1.
a n n e . l e m a i r e 1 @ t e l e n e t . b e
Mindfulness
for
business
leaders
….
The
latest
hype?
Anne
Lemaire
For
over
thirty
years,
the
MBSR
program
(mindfulness
based
stress
reduction)
has
proven
its
value
in
the
medical
world.
Although
derived
from
the
Buddhist
meditative
traditions,
the
mindfulness
approach
to
leadership
is
finding
its
way
into
the
corporate
world.
Unfortunately,
it
has
become
the
‘buzz’
in
the
media
and
is
often
presented
as
the
‘miracle
solution’.
But
is
it
really?
What
can
it
mean
for
leaders
and
their
organisations?
UMC
Radboud

2. 2
Mindfulness
for
business
leaders:
The
latest
hype?
Purpose
and
scope
When we are no longer able to change a situation –
we are challenged to change ourselves.
Victor Frankl
Needless
to
state
that
our
world
is
changing.
That
is
a
given.
What
is
new
are
the
speed
and
the
magnitude
of
change:
the
context
in
which
leaders
operate
has
become
more
and
more
volatile,
uncertain
and
complex.
Furthermore,
with
today’s
technologies
in
our
interconnected
world,
our
actions
have
a
wide
reaching
impact.
The
paradox
though
is
that
despite
the
fact
that
data
is
now
at
our
fingertips
and
that
wealth
has
increased
substantially
in
the
so-­‐called
‘developed
countries’,
our
lives
have
become
more
stressful,
less
rewarding,
less
energising.
We
are
caught
in
the
consumption
paradigm
of
‘more
and
more’
and
blinded
by
the
illusion
of
being
in
control.
I’ve
been
struck
by
the
tension
that
is
palpable
in
quite
a
number
of
organisations
and
its
impact
on
managers
and
leaders.
The
economic
pressures
are
such
that
we’re
slipping
into
a
society
driven
by
doing
rather
than
being,
by
action
rather
than
presence.
That
shows
in
the
‘last
minute
culture’
that
has
become
prevalent
in
quite
some
companies.
That
type
of
culture
is,
by
definition,
stressful
for
all
parties
involved:
it
requires
a
lot
of
energy
to
mobilise
all
the
needed
resources
in
the
given
timeframe;
and
because
there
is
less
time
to
reflect
or
‘to
go
to
the
balcony’i.
They
operate
on
‘automatic
pilot’
driven
by
image
(the
outside)
–
what
do
others
think
of
us
–
iso
identity
(the
inside)
–
the
inner
self.
My
biggest
concern
though
is:
do
leaders
bother
to
take
stock,
to
look
at
the
toll
this
takes
on
their
people?
The
purpose
of
my
search
is
to
explore
if
and
to
what
extent
mindfulness
can
support
leaders
to
regain
and
reclaim
more
sanity,
more
life,
more
perspective
in
their
day-­‐to-­‐day
business
reality
–
and
hence
be
able
to
create
healthy,
creative
and
energetic
organisations.
I’ll
first
look
at
the
lenses
that
I
use
for
leadership
and
mindfulness;
then
at
the
benefits
of
mindfulness
for
leaders
as
described
by
R.
Boyatzis.
In
the
conclusion,
I’ll
The
UN
World
Happiness
report
says:
“While
higher
income
may
raise
happiness
to
some
extent,
the
quest
for
higher
income
may
actually
reduce
one’s
happiness.
In
other
words,
it
may
be
nice
to
have
more
money
but
not
so
nice
to
crave
it.”

3. UMC
Radboud,
Nijmegen
Essay
3
share
some
implications
concerning
mindfulness
for
leaders
as
well
as
some
implications
for
future
research.
What…
is
leadership?
Management is doing things right;
leadership is doing the right things.
Peter Drucker
In
his
book
‘Good
to
great’,
Jim
Collins
studied
what
makes
great
leaders.
He
started
of
by
looking
at
the
differentiating
factors
between
good
and
great
organisations.
Collins
discovered
that
all
of
the
11
great
organizations
that
he
studied
were
headed
by
so
called
"Level
5
Leaders."ii
So,
yes,
leadership
makes
a
difference
and
can
be
a
key
to
success.
R.
Boyatzis
and
McKee
confirm
this
with
hard
data
:
1. 20
to
30%
variability
in
performance
is
due
to
leadership
and
climate
2. organisations
with
superior
leadership
outperform
annual
earning
goals
by
20%
3. employees
who
believe
they
have
poor
leadership
are
four
times
more
likely
to
leave
For
now,
I’ll
summarise
the
highlights
from
three
different
authors
who
focus
on
transformational
leadership:
Collins,
George
and
Boyatzis.
Jim
Collins
:
Introducing
Level
5
Leadership
For
Jim
Collins,
Level
5
is
an
empirical
finding,
not
an
ideological
one.
«
Level
5
»
refers
to
a
five-­‐level
hierarchy
of
executive
capabilities,
with
Level
5
at
the
topiii.
Level
5
leaders
embody
a
paradoxical
mix
of
personal
humility
and
professional
will.
»
(p.
39
‘Good
to
Great’).
In
fact,
these
global
leaders
faced
a
substantial
number
of
dilemmas
every
day,
requiring
them
to
deal
with
paradoxical
ambiguity
in
real
time.
Not
easy
for
Western
leaders
educated
to
focus
mostly
on
rational
analysis
and
decision
making
instead
of
embracing
both
ends
of
a
paradox.
Bill
George
:
Authentic
leadership
Two
years
later,
in
2003,
Bill
George,
professor
at
Harvard
Business
School,
went
even
further.
He
called
for
different
kind
of
leaders
to
lead
in
the
21st
century:
leaders
that
people
would
be
able
to
trust,
support
and
follow.
He
called
them
authentic
leaders.
‘Authentic
leaders
demonstrate
a
passion
for
their
purpose,
practice
their
values
consistently,
and
lead
with
their
hearts

4. 4
as
well
as
their
heads.
They
establish
long-­‐term,
meaningful
relationships
and
have
the
self-­‐discipine
to
get
results.
They
know
who
they
are.’
(HBR,
Febr
2007,
p.1)
George’s
premise
was
:
People
can
only
trust
you
when
you’re
genuine
and
true
to
yourself.
Richard
Boyatzis
:
Resonant
leadership
In
2005,
R.
Boyatzis
and
Annie
McKee,
who
belief
in
the
importance
of
emotionally
intelligent
leadership,
coined
the
concept
of
‘resonant
leaders’.
These
emotionally
intelligent
leaders
can
break
through
the
‘power
stress’
that
comes
with
the
territory
of
leadership
using
the
following
prescription
for
renewal
and
resonance
:
mindfulness,
hope,
and
compassion.
The
‘dissonant
leaders’
however,
become
ineffective
because
the
job
stress
they
internalise
spreads
throughout
their
organisation.
Distress,
exhaustion,
anger,
fear,
frustration
and
antagonism
make
a
dangerous
mix
that
can
deeply
damage
the
organisational
relationships.
Great
leaders
are
in
tune
with
self
and
others
:
mind,
body,
heart
and
spirit
are
aligned.
The
similarities
between
the
resonant
leaders
and
the
Level
5
leaders
are
striking.
But
for
now,
let’s
list
the
qualities
of
‘resonant
leaders’
:
• emotionnally
intelligent
• accountable
• trustworthy
• caring
of
others
and
of
their
organisation
• inspirational
through
humility,
hope
and
vision
So
very
similar
to
the
Level
5
leaders,
the
resonant
leader
breeds
success.
This
leader
is
thriving
and
helping
others
to
surf
the
waves
of
chaos
and
uncertainty.
This
leader
is
also
mindful.
In
summary
These
three
authors
show
us
leaders
who
are
mindful,
who
know
who
they
are
and
what
they
stand
for.
They
are
not
driven
by
extrinsic
motivations
(like
reputation,
power,
money)
only.
They
are
multidimensional:
they
lead
from
and
with
their
head,
heart,
body
and
soul.

5. UMC
Radboud,
Nijmegen
Essay
5
What…
is
mindfulness?
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years.
Abraham Lincoln
Put
simply,
it
means
‘being
fully
present’.
Mindful
awareness
is
a
practice
that
is
present
in
a
variety
of
contemplative
traditions.
It
invites
us
to
stop
(regularly),
to
breathe
and
observe
(with
a
beginner’s
mind),
to
pay
attention
e.g.
to
our
breathing
(breath
as
a
point
attractor)
and
to
honour
our
innner
experience.
There
are
many
definitions
of
mindfulness
and
some
are
also
described
in
‘Resonant
leadership’iv.
Personally,
I
prefer
to
work
with
the
definition
of
Jon
Kabat-­‐Zinn.
Thirty-­‐four
years
ago
he
developed
the
MBSR
(mindfulness
based
stress
reduction)
program.
He
defines
mindfulness
as
"paying
attention
in
a
particular
way:
on
purpose,
in
the
present
moment
and
non-­‐
judgmentally."
R.
Boyatzis
and
A.
McKee
bring
it
down
to
three
key
words:
Aware,
Awake
and
Attentive.
So
what?
For
the
last
twenty
years,
an
impressive
number
of
quantitative
studies
have
measured
the
physiological
and
psychological
benefits
of
mindfulness
on
clinical
and
non-­‐clinical
populations.
‘Psychological
benefits
include
enhancement
of
cognition
and
creativity,
attention
and
concentration,
self-­‐esteem,
interpersonal
functioning,
self-­‐
view,
and
empathy.
Physiological
benefits
include
improvement
in
immune
system
functioning,
modulation
of
cortisol,
increased
cerebral
blood
flow
and
shifts
of
activity
of
the
two
brain
hemispheres,
and
increases
in
rapid
eye
movement
sleep
(Shapiro,
Walsh,
&
Britton,
2003).’v
R.
Boyatzis
is
the
first
author
who
dedicates
a
full
chapter
to
mindfulness
in
leadership
through
compelling
stories
of
seven
corporate,
C-­‐level
leaders
who
navigate
the
unknown
successfully.
These
five
men
and
two
women
work
in
organisations
like
Gucci,
HSBC,
Unilever
and
are
into
mindfulness.
The
benefits
of
mindfulness
can
be
derived
from
the
‘Sacrifice
and
renewal
syndrome’
described
by
the
authors.
All
leaders,
good
and
bad
ones,
are
under
tremendous

6. 6
pressure:
the
scope
of
their
responsibility
is
huge,
they
need
to
face
up
to
crises,
to
daily
‘economic’
threats
and
surprises,
while
at
the
same
time
moving
people
in
a
common
direction.
That
takes
a
physical
and
emotional
toll.
The
authors
describe
how
power-­‐related
stress
can
lead
to
chronic
stress
and
how
that
impacts
the
leader’s
environment.
Once
trapped
in
the
Sacrifice
Syndrome
even
good
leaders
slip
into
mindless-­‐ness.
Why?
Under
high
pressure,
it
is
easy
to
get
‘tunnel
vision’,
meaning
that
we
start
over-­‐
focusing
on
some
things
to
the
exclusion
of
others.
Second,
we
can
get
caught
into
‘shoulds’
instead
of
‘wants’
and
loose
the
connection
with
our
inner
values.
And
finally,
when
feeling
vulnerable,
we
may
be
‘shutting
down’,
which
drives
us
further
away
from
connection
with
others.
For
the
chronic
nature
of
a
leader’s
stress,
the
authors
offer
a
solution:
renewal
or
taking
time
to
address
one’s
emotional
and
personal
needs.
Mindfulness
is
one
source
of
renewal.
Mindful
leaders
do
less
harm
because
they’re
in
balance;
they
are
in
tune
with
self
and
others.
The
benefits
of
mindfulness
for
the
seven
described
leaders
fit
in
the
four
dimensions
of
Emotional
Intelligence
defined
by
Daniel
Golemanvi
-­‐
except
for
‘coaching’
which
is
not
illustrated
in
any
story.
Some
researchers
are
advancing
the
research
agenda
even
further.
In
a
recent
study,
Mindfulness-­‐based
stress
reduction
effects
on
moral
reasoning
• Innluence
• Coaching
• Teamwork
• connlict
management
• Inspirational
leadership
• adaptability
• self
control
• positive
outlook
• results
orientation
• Empathy
• Org'l
awareness
• emotional
self
awareness
• humility
Self-­‐
awareness
Social
awareness
Relationship
management
Self-­‐
management

7. UMC
Radboud,
Nijmegen
Essay
7
and
decisionmaking,
Shapiro
found
that
MBSR
training
for
25
graduates
from
a
local
university
was
associated
with
improvements,
two
months
after
the
training,
in
four
domains
:
moral
reasoning
&
decision
making,
mindfulness,
emotion,
and
well-­‐being.
New
in
this
is
the
connection
between
Mindfulness
and
Decisionmaking
and
Moral
reasoning.
Based
on
the
feedback
from
80
leaders,
Janice
Marturano
(Institute
of
Mindful
Leadership)
states
that
mindfulness
had
a
positive
effect
on
the
leader’s
innovation
and
strategic
thinkingvii
!
Although
Hannes
Leroyviii
did
not
focus
on
leaders
only,
his
recent
study
reveals
something
interesting
:
‘mindfulness
and
meditation
practices
support
the
positive
and
work-­‐related
outcome
of
work
engagement.’
Critical
reflection
The
stories
of
the
seven
mindful
leaders
are
inspirational.
They
exude
confidence
in
the
fact
that
healthy
organisations
lead
by
resonant
leaders
who
renew
themselves
through
mindfulness,
hope
and
compassion
are
possible
because
there
are
pockets
of
‘positive
deviance’.
However,
we
don’t
get
a
clear
view
on
how
one
builds
up
mindfulness,
nor
how
to
sustain
the
practice.
Except
for
the
first
story,
there’s
no
reference
for
instance
to
how
often
and
how
much
time
do
these
people
sit
in
silence,
or
practice
mindful
movement,
or
do
a
walking
meditation. Therefore,
mindfulness
may
look
simple
to
the
readers.
This
is
further
reinforced
through
his
tips
for
‘mindfulness’
e.g.
being
with
your
family,
listening
to
music,
being
with
friends.
Exercise
#3
in
Appendix
B
is
what
comes
closest
to
a
‘Ten
minute
meditation’.
In
my
personal
journey,
the
discovery
of
mindfulness
has
been
significant
and
yet
slow.
While
reading
the
book
of
Thich
Nhat
Hanh
‘Miracle
of
mindfulness’
in
1994,
I
remember
the
resonance
I
felt
in
my
body.
But
it
was
only
years
later,
after
a
burn
out,
that
I
participated
in
the
MBSR
and
appreciated
the
richness,
importance
and
benefit
of
disciplined
daily
practice
which
has
become
a
ritual
in
my
life.
It
is
appealing
to
discover
what
mindfulness
may
mean
for
leaders
by
reading
their
stories.
The
downside
is
that
we
never
have
a
full
‘case
study’
that
would
allow
us
to
see
a
leader
in
the
perspective
of
all
his
leadership
functions.

8. 8
In
the
book
“
Resonant
leadership”
there’s
no
reference
to
hard
research
data
on
the
benefits
of
mindfulness.
Neither
is
there
evidence
for
the
physiological
benefits
researched
on
non-­‐clinical
populations.
Story
telling
is
an
effective
method
for
creating
awareness,
but
it
takes
more
to
convince
an
executive
Committee
to
start
a
mindful
program
for
their
leaders.
The
main
contribution
of
Boyatzis
and
McKee
has
been
to
bring
the
concept
of
mindfulness
into
the
leadership
literature.
And
that
was
a
bold
statement
in
2005.
Now
what
?
Conclusion
While
reading
Boyatzis,
I
couldn’t
help
but
think
of
my
own
experience
with
the
Sacrifice
Syndrome.
A
few
years
ago,
I
was
depleating
my
energy
and
(half)
ignoring
the
signals
given
by
my
body.
But
I
thought
my
body
would
be
able
to
keep
going.
I
tried
to
renew
myself
through
singing
and
learning
(the
sort
of
renewal
strategies
suggested
by
Boyatzis)
but
it
wasn’t
enough.
My
inner
values
were
being
challenged,
repeatedly.
The
lack
of
‘oxygen’,
the
lack
of
hope
that
it
would
get
better
was
wearing
me
down.
However,
and
this
is
where
my
personal
experience
meets
the
shortcomings
of
‘Resonant
Leadership’
R.
Boyatzis,
I’m
not
sure
anyone
could
have
stopped
this
from
happening,
nor
what
could
have
stopped
this
from
happening.
Once
I
was
in
overdrive,
my
ability
to
see
clearly
was
‘fogged’.
I
became
a
‘workaholic’
avoiding
the
confrontation
with
myself.
So
my
question
is:
what
does
it
take
to
prevent
leaders
from
running
into
the
wall?
Do
we
need
to
really
wait
for
the
‘wake
up
calls’
that
Boyatzis
describes
e.g.
divorce,
loss
of
a
friend,
serious
illness,
being
fired,
…
The
good
news
is:
Mindfulness
has
found
its
way
into
corporate
America.
Prestigious
brands
like
Google,
Apple,
Nike,
AOL,
Procter&Gamble,
Target,
General
Mills,…
have
adopted
mindfulness
programs.
Aetna,
a
major
US
health
insurer,
helps
their
clients
calculate
the
ROI.
Even
at
the
World
Economic
Forum
in
Davos
there
was
a
‘mindfulness
session’!
The
challenge
now
is
to
‘prove’
–
and
‘measure’
–
how
mindfulness
also
makes
a
difference
for
leaders.
These
studies
should
use
the
known
instrumentsix
that
are
typically
‘self
reported
evidence’
as
well
as
360°
feedback
reports.
An
even
bigger
quest
could
be
:
How
can
the
positive
influence
of

9. UMC
Radboud,
Nijmegen
Essay
9
mindfulness
on
moral
reasoning
lead
the
way
to
business
values
that
create
space
for
• giving
and
receiving,
• being
and
doing,
• material
and
spiritual,
• strength
and
fragility,
• being
unique
and
connected.
Mindfulness
holds
the
potential
for
making
a
difference
to
the
whole,
the
part
and
the
greater
whole.
It
certainly
is
not
‘the
solution’
to
all
and
for
all.
It
was
and
is
for
me
and
I’ll
continue
walking
this
path,
mindfully.
Anne
Lemaire,
March
2013

10. 10
References
i
Going
to
the
balcony
is
a
technique
recommended
by
Roger
Fisher
and
William
Ury
(Harvard)
in
their
book
‘Getting
to
Yes’;
although
they
focus
on
how
to
negotiate
successfully,
I
find
that
this
recommendation
is
very
similar
to
what
happens
when
you’re
mindfully
present,
or
when
you’re
meditating:
you’re
watching
your
thoughts,
the
whirlwind
of
your
emotions
and
the
rush
of
physical
sensations
ii
Jim
Collins,
a
business
consultant
and
former
faculty
member
at
Stanford
University,
began
researching
what
makes
a
great
company.
He
started
a
study
in
1996
and
wrote
about
his
findings
in
Harvard
Business
Review
(2001).
He
searched
and
sifted
through
an
initial
list
of
1.435
companies
(that
appeared
on
the
Fortune
500
in
the
years
1965
to
1995)
and
ended
up
with
11
truly
great
ones,
all
lead
by
‘Level
5
Leaders'.
His
book
‘Good
to
Great’
was
a
nb1
bestseller
and
sold
over
2million
copies
iii
The
build
up
of
the
pyramid
looks
very
much
like
a
role
structure
(5
bands),
traditionnally
called
‘job
structures/job
systems’.
Consequently,
a
Level
5
leader
embodies
the
qualities,
skills
and
capabilities
that
you
find
in
the
other
four
levels
(without
the
need
to
pass
sequentially
through
each
level).
The
Level
5
leaders
are
rather
unique
creatures
and
you
may
wonder
how
many
people
combine
such
a
unique
mix.
They’re
ambitious
but
not
for
themselves,
not
to
serve
their
ego.
They
are
ambitious
for
the
company.
They
don't
seek
success
for
their
own
glory;
rather,
success
is
necessary
so
that
the
team
and
organization
can
thrive.
They
tend
to
share
the
credit
for
success,
and
they're
the
first
to
accept
the
blame
for
mistakes.
They’re
more
‘plow
horses’
than
‘show
horses’,
driven
to
produce
sustained
results.
Collins
also
says
that
they're
often
shy,
but
fearless
when
it
comes
to
making
decisions,
especially
ones
that
most
other
people
consider
risky.
iv
Ellen
Langer,
a
Harvard
professor,
looks
at
mindfulness
from
a
cognitive
psychology
perspective
and
describes
it
as
‘a
healthy
state
of
cognitive
openness,
curiosity
and
awareness’
(The
Power
of
Mindful
Learning)
v
Shauna
Shapiro,
Hooria
Jazaieri
&
Philippe
Goldin
:
Mindfulness-­‐based
stress
reduction
effects
on
moral
reasoning
and
decision
making,
The
Journal
of
Positive
Psychology:
dedicated
to
furthering
research
and
promoting
good
practice
(first
published
:
11
sept
2012),
p.2
viWhat
is
emotional
intelligence
(EI)
according
to
Daniel
Goleman
?
Emotional
intelligence
(EI
>
EQ)
is
the
ability
to
understand
and
manage
both
your
own
emotions,
and
those
of
the
people
around
you.
People
with
a
high
degree
of
emotional
intelligence
usually
know
what
they're
feeling,
what
this
means,
and
how
their
emotions
can
affect
other
people.
For
decades,
there
was
a
shared
(unspoken)
assumption
amongst
many
business
leaders
that
the
sole
source
of
success
was
IQ.
Yet,
midway
through
the
nineties,
the
following
finding
threw
a
different
light
on
what
made
the
difference
:
people
with
average
IQs
but
high
EQ
outperformed
those
with
the
highest
IQs
70%
of
the
time
!
The
assumption
:
‘smart
is
good
enough’
was
no
longer
true.
IQ
became
the
minimum

11. UMC
Radboud,
Nijmegen
Essay
11
threshold
and
EI
the
differentiating
factor!
Using
two
axis
-­‐
the
horizontal
one
is
‘self
–
others’,
the
vertical
one
‘awareness
–
managing’
–
there
are
four
skills
underpinning
EI:
self-­‐awareness,
self-­‐management,
social
awareness,
relationship
management
vii
Janice
Marturano
conducted
two
significant
research
studies
(2009,
2010)
to
understand
the
effects
of
Mindful
Leadership.
She
writes
the
following
on
her
website
–
The
results
were
impressive.
As
an
example,
in
one
survey
of
80
leaders
from
twelve
for-­‐profit
and
nonprofit
organizations,
reported
the
following:
•
93
percent
said
the
training
had
a
positive
impact
on
their
ability
to
create
space
for
innovation
•
89
percent
said
the
program
enhanced
their
ability
to
listen
to
themselves
and
others
•
Nearly
70
percent
said
the
training
made
a
positive
difference
in
their
ability
to
think
strategically.
viii
Hannes
Leroy,
Frederik
Anseel,
Nicoletta
G.
Dimitrova,
Luc
Sels
:
Mindfulness,
authentic
functionning,
and
work
engagement:
a
growth
modelling
approach,
The
Journal
of
Vocational
Behavior,
available
online
:
10
February
2013
ix
List
of
known
instruments
:
mindfulness
(FFMQ
and
MAAS),
emotion
(STAI-­‐S,
STAI-­‐T,
and
PANAS),
and
well-­‐being
(EQ,
SCBCS,
SCS,
SHS,
and
PSS)