Mindful Leadership Workshop for 30+ Master students at the Future Week of the Swiss Distance University of Applied Science (FFHS) in Geneva.

Mindful Leadership at FFHS Future Week

It was my great pleasure to give a Mindful Leadership presentation at the Future Workshop of the Swiss Distance University of Applied Science (FFHS) in Geneva. Each year FFHS organises a Study Trip at different locations for their Master students, most of them from middle or higher management, with the goal to step out of their comfort zone, to analyse, to experiment and to learn something avant-garde.  This kind of “out-of-box” learning is key for innovation and success for the future and I can really feel the dynamic energy among the students.

Mindfulness is more than just meditation, it is an attitude, a lifestyle

Mindfulness has been a trendy word in the past few years, mainly because of its great effectiveness in the medical fields, in treating stress, depression and burn-out.  In a meta-analysis, researchers have found out 84% of people practice mindfulness to reduce stress and anxiety.  Although meditation is a formal practice of mindfulness, there is more to mindfulness than it meets the eye.  It’s not about meditation, the techniques, it’s an attitude, a lifestyle.  As matter of fact, you can practise mindfulness with just about any daily activity, as long as you can fully immerse into the activity you do at hand.  

Many people dismiss mindfulness because of its association with religion or esterioc beliefs.  Mindfulness comes from Buddhism 2500 years ago, and many religions practice mindfulness as part of their daily routine, however, we do not have to be religious at all to practice mindfulness.  

Mindfulness in the business context

In the business context, mindfulness enables leaders to be more focused, to remain calm and to see clarity.  Mindful leadership offers us a new way to lead. In a world which is dominated by external demands, we learn self-awareness, to listen to our own body and heart in order to lead from inside-out;  In a world that is changing faster and faster, we cultivate full presence - intentionally slow down and indulge ourselves to dive deep for things that most matter to us;   In a world that is becoming more and more fragmented,  we train to have a Beginner’s Mind, to stay open, with the willingness to step out of our own bubbles.  

Potential mindful leaders

With FFHS students, I see many potential mindful leaders. They are open, flexible and keen to learn.  They had an incredible intensive week, analysing business models from a completely different culture, China.  They questioned the status quo, challenged the business owner’s perspective, experimented with different assumptions and they were unbelievably curious.  This is the kind of leader we need in today’s world.  Leaders who are not defined by external trends and norms, but who are fully aware of themselves, their own mind, body and emotional intelligence.  Leaders who can stand tall in the midst of storm, who are grounded, centred and calm no matter how chaotic the world around them has become.  Leaders who are focused on delivering solutions, taking all perspectives into account, who are not afraid of exploring opposite ideas. 

Last week, we only had a very short time to touch the surface of mindful leadership, but mindfulness is something we have to experience, in order to understand what it is.   One student gave me this positive feedback, “ Thank you for an emotional and inspiring workshop with special exercises that I can use very well in hectic times between full-time job and studies!”

At Art of Mindfulness, we organise mindful leadership programs and I invite you to explore them and experience for yourself what mindfulness is and how they can support you in your daily work as a leader.  Our 1-Day Retreat is in a small group and takes place in the beautiful surroundings near Männedorf, Zurich, where we immerse ourselves into nature and get much more hands-on with different mindfulness practices.  More importantly, we will examine concretely how mindfulness can support you in your everyday life at work as a leader.  Our goal at the end of the day is that you pick out the most useful mindfulness practices for you and derive a plan on how to integrate them into your daily routine as a habit. 

I invite organisations and individuals to come to our Mindful Leadership Workshop and find out how mindfulness can help you to become a greater leader!  You can write to me at min.wang@artofmindfulness.ch for more information.