\/h4>\n
Want to become a more mindful leader?<\/span><\/h4>\n