Using Mindful Leadership to Enhance Team Performance
Mindfulness gets talked about a lot, but the truth is, it’s hard work to be completely present, to operate from a place of true decision-making instead of by habit or on autopilot, to choose measured responses over reactions, and to accept what is instead of what you expected it to be. As you use mindfulness to strengthen your ability to lead effectively, the next logical step is to implement those practices more broadly within your company’s organization – to take actions that have a direct and powerful impact on team performance.
You can use mindful leadership to enhance team performance by:
Being mindful of workplace stress. Work consciously and intentionally to be mindful of employee health. Demonstrate true leadership by taking vacation time and encouraging employees to do the same.
Seeking and providing clarity. Clarity – in communications, expectations, feedback, information sharing – is essential for fostering a sense of engagement and ownership in the organization.
Providing development opportunities. The people on your team need to know that you care about their futures, that you not only want to know what they want but that you’re willing to help them get there.
Sharing your vision. Openly, enthusiastically, and regularly share your vision of the organization and the role your team plays in achieving it. And when achievements happen, share the credit, too.
Mindful leadership results in high-performing teams that have better overall job satisfaction and higher levels of well-being. Being a mindful leader means being aware; it means being respectful of people and differences; it means being thoughtful in everything you do.
East Tenth Group is a boutique consulting firm providing people strategy, leadership development and executive coaching services. We are fiercely committed to helping leaders and their businesses thrive in today’s complex environment. We partner with growth enterprise and middle-market businesses that need strategic leadership and human capital insight, perspective, and experience to grow and sustain their efforts. Michelle Tenzyk serves as the President of East Tenth Group, Inc.
