Mind Full or Mindful? How present are you in your Leadership?

How often are you actually present?

By this I mean in the moment, 100% here, now both physically and mentally. Simply being present, in your body, immersing myself in the here and now, and suspending any habitual ways of thinking,

• More than 50% of the time?
• Less than 50% of the time?

Being in the moment is more than being there in person. It’s about truly bringing your whole self into the room: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. It’s about clearing your mind and not being distracted by your own thoughts and stories and being ‘still’.

In this way you are more open to observe any situation from a position of objectivity. To observe feelings and actions being transmitted and picking up on what may not be being transmitted. For me this is about being really centred and grounded so you can truly connect with the person or people you are working with.

It’s about being engaged in the relationship, connecting and then noticing what comes up.

When you are really present you:

1. Are more flexible giving you the ability to ‘ebb and flow’ in the moment. Because   you are not pre-occupied with your own thoughts you are more able to respond (as opposed to react) to what is happening.
2. Are more able to access your own intuition and “trust your gut." Your mind is clear and therefore you are able pay more attention to what is going on in your body and how you feel.
3. Are more open to not knowing and exploring what might be. 
4. See more options to work with those around you and choose, in the moment, what is most effective. 
5. Can shift perspectives and experiment with new possibilities.
6. Will be more confident in working with strong emotions without being    overpowered by other's emotions. 

 But how do you do it?

You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an intellectual process. It’s not; it’s a physical process. It’s about bringing the whole of you to the room and to the moment – each and every moment.

This requires you to let go of your conscious thought, to be comfortable with not knowing and trusting the wisdom of your whole body.  It also means letting go of all those models that we may hold onto in our head to find a solution or make a decision.

By paying attention to your whole body you are more likely to tap into your intuition. When you are truly present you are able to attune to EVERYTHING that is going on: emotions, mood, physiology, concerns and yearnings of those around you.

Listening to your intuition and ‘inner knowing’ you can choose the moment to act. This may mean taking a risk and shifting the perspective of your audience.

So how do we get good at it?

Mindfulness practices help as they will help you quieten the mind, for example, meditation, yoga, tai chi, relaxing and paying attention to the breath. For those without one of these mindfulness practices I would suggest practicing getting grounded and centred every day. This is how I started and I promise you it works!

I have found practicing the more I practice the easier it gets.

You can practice in many situations and I encourage people to find moments in the day to be really present e.g. walking down the street, on the train or tube, shopping, in the shower, putting your children to bed. There are endless opportunities when you start to think about them.

If being present is a challenge for you give me a call and we can explore this further to determine what action you can take. I believe everyone can do it. It just takes practice.

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”

Gandhi