Mindful & agile leadership Session 1
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The document discusses mindful and agile leadership, emphasizing the balance between self-management, relational leadership, and emotional intelligence in complex organizational environments. It highlights the importance of switching between 'doing mode' and 'being mode' to effectively manage stress, enhance team collaboration, and improve decision-making. Through various exercises and reflections, it seeks to develop awareness and agility in leadership practices for better organizational outcomes.
Mindful & agile leadership Session 1
- 1. Mindful & Agile Leadership Rafael Cobo Calleja 2019 Training for the Future Day1
- 2. 2 “You cannot control the waves, but you can learn to surf” (*) Source: Jon Kabat-Zinn- creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine at the University of Massachusetts
- 3. 3 Lets think together some session agreements… My proposals: Relaxed mode-learn Self-Inquiring Practicing Open dialogue Contributing Teaching each other Others: Notes/materials 30 min break-when? Language What else…?
- 4. Why design this programme? Organization as a living organism Complex environments What implies on new processes and leadership? Relational leadership-resonance Distributed decission making-transcending ego Collaboration and information sharing Multi project management Continous sales approach Conflict management and coaching Resilience What else? 4
- 5. Why this programme (2)? Exercise 5 “Karel is a young, successful policy officer at an international NGO. Smart and pro-active, his contacts in Latin America went well because he gave well founded substantive advice on requests and evaluation of projects.When the position of team manager for Latin Ameirica become vacant, Karel was given the job. The things Karel did well in the past were repeated here: quick contact with his employees and emphasis on substance. There was a lot to do because the position had been vacant for some time. A blocklog in project assessments and evaluations had to be clared away. And at the same time, a change in direction at the Ministry of Development Aid ment that a policy change had to be implemented. The number of partners in Lat Am had to be considerably reduced. Karel priority was to have the content of the case completely in order. His office door was shutted for other matters as when colleagues tried to share their stories and emotions about the consequences of these changes with him. Until a very dissatisfied and shocked letter from the Lat Am partners landed on the director´s desk. When discussed in a meeting between Karel and the director, something snapped: “This can´t be true! I have put all my energy into it.” Apparently the need to get content and practical issues had been Karel ´s priority over giving any attention to emotional reality. His team felt completely left out in the cold, and so did the partners with whom they worked. Karen realized that he had continued working as team manager in the same way he had done previously as policy officer.” (*) Source: Wibo Kool- Mindful Leadership
- 6. Reading Dee Hock: What´s proposing? 50% of time dedicated to manage Self 25% of time dedicated to manage superiors 20% of time dedicated to manage peers 6 (*) Source: Dee Hock- Leadership in the chaordic era
- 7. Sense of Purpose Empathy Power Style Self Awareness Developmental Motivation Connective Awareness Reflective Judgement Situational Awareness Context setting Agility Creative Agility Stakeholder Agility Self Leadership Agility Level of Awareness and Intent Source:Leadershipagility.BillJoineryStephenJosephs 7 What can be the competences of effective leaders?
- 8. What is Awareness? Its our mental non conceptual base that makes us fully conscious beings. Two modes: Doing mode (focus): activated when our mind wishes to rectify a discrepancy Being mode (open attention): directed at acknowledging what is here now Agility implies switching between this two positions in our body-mind system 8
- 9. The importance of the switch from doing to being, or action to reflection…… You act from previous experiences stored in the mind as memories What if its not immediately apparent what must be done? Doing mode: walk from A to B. Your mind continues processing, and so on… as discrepancy is not solved 9
- 10. The level of awareness and intent you operate from 10 Expert 45% Agile 10% Achiever 35% Fuente: Leadership agility. Bill Joiner y Stephen Josephs Level of awareness Level of intent Modest reflective capacity To improve and acomplish things A roboust reflective capacity, but after the event has occurred. To achieve desired outcomes in a way consistent with self-chosen values Ability to step back in the moment or be in the here and now processing your senses,thought processes, intuitions and emotional responses To engage in life in all its fullness. Create contexts that are experiential and meaningful in deep collaboration with others. To be of benefit to others as well to yourself. DoingmodeBeingmode
- 11. More to explore…. 11 Doing mode Being mode (*) Source: Wibo Kool- Mindful Leadership IndividualsOrganizations • Effort, autopilot • Future oriented • Achieve, reach • Sympathetic nervous system • Routine • Functional attitude • Feeling of isolation, divisive • Relaxation, conscious response • Here and now • Playful, regenerate, learn • Parasympathetic nervous system • Unique, experiment, play • Open attitude • Feeling of connection, integral • Action prioritized • Supress disagreable info • Vertical decision making • Winning or losing • Competing with each other • Switching action and reflection • Open for deviating info • Horizontal dialogue • Win-win • Learning from each other Reflect: do you need an investigative attitude when working with clients?
- 12. Awareness test What do you put your attention at? Discussi on 12
- 13. The magic of the Being mode You can concentrate fully on the experience of the moment. And it doesn´t mean doing nothing… 13 Perceptions, sensations,feelings, thoughts, idea of self, will, values, purpose, insights and corageous acting in the instant with full responsibility….
- 14. 10 high impact tools 1. Switching from doing to being mode: stress management. 2. Focus atention. 3. Open attention and presence. 4. Emotional intelligence. 5. Reflective action and SMART goal setting. 6. A culture of dialogue: active listening, generative conversations, effective meetings and sales. 7. Conflict management and coaching. 8. Project effectiveness: eliminate hidden blocks. 9. Resonance with purpose. 10. Energy management and joy at work. 14
- 15. 1. Switching from Doing to Being mode: centering to manage stress 15 When dealing with stressful and unknown situations, a core skill of mindful leadership is switching from doing to centering in the being mode.
- 16. A story… Phil Jackson, most laureated MBA coach: 11 “Rings” with Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers In 1993 hires George Mumford, ex-convict, as support coach… Be “in the field”: public silences…and you don´t doubt. “Feel the space between breaths as the calm blind spot in which to anchor to the present moment, where mental and environmental noise does not interfere…”. 16 Stress management: self centering1
- 17. Stress management: self centering1 Lets first understand more about stress... Distinguish eustress (activation) and distress (depletion). 17 Letargy, negativity Anguish, fear There are three quick responses of the brain under stress: flee, fight, freeze: Anger, frustration
- 18. Stress management: self centering1 The maintanance of the stress mode is not sustainable physically…. 18 …and not wise profesionally as leave us in Autopilot….
- 19. 19 1.1. STOP Minute: switch and self centering STOP Whenever you feel the situation is owerhelming, that stress is growing, make a deep breath and focus on your diaphragm. This muscle contracts under stress. Just by bringing presence into this muscle, it relaxes, returns to its natural state, making breath more profound. As the breath connects mind –conscious nervous system- and body –autonomous nervous system-, a deep and calmed down breath gives the signal to our brain to return a stressed body system to peace. Then, all the physical stress mechanisms stop. Bring your attention but don´t try to change nothing, it will do naturally (if you try to change, you add stress mode). And then just attend with curiosity how inhalations and exhalations emerge and dissolve in your consciousness. Create in seconds real intimacy with perceiving it. Then open your attention to the external situation. What is really happening here? 1 Practice
- 20. 20 1.2. Body Scan / Deeper relaxation If your body is not relaxed, is difficult that you can center in yourself or environment, as a tense body will be reminding the brain that “stress mode” is still on. How do we relax the body? Not ordering it to relax! That brings more stress… Just bringing attention, the body is again inhabited and returns to its natural state, which is relaxed. So lets start…Sit straight on a chair or lie on your back. If your posture is open, you are giving your mind a message: “nothing to fear”… Close your eyes. Start bringing your attention to your right foot…don´t think about it, really bring your attention there, to the feeling of contact with the floor, etc. Move your attention upwards step by step along your right leg: calf, knee, thigh…then the left leg. Sensations might include tightness: notice that when you bring your attention, the body relaxes. Give it the time necessary. Continue this way all along your body. Special attention to the diaphragm: as you relax this muscle, breathing becomes more deep and all yourself relaxes. Other usually tense areas are hands, shoulders, face and jaw. Be curious and open to what you are noticing, and then intentionally releasing the focus of attention before shifting to the next area to explore. Each time your attention wanders, simply notice that this is happening, then gently direct your attention back to the body. At the end, expand your attention to feel your entire body. 1 Practice
- 21. 21 1.3. Mindfulness of senses and thoughts Mindful eating a Raisin Begin by placing a raisin in the palm of your hand. Spend a few moments just looking at it with a sense of curiosity and awe, as if its the first time you have seen a raisin. Gently pick up the raisin with your thumb and index finger and roll it between them. Close your eyes. What does the raisin feel like? What are its textures? Rub the raisin across your lips, and notice what that feels like. Gently place the raisin on your tongue: notice how the raisin feels. When you’re ready, begin chewing. Bite the raisin very slowly and gently. What is that like? What sensations, textures, tastes, and smells do you notice? If you feel the urge to swallow the raisin right away, just notice that urge, and slowly chew the raisin for a minute or so, without swallowing. Finally, go ahead and give in to the urge to swallow it. At the same time you experience how senses emerge in your awareness, notice also how thoughts, labels, concepts, even the idea of you emerges in it. Be aware that there is a base mind, what we call consciousness, from where any perception or thought emerges. Be aware that this base consciousness is always and already present, so no effort is required to access it. And its in calm. This exercise helps us to familiarize ourselves with our deepest self nature: awareness or conscious mind. 1 Practice
- 22. 2. Focus attention Do you know how much time your mind is distracted daily? 47% of your time (1) Monkey mind 22
- 23. Practice 2 2. Focus Attention on Breath: desidentifying with thoughts…. This simple practice is key to de-identify with mental noise, bringing focus and clarity. Adopt a comfortable sitting position and close your eyes so you can focus better. Start with a Body Scan and relax your body and specially your diaphragm, so your breath can be more calm and deep. Bring your attention to your diaphragm and breath, as the way it is, it is ok, don´t try to change it. Just observe them gently, how they emerge and dissolve in consciousness. Be aware also of the space between inhalation and exhalations…rest in the heart area, feeling the silence that is always and already with you. The silence you are looking in your mind is always present in your deeper conscious mind! If your thinking mind starts wandering into abstract past or future events, bring gently your attention to the real present and find there your breath. Label the wandering as “thought” and let it go. Neuroscience tells us that noticing drifting attention, and gently returning our focus to wherever we’ve placed it, over and over, is how we create new paths in the brain (to our conscious body-mind system). Continue for the time you have planned. End with 3 deep inhalations and exhalations. Include this discipline (increase gradually the time: 10-20-30 minutes) in your daily practice. It can increase your mental focus up to 45% in 8 weeks… If you prefer a micro-practice, just bring your attention to your breath and acknowledge it, as whatever it is at that moment, for few seconds. 23
- 24. Focus attention 2 Be aware… 24 Judgements filter your experience of reality. Also your own internal judgements and self –image.
- 25. Daily judgements Observe and let go 25 Limiting beliefs: The Work- Byron Katie “Internal saboteur” • Is this idea truth? • Really?; • Are there situations where the opposite is truth? • Who would I be without this idea? Feel it. Breath in this idea. • Be aware of your internal saboteur voice: what does it say usually? • Take notes of this voice. Be aware that is not you: its only a thought. • Each time a judgement emerge, label it accordingly. Don´t identify. • Distinguish founded (repeated evidence) and unfounded (create reality by themselves) judgements. When you speak,be clear: “I think…” • Distinguish from intuitions. Exercises 2
- 26. Focus attention 2 Be aware…. A task completed –as little it might be- brings a oxitocyn “hapiness hormone” discharge. So completing small tasks can be addictive (as responding emails) and much more gratyfing than working in bigger projects… Can you identify in yourself this behaviour? Each time you find yourself in this need, stop, breathe and connect with your heart and your intention: what is important really now? Did you know that we dedicate 41% of our work time to low priority activities? Source: Kogon, A. Merrill- The 5 choices: the path to extraordinary productivity). 26
- 27. Focus attention 2 When moving from “expert” to “achiever” you might also need to check… 27 • Be aware if you continue taking all the tasks: that´s your old expert role comfort zone. Delegate. • Sometimes as leader you will need to be more direct and decisive, and stablish clear direction. • Confront issues. Coach your direct reports.Propose and inquire (let them explain their thought process). • Be assertive with your boss. • Be aware of the difference between the Urgent & the Important: planify accordingly
- 28. Focus attention 2 Where as organization we bring value to our stakeholders? What differentiate us? 28
- 29. Embodying the focusing energy 29 Exercises 2
- 30. 3. Open attention and presence Do you know what % of decisions you make consciously? 5% the other 95% are unconscious (1) (1) Bargh and Chartrand-American Psicologyst 1999 Automatic Pilot 30
- 31. 31 How do you attend life? 3 Survival brain runs the O.S. Whole conscious Self runs
- 32. 32 “QUAM” SCENE 1 “QUAM” SCENE 2 How do you attend life? 3
- 33. 33 Open attention: presence3 Where and how you put your attention defines your life. Through open attention to real experience, -and not so much as usual of what we think of experience- we inhabit the world in an open way, with ease, surfing with the “waves” that we perceive from the “outside” and from the “inside”. You can train on it in quietness and practice in your daily tasks. If it’s a practice in quietness, adopt a sitting posture that gives you a sense of “openess” and “ease”. Dont try to control or grasp the moment: accept it as it is (acceptance is very different from resignation: in acceptace you accept the continuous call from life to move outside of your conmfort zone). Re-cognize yourself in your always and already present conscious mind. Your thinking mind steps back.Settle with ease in the act of perceiving: senses, thoughts, feelings, insights, values and needs. Focus on your center: the heart, not the brain (trust: ideas will come, actually, less mental noise and much more insights!). And explore –don´t try to understand, just realize- features as the silence from which each phenomena emerge, your aliveness, presence, love, clarity, intimacy with all… If you try to grasp, it goes. Just rest in “being mode”: perfectly relaxed, perfectly aware, as a cat. This changes your relationship with reality: instead of being identified with a single object of perception, usually from an abstract perspective, you open to reality in its wider sense, to your presence and the present moment: not only the objects of attention, buy the process of attention and the relationship with what you attend. Reconcile yourself with the moment: senses, thoughts (and your idea of self, judgements and conditionings), feelings, needs, insights… And from this presence, let your best possibility act in the world. Accept also what it requires you to do. Act in an instant also with ease, as a dance with reality.
- 34. 34 Exercise 3 Letter to life: You are completely responsible of the level of attention you give to this present moment… Dear life:
- 35. 35 What do you think is behind most of your emotional reactions? Unconscious memories, perception errors of our most primitive brain, ego… Emotional Reactivity 4. Emotional intelligence management4. Emotional intelligence
- 36. How do we usually manage (incorrectly) emotions? 36 Repression Activated unconsciously, depending on the programming due to culture, education and past experiences that generate in us guilt and fear. Its mechanism are denial and projection (underlying current social violence). Suppression Activated consciously, depending in our beliefs. It manifests as irritability changes in mood, muscular tension, digestive problems, alergies… Expression Body language channels the emotion. Many think expressing laudly feelings liberate them, but usually just spread them and give them more energy. A better option is to assume the responsibility for this feelings and act on them. Escape Avoidance through entertainment. Its the cause of the boom of the entertainment industry, consumism, frantic activity… Fuente: Dr. David R. Hawkins-Dejar Ir, el camino de la entrega Emotional intelligence 4
- 37. 37 Emotions influence all our work • Anxiety • Depression • Emotional reactivity • Conflicts • Empathy • Relationships • Communication • Achievement • Inspiration • Creativity • Resonant leadership • Service leadership… Emotional intelligence 4
- 38. 38 “Inner weather: emotional awareness”Emotional intelligence 4 Stop several times per day. And just be aware of your own mood. Specially if its amoment where you can have emotional impact in your team. Observe any thought, pysical sensations, associated behaviour… You can also observe how your team members –as individuals and as a whole- react emotionally to specific situations. Pause: encourage open communication about feelings and emotions.
- 39. 39 Handle emotions considering their natureEmotional intelligence 4 Red light • Frozen thinking • Tension in body • Focus on past and future • Winning-losing • Me first • Causing damage Green light Amber light • Open and flexible • In the now • Provided for relationship need • Makes vulnerability surface • Us first • Helping • Arise when things go differently than thought • Feel anxious in the body • Triggered when unrealistic expectations cannot be achieved or when barrier appears in conversation Aggression Gloominess Yearning Anxiety Jealousy Contempt Alarm Sadness Love/ appreciation Empathy Joy Compassion Admiration Frustration Disappointment Fear Shyness Guilt Insult
- 40. 40 Practice 4 Digesting emotions Emotions are neurochemicals that transport information that help us return to balance. Therefore, let them do their work: emotions need to be digested! If you reject/deny them, they accumulate in the body as tensions… or they keep calling and overflow you. Whenever an emotion emerges, either subtle or strong, attend it from its pure quality: don’t bring it to the mind, just attend its presence in the body. Many times, emotions arrive linked to an “story” or thought. In this cases, its important to be aware of both: the emotion and the thought, because if not they create a loop which is very difficult to cut (it happens for example in depression, with thoughts as “I am not capable”). So be aware of the story and label it as “thought” and then, pay attention to the emotion (remember: not from the thinking mind, but literally feeling it in the body: it will help you follow the indications seen on the bodyscan). If an emotion is very intense, it might want to be sometime with you (for example, in a mourning): accept its timing. Place yourself in the heart and as adult, welcome the process you are in. When you experience an overreaction that you cannot control, later, when you arrive home and have sometime for silence, you might want to evoke again the situation, feel the emotion again and properly digest it with open heart. You can also evoke positive emotions: visualize a situation you like, feel the emotion in your body. But don´t get addicted to this feelings: life has all kind of light moments and shadows…rest in your conscious mind, always in peace.
- 41. 41 Practice 4 The body power on relasing/digesting emotions 25% Cortisol 15% Cortisol As emotions are released on the body-mind and stored in the body, our body postures and yoga can be of great help: Source1:AmyCudy.TEDTalks Increase energy with balance Calm energy Parasympathetic stimulus; pleasant clams Sympathetc stimulu: excitement, stressor Source2:Dr.DavidFrawley-YogandAyurveda
- 42. 42 Wound Origin How do you feel Strategy Rejection Feel unwanted in the first months of life (conception- 1st year) No right to live. Rejection of yourself and of others. Experiment lot of fear, to others and to life. And specially to be rejected again. It becomes difficult to expose to be seen. Experiment loneliness and of not deserve. Escape. I leave you before you leave me. Become unnoticed. Abandonment Experience a separation under the 3 first years. A new baby is born or we are left at the care of others Fear to loneliness. You cannot be alone, need excessive support and depend on others to takeall decissions. Difficulties to say “no” and defend your needs. Dependency. Difficulty to become responsible of your life. Humilliation In 3 frst years. Comments and jokes about the lack of skill, comparisons, punishments…. Embarrasment of yourself or others. Dont respect their own needs, taking more responsibilities than necessary. Betrayal 2 -4 years. Promises that are not fulfilled. Suspicious. Fear falsehood and see it everywhere. Feel bad with ambiguity and want to control / foresee everything. Control. Difficulties to delegate and demand in excess. Always think they are right. Jealous. Practice 4 Emotional reactivity (strong-unjustified…): The inner child wouds in the subconscious
- 43. 43 Why don´t you break the chain? Emotional intelligence 4 When meditating, our brain waves slow down its frequency (from beta to alfa or theta) connecting with the brainwave frequency of the subconscious…
- 44. 44 Two key emotions (1): aversion ? Where do you feel it Familiaríze yourself with the body sensation of aversion… attend it. It might be blocking other emotions: rage, sadness… Emotional intelligence 4
- 45. 45 Two key emotions (2): safety You, as manager, ensure an ambiance of safety Emotional intelligence 4 Resilience meditation Begin by fucus on your body and breath. Failure Take some minutes to bring your atention to a memory of an event in which you had the feeling of misarable failure. Observe your associated emotions and notice how the manifest themselves in the body. Then test if you are capable of exeriencing them without aversion. See whether you can view the emotions as physical sensations. That´s all. They are only experiences: allow them to be present. Success Take some minutes to bring your atention to a memory of an event in which you had the feeling of considerable success. Observe your associated emotions and notice how the manifest themselves in the body. Then test if you are capable of exeriencing them without wanting to hang on to them. See whether you can view the emotions as physical sensations. That´s all. They might be pleasant, but are only experiences: allow them to be present, They come on at their will and go when they will. Back to calmness: bring yor attention to the here and now, scan your body and observe how it now feels.
- 46. 5. Reflective action and SMART goal setting 46 A four step cycle that enhances the natural process of learning from experience. We move through it many times per day, but unconsciously…
- 47. 47 Practice 5 We invite you to use your everyday work initiatives to practice this new mindful leadership behavior and develop the capacities to support it. You do this using the level of awareness and intent that corresponds to your desired new level of leadership: the mindful/agile/ being mode. How? First you step back from your current focus. Here, try to gain new insight: diagnose the situation. This corresponds to the first two steps of the reflective action cycle and the results will depend on your current level of awareness (that which you are training with the 1-2-3-4 skills of this course). Then set your SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely –as possible-) intention and engage in what needs to be done. The way you set the intention will depend on your level of intent at your new “being” leadership level. Task: start appliying at your everyday work initiatives.
- 48. 6. A culture of dialogue. Active listening and generative conversations. Effective meetings /sales. 48 Film: Invictus-Clint Eastwood (director); Morgan Freeman y Matt Damon Directing attention is what communication is all about…
- 49. 49 Observable data and experiences (as a video recording might capture them) I select data dorm what I believe and my mental frames I add meanings (personal and cultural) I make assumptions (based on the meanings I added) I draw conclusions I adopt beliefs about the world I take actions based on my beliefs Loop: will affect the data I select next time Culture of comunication How do we attend the world: ladder of inference or open mind?6
- 50. 50 Culture of comunication6 Types of communication Field: Structure of Attention Conversing (group) Attending (individual) I-in-me I-in-it I-in-you I-in-now Listening 1: the autopilot. Fixed world view. Downloading habits of thought. You only need half word to know what you must do, or to confirm to yourself how the other is. Listening 3: Empathic Listening. You leave your own world view, and try to imagine how something feels for the other. Listening 4: Generative listening. From what is going to come- without a worlds view. Discover the story behind the story. Listening 2: Factual, object-focused. Directed mainly to noticing differences, (“this is wrong”). Used in legal environments… Downloading: Talking nice, politeness, rule-reenacting Debate: Talking tough, rule-revealing. Dialogue: Inquiry, rule-reflecting. Collective Creativity: Presencing, flow rule-generating. Source: MIT_Presencing Institute
- 51. 51 A key practice to build strong communication. When you listen, focus all your attention on just listening. If you let your thoughts, judgments get into your mind, several things happen: • You lose key elements of the conversation •You traduce the message your own past experience • The speaker detects you are thinking a response and becomes defensive, stressed, losing part of his creativity. The conversation ends in known territories. However, the real “Dialogue” happens when you hold your judgments, thoughts until it´s your time to talk. So when you listen, just acknowledge that you are listening. Allow also your body posture to express that you are listening. Observe your emotions, reactions…what happens internally? Its miraculous how conversations become much richer and efficient just with this simple (but not easy) practice. Practice 6 5 Mindful listening Nº 6 Tools continue in session 2
- 52. Invitation for the next weeks (25/06-19/07) 52 1. Home practice: relaxation (body scan or yoga-20 min) and attention to the breath (20 min) 2. Mindful attention to daily routines at home and work: scape from automatic pilots! Explore also your emotional challenges: digest your emotions in the here and now. 3. Mindful listening; practice at any opportunity. 1. Stakeholder Interview. The purpose of a stakeholder dialogue interview is to see your work from the perspective of your stakeholders. It answers the questions: What do my stakeholders want from me? What do they need me for? Procedure: make an appointment with one of your key stakeholders (boss, peers, clients..). Before you meet the interviewee allow for some quiet preparation or silence. During the interview, listen with your mind and heart wide open and take notes. Ask questions spontaneously: feel free to deviate from your questionnaire if important questions occur to you. The questionnaire is designed to serve you and your work—not the other way around. Questions: 1) What is your most important objective, and how can I help you realize it? (What do you need me for?); 2) What are the criteria that you use that help you to assess whether or not my contribution to your work has been successful or not? 3) If I could change two areas in my area of responsibility over the next six months, which two things would create the most benefit for you? 4) What were some of the barriers and issues that may have prevented people earlier in my role to collaborate effectively? Listen mindfully. Appreciate the feedback. 4. Reflective action: explore the tool with any other work issue that you wish: how would it be to behave from a hogher level of consciousness and intention? Explore the in the moment reactions…