Mindfulness For Managers At Work

Choose your mindset and set your intention before you get to work. It will help to ground you, focus your attention, and set you up for success -- no matter what the day holds. As a leader, part of your job is to set the tone. Do that before you get to work.

You don't have to be perfect. You won't have perfect answers, perfect resources, or ideal circumstances. It's ok. Instead of putting pressure on yourself, remember that being a good manager does not require perfection.

Work can be stressful, of course. But did you know that when you're surrounded by stressed or anxious people, it can affect how you're feeling, too? That's why it's important to tend to your self-care, and practice creating your own calm. As a leader, the ability to remain calm and grounded will help those around you feel more calm, too.

Depending on your work environment, you may experience a frustrating level of interruptions. They can interfere with the deep focus needed to get certain work done. And, frequent context-switching takes energy and adds to your cognitive load. This lesson offers a way to address interruptions, mindfully.

When you feel safe, it’s easier to address problems, identify resources and allies, generate creative solutions, and find a path forward. If you’re in a toxic environment at work, cultivate a sense of safety inside. Protecting your energy will make it easier to design a strategy for addressing the issue.

People are human. They have emotions. As a manager, if you want your team to be inspired, engaged, and motivated, you're tapping into emotions. You might find yourself working with someone who is frustrated, or angry, or sad -- or you might be that person! Learning to see emotions as a source of power, and growing your ability to be present with them, will serve you well as a leader.

One of the fastest ways to get pulled off center is to take things personally. This is easy to do at work, especially with written communications where you can't hear the person's tone of voice. Instead of reacting, take a breath to recenter yourself, and then decide how you'd like to respond. Practice mindful awareness and intentional breathing -- in the moment, eyes open -- so you can center yourself in any circumstance (like when you're in a meeting).