Category: Mindfulness for Leaders
Tips and tools for leaders to develop mindful habits and increase their personal leadership impact.
Leadership Lessons From My Father
On a recent trip back to the UK, I had the amazing opportunity to speak to a group of Indian community elders. It’s a group that’s been meeting fortnightly for over 12 years and was the vision of my father. They discuss topics, share ideas and enjoy a lunch together in Woking, Surrey. As I was preparing my presentation, I reflected on the leadership lessons learned from father: (Gujarati) “Bada khada ma pade to taree kahda ma padwanu”. ???? English translation – if everyone falls in a ditch, do you have to fall in too? Whilst this was annoying as…
Read Leadership Lessons From My FatherLinkedIn recognised me as a top mindfulness voice! ????????
If you had told me this 12 years ago, when I started my business, I would never have believed you. I gave up my corporate job with nothing but an idea and deep seated awareness of being guided to deliver mindful leadership capability to leaders. I witnessed many leaders experiencing burnout and struggling to engage the hearts and minds of their teams during continual restructuring, downsizing and market changes. I encountered it myself before taking a year out to recover from significant health issues. So I set up a business and named it Leading Mindfully. At the time, mindfulness was…
Read LinkedIn recognised me as a top mindfulness voice! ????????I did something really scary…
I did something really scary ???? Last year I ran the first Mindful Leadership Institute Retreat for executive women as a tentative experiment. The second retreat for this year is starting today at Hepburn Springs and I’ve been reflecting. In 2009 I was initiated into the Kripalu lineage of yoga. Yes, that’s me during the initiation ceremony. So much has changed since those photos. For one, I now wear glasses ???? An initiation is very different to graduating from a yoga school and becoming a yoga teacher. Yes, I am a yoga teacher, but initiation goes much deeper. I took…
Read I did something really scary…The power of rituals to revitalise your life
Life can be overwhelming at times, with many demands on our time and attention. It’s easy to get caught up in the rush of everyday life and forget to take a moment for ourselves. Before we know it, time passes by quickly in constantly being busy. This is where rituals come in. Rituals are practices done with awareness, intention, and focus. They help us connect with ourselves and our surroundings and bring a sense of meaning and purpose to our lives. In contrast, habits are actions done unconsciously. While habits can be beneficial, such as brushing our teeth or exercising…
Read The power of rituals to revitalise your lifeBe everything you are: the path to fulfilment
“You can’t be anything you want. But you can be everything you are.” – Jay Shetty I know this is controversial but hear me out. We are led to believe that we can do anything, be successful at anything and achieve anything that we want. To some extent, you can achieve some level of success if you work hard. The problem is that you often end up sacrificing yourself and your soul in the process. The ancient yogis believe that everyone has a psychophysiological nature that determines where you flourish. Let’s call this your inclination. Each person’s inclination towards thriving…
Read Be everything you are: the path to fulfilmentMindfulness at work: how a few deep breaths could change everything
You might think that mindfulness is too complicated or ‘spiritual’ to practise in the workplace. But the truth is, mindfulness is as simple as breathing. For most of us, breathing is automatic, barely something we think about until we feel short of breath or anxious. It’s in these moments that we learn to breathe deeply, with control and purpose. When you choose to breathe consciously you calm not only your body, but your mind. This is the heart of mindfulness – consciously choosing to pause, re-centre, and focus your mind. The most powerful form of mindfulness is closing your eyes…
Read Mindfulness at work: how a few deep breaths could change everythingConnecting your team with their purpose could be the key to resilience
A recent global study by HBR revealed that 90% of people would trade 20% of their income for meaning and purpose. The same study found that meaning and purpose are crucial to organisational success. Estimates suggest that the increase in productivity when staff find their work meaningful results in a $9K p.a. increase in revenue per person. And it doesn’t stop there. When leaders are connected with their purpose there is: ✅ Increased engagement ✅ Improved workplace culture ✅ A high chance for organisations to be an Employer of Choice in a highly competitive market When we think of purpose,…
Read Connecting your team with their purpose could be the key to resilienceThe secret key to overcoming burnout as a leader
Research shows that the rate of stress and burnout in the Australian workforce is increasing. Australian workers are some of the most burnt out in the world, according to a recent study by Adecco. As uncertainty ramps up its certainty, your ability to lead your team to deliver the business outcomes required is likely to be rocked about – yet the expectations on you continue to increase. Combined with resource shortages, returning to the office, hybrid working and the continued impacts of Covid on businesses, it’s no wonder that many teams are feeling drained. While you may think wellbeing initiatives…
Read The secret key to overcoming burnout as a leaderHow to curate your 2022 vision for the best leadership year ever
Have you started your 2022 planning? Last month I shared a simple tool to reflect on the past year and begin thinking about what strengths you can carry forward into the coming months. The next step in planning the best leadership year ever is to set your vision for 2022. Research shows that purpose drives performance. This is true not just for individual leaders, but for the organisations they work in. A strong sense of purpose acts as a compass for decision making, guiding the actions of leaders and their followers particularly during difficult times. A vision is your desired…
Read How to curate your 2022 vision for the best leadership year everOvercome overwhelm and finish the year on a high note
What a year this has been. I could not have predicted that we would struggle to manage COVID and endure more lockdowns. Are you looking forward to the festive season as much as I am? If I told you there are 74 days left until Christmas, what would you say? Without strategically planning how to navigate the final quarter of the year, you run the risk of being swept into the holiday season, ending the year exhausted, overwhelmed and stressed out. If you want to finish your year on a high note, it’s time to consolidate your goals and make…
Read Overcome overwhelm and finish the year on a high note