The Power of Leadership Sessions – Shaping the Power of Influence

Tasks of Leadership

I. Envisioning Goals

II. Affirming Values

III. Motivating

IV. Managing

V. Achieving a workable level of unity

VI. Explaining

VII.Serving as a Symbol

VIII.Representing the group

IX. RenewingJohn W. Gardner

Influence & Persuasion

Inspiration

Consultation

Personal Appeals

Exchange

Ingratiation

Rational persuasion

Legitimizing

Coalition

Pressure

Falbe & Yukl (1992) The Academy Management Journal, 35 (3).

“…recognizing when a style (or tactic) is ineffective requires enough interpersonal insight to accurately judge how your appeal is being perceived.”

Musselwhite & Plouffe, HBR Blog Network March 28, 2012

Leadership that Gets Results

Daniel Goleman, 2000

1. Self-Awareness2. Self-Management3. Social Awareness4. Social Skill

“An emotionally intelligent leaders can monitor his or her moods through self-awareness, change them for the better through self-management, understand their impact through empathy and act in ways that boost other’s moods through emotional contagion and relationship management.”

The Reflective Mind-Set: Managing Self

The Collaborative Mind-Set: Managing Relationships

What gets in the way?

1. Wanting energy

2. Not Wanting energy

3. Too much energy

4. Too little energy

5. Doubt

Multitasking Makes You Stupid: Studies Show Pitfalls of Doing Too Much at Once

Sue Shellenbarger

A Wandering Mind Is an

Unhappy MindMatthew A. Killingsworth & Daniel T. Gilbert

“In conclusion, a human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind. The ability to think about what is not happening is a cognitive achievement that comes at an emotional cost.”

Killingsworth & Gilbert (2010)

Overloaded CircuitsWhy Smart People Underperform

Edward M. Hallowell

“Modern office life and an increasingly common condition called “attention deficit trait” are turning steady executives into frenzied underachievers.”

Hallowell (2005)

“…most of us, even those of us with modest endowments, will have to learn to manage ourselves.”

Peter Drucker

You Choose…

Premise and Conclusion

Mindful Awareness (aka mindfulness) is both foundational to the practice of leadership and also acts as an integrating mechanism for the various leadership attributes, competencies, knowledge and skills.

What is Mindfulness?

What is Mindfulness?

“A way of being that asks us to pay attention, be curious, and intentional in our lives.” 

Donald Altman

“An open-hearted acceptance of the moment.” 

Jon Kabat-Zinn

“The quality of paying full attention to the moment, opening to the truth of change.”

Joseph Goldstein 

What is Mindfulness?

Notice new things about things that are familiar…

Ellen Langer, PhD

What is Mindfulness?

A step-by-step process to bring about change by using acquired skills in attention and awareness to develop experiential insight into how we create maladaptive experiences and how they can be overcome.

Rapgay & Bystrisky (2009)

Two Components

Self-regulation of attention so that it is maintained on immediate experience, thereby allowing for increased recognition of mental events in the present moment and…

An orientation towards one’s experience that is characterized by curiosity, openness and acceptance.

Bishop et al, 2004

What is Mindfulness?

• Orientation to Current Experience (aka contacting the present moment)• Curiosity (i.e. noticing something new)• Openness• Acceptance (what are you accepting?)• Investigative (how is this different from

curious)

Mindful Awareness of Breath

Breathing in long, one is aware: “I breathe in long.”

Breathing out long, one is aware: “I breathe out long.”

Breathing in short, one is aware: “I breathe in short.”

Breathing out short, one is aware: “I breathe out short.”

The Three Potentials

I. A clear and focused mind

II. An ability to see positive potential

III.Kindness and constructive relationship with others

RAIN

Recognize – can you see what is actually there? Bring your bare attention to bear on the sensations

Allow (be willing to accept this experience)

Investigate – bring curiosity

Non-identification – hurt vs. “I” hurt

Change Your Brain

Increased gray matter in areas associated with:

Regulation of emotionVisceral awarenessConscious experience of the selfSpatial unity of self & bodySocial cognition

Change Your Brain

Recognition of other’s internal statesCortical arousal & responsivenessRelevance of stimulus to selfSensory perceptionMotor controlFear and anxiety (decreased gray matter)

Cultivating Leadership Presence

Experiential program for business leaders to systematically develop mindfulness and apply those skills in an organizational context. Leaders report:•Direct & sustained attention•Less reactivity•Catching emerging insights and innovations•Learning to pause and ask questions

Mindfulness in the Workplace

•More external awareness

•More accepting of work situations•More realistic work goals•More selfless at work•Less concerned with material wealth

Mindfulness in the Workplace

• More internal locus of evaluation• Derive meaning in life from more than work• Better able to cope & remain calm during

difficult situations• See more challenges than threats• Find work more enjoyable• More positive interpersonal relationships at

work