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Greetings!
|  I am delighted to be launching the Mindful Leadership Newsletter and to share it with you. As you may know, I am in the process of writing a book entitled Mindful Leadership, 8 Ways to Be a Mindful Leader. The process of writing this book is tremendously fulfilling for me. I hope that those who read the book will experience real benefit. Everyone I have worked with through the years and continue to work with has been an inspiration for this book. Over the last three decades as a Strategist and in the last decade as a Mindfulness Coach I have come to realize that everyone of us is a leader each and every day in big ways and many small ways. The conventional definition of a leader is now outmoded. These times require that anyone who is in a position to influence another human being exhibit true leadership. Every organization, family, community and indeed country, needs to be populated by effective leaders if we are to make a difference and positively impact the world. As I write the book I have also started to blog about the various topics. Many of you have already been reading the blogs. Each week there is a particular theme, including occasional guided meditations, and once a week I share a Mindful Leadership in Action - Tip of the Week. The feedback has been wonderful. If you have not already signed up to receive the blog posts as they are posted you may wish to sign up in this Newsletter. Registration appears in the right column. This will enable you to benefit from and have the convenience of regular reminders of how to be a Mindful Leader and some easy tips you can implement immediately. My aspiration is that these blog posts enable your Mindfulness practice. So your comments and feedback are important to me. If there are topics you would like explored or questions you would like answered, please let me know. Additionally, in the Newsletter there will be a series of "Conversations with Mindful Leaders". The intention is that these videos be an inspiration to others. These are all people who are effectively and successfully applying Mindfulness in their professional and personal lives. If there are people you would like to see interviewed I would very much welcome your suggestions. In this Newsletter I have the pleasure and privilege of speaking with Kira Leskew, Chief Operating Officer, Amberwood Doors Inc. I am tremendously grateful to Peter Pacini, who has done the videos and recorded the guided meditation in this Newsletter. Without him the blog and Newsletter would not have been possible. He is a wonderful example of a Mindful leader and a real pleasure to work with. I hope you enjoy the first Newsletter and find it worthwhile. I look forward to hearing from you. mgonzalez@argonautaconsulting.com Wishing you many Mindful moments.
All the best,
Maria.
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Tips of The Week
| Being a Mindful Leader Requires Presence of Mind
To be Mindful is not to be detached from the world, but rather to be fully engaged in the world - a part of everything and co-creating life. Being a Mindful leader requires presence of mind, full engagement with everyone and everything. A
way to practice this several times a day is to be fully present when you are with another person. Whether in a meeting, sharing a meal, or casually bumping into someone, be fully there. Have you ever noticed how some people interact with you as if you are the most important person in the world? They are not looking around to see if someone more interesting has come into the room. These people are rare. Read Full Article Being Present with Oneself Last week I talked about presence of mind and suggested a tip to enhance the ability to be present with others.This week I would like to suggest being present with oneself. This can often prove to be even tougher. Have you ever noticed how we can make ourselves so busy that we lose touch with what we are experiencing? In fact, very often, our reaction to not liking what we are experiencing or what we see in ourselves is to suppress, deny or distract. When we choose distraction we often choose busyness. Read Full Article Hindrances Make Us Uncomfortable in Our Skin If you find yourself experiencing one of the hindrances I introduced in the previous blog post, take a moment to notice how it is impacting your life. You will know that a hindrance is at play because you don't feel comfortable in your skin, you are out of sorts, or you don't see yourself as the person you wish to be. Read Full Article Most Things Are Not as They Appear As I mentioned in previous posts, hindrances are what it is to be human. So if you see them rear their ugly head, reflect on whether they are negatively impacting your life. If they are not, just be aware. If they are, then you have the opportunity and choice to make a change for the better. Read Full Article Be Aware of "Feel" Sensations in Your Body When Making Decisions As I mentioned earlier this week, improved decision making is one of the many benefits experienced when you practice Mindfulness. One of the ways to improve your ability to make sound decisions is to become aware of what you are experiencing as you make a decision. Next time you are faced with making a decision notice if you are experiencing any emotion. Read Full Article |
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Conversations with Mindful Leaders
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Kira Leskew is Chief Operating Officer at Amberwood Doors Inc. You will see that she successfully weaves Mindfulness into every aspect of her professional and personal life. She has a real commitment to leading a Mindful organization and I have had the privilege and pleasure of training her team.
Watch The Video
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Mindful Missives
| 7 Fascinating Facts About Meditation & Its Impact on Decision Making & Focus
I have had the pleasure of exploring a great deal of recent research as I write Mindful Leadership. I would like to share with you some that I think you will find of interest. Much of the most useful research will be included in the book. Over the last 15 years there has been excellent research on the physical and emotional benefits of meditation. Real Full Article Attachment Is the Most Insidious of the Hindrances Have you ever noticed how attached we are to so many things? In fact, attachment or craving is the root of all suffering as the Buddha taught 2,500 years ago. Not much has changed! Attachment can take obvious forms, such as attachment to position, status, conspicuous consumption, etc. Or, it can take very subtle forms such as attachment to comfortable weather or having our coffee be brewed "just" right.
But, there is a form of attachment that is downright dangerous to inner peace, as well as world peace.
Read Full Article What Prevents Us from Being Mindful? Do you ever find that despite your efforts to be Mindful and to stay engaged with others and yourself, you fall into old patterns? Sometimes they are patterns you immediately recognize, other times you only become aware hours or days later. The reason this happens to us is because we have fallen prey to one or more of the five hindrances. Read Full Article But What Does It Mean to Be Mindful? Mindfulness is simply noticing the way things are. It's not a technique, it's a skill - the skill of being aware without grasping or denying. Both grasping and denying are created states, they don't occur naturally. In fact, they are habitual. Therefore, Mindfulness is the skill of being natural. It enables us to be aware of exactly where and what we are. It is a skill that enables us to be "awake" in the moment - moment by moment. Read Full Article Self Leadership Is the Key to Mindful Leadership Since the fall of 2008 we have seen trillions of dollars disappear from the global economy, causing a global restructuring. Indeed, no economy in the world has been spared, nor has any organization or institution. It seems as if the demands of this new world order are beyond the present ability (experience) of most (many) who occupy leadership positions. The new reality requires all leaders to have an unprecedented presence of mind. Read Full Article Mindfulness / Meditation Books Worth Reading Many of you have been asking about a suggested reading list of Mindfulness / Meditation related books for some time. I have compiled a bibliography of over 160 books that I have enjoyed / found useful over the years. The bibliography is segmented by category, including stress management, science, spirituality, Buddhism, poetry, among others. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have. Download Book List pdf |
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In the Next Newsletter
|  In the next Mindful Leadership Newsletter I will be in conversation with Michelle Wassenaar, founding partner of Johnston Wassenaar LLP, an intellectual property law firm.
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"To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."
Chuang-Tzu |
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