What makes a great leader? I am a constant student of leadership, from being a company leader myself, to working directly with company leaders (at every level) as a consultant to help them find solutions and set culture.
Of course there are hundreds of articles and blogs on the topic, and entire sections in book stores (online and brick and mortar) devoted to leadership. What I have come to realize is that an important part of healthy leadership is countering negativity. Negativity is contagious. Frowning is contagious. Using negative language is contagious. Complaining is contagious. So how do we counter so many shades of grey?
There are some amazing and easy ways to overcome it, so says every article and blog I’ve read. The hard work is in making these things a habit. For instance, I believe in meditation of sorts, but I don’t really meditate in the authentic way that the real gurus teach people to meditate. I don’t have a secret mantra. My mantra is “just keep swimming” which I assigned myself when I was learning to swim in open water to compete in a triathlon and still use when swimming breathlessly, or when I’m laying on a table getting acupuncture and I have a sinking feeling about an upcoming project or deadline. I try to clear my mind when struggling through a deep-tissue massage and the only thing I can think about is the pain, or in forward bend “uttanasana” pose in yoga and groaning at how tight my hamstrings are. As my Harvard Prof. Marty Linsky stated in a leadership class I took, “finding your sanctuary at work is important in executing leadership”. He recommended staring out a window.
In our daily lives, distraction and technology overload is unavoidable, and hence the notion of being more present, mindful or “in the moment” through meditation practices, help us focus on living on the other side of stress – and bringing clarity to any situation. It might even be counting to one hundred (because counting to ten is not long enough for some of us).
Countering negativity is a constant challenge as human beings. Because no matter how much we live in a bubble, we cannot avoid bursting it from time to time when current events perpetuate fear either at work or in the world. So many messages are running along our mental ticker. Don’t quit your day job even if you don’t like what you do. Don’t lose your job even if you don’t get along with your boss. Don’t stress about money, even if you can’t afford your expenses. Student loans are 1,000 times higher than they were a decade ago, so parents need to save save save. In addition to local and global issues such as homelessness and poverty, gun violence, etc.
Let’s face it. Our brains can only handle so much negative stimuli.
So even if you don’t believe in meditating, and you run, golf, hike, fish, ski, zumba, get massages or take yoga classes, you are still doing what you need to in order to counter some of the negativity. Just remind yourself to clear your head, stare out a window or find a happier mantra than “I hate my life”.
Whatever your mechanism, you don’t have to follow the herd and meditate, but it’s extremely important you find your own way to be positive.
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