Mindful Leadership The 9 Ways to Self-Awareness, Transforming Yourself, and Inspiring Others

If you thought leading a team or organization meant simply creating and implementing a financial plan, delegating responsibility, and watching the bottom line, well, you're only partly right. True leadership comes from within, a place of deep calm and focus, that allows you to respond to any situation as it arises. In Mindful Leadership, you'll learn how to draw on those inner reserves through Mindfulness Meditation, a tool you can use to achieve focus and clarity, reduce stress, and develop the presence of mind to meet any number of challenges.

The book opens up a world of meditation exercises that can be done anywhere, anytime (no chanting or patchouli required!) and that are the gateway to improved judgment and decision making, improved time management, enhanced team effectiveness, greater productivity, and more on-the-job inspiration and innovation.

• Details the nine ways in which leaders can incorporate Mindfulness into every aspect of their lives
• Illustrates how meditation and business actually do mix
• Essential for anyone interested in anticipating and serving client needs
• The author coaches executives throughout North America and is quoted widely in the media

Offering essential skills for both life and work, Mindful Leadership shows how it's possible to successfully lead a team, an entire organization?or just yourself.

Acknowledgments xi

Part 1 – Mindfulness

Chapter 1: Overview 3

Chapter 2: An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation 13

Chapter 3: Mindfulness Techniques 34

Chapter 4: Five Hindrances that Impede Success 63

Chapter 5: Discovering Your Life Purpose 76

Part 2 – Mindful Leadership

Chapter 6: Be Present 93

Chapter 7: Be Aware 107

Chapter 8: Be Calm 117

Chapter 9: Be Focused 127

Chapter 10: Be Clear 133

Chapter 11: Be Equanimous 142

Chapter 12: Be Positive 152

Chapter 13: Be Compassionate 164

Chapter 14: Be Impeccable 174

Chapter 15: Nine Ways Forward 184

Endnotes 189

Bibliography 193

Index 195

About the Author 199

Maria Gonzalez, bcom, MBA, is a 30-year business veteran as a corporate executive and entrepreneur who believes that mindfulness transforms lives and organizations, and that it has the potential to transform society. She has been meditating regularly since 1991 and teaching mindfulness since 2002. She applies mindfulness to all aspects of her life, both personally and professionally. As founder and president of Argonauta Strategic Alliances Consulting Inc., she ensures that mindfulness is indistinguishable from her business, whether negotiating complex strategic alliances, doing strategy consulting, or coaching business leaders, professionals, entire teams, or organizations in mindful leadership.

Mindful Leadership is Maria’s second book. She is the coauthor of the award-winning The Mindful Investor (Wiley, 2010). You can visit her online at www.argonautaconsulting.com; read her blog at www.argonautaconsulting.com/blog; and access her Mindful Leadership App for smartphones and tablets.