What Is Mindful Leadership and How Can It Help You Run a Better Business?

Source: CO by U.S. Chamber of Commerce & Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, Contributor

By practicing mindful leadership, managers may find that their team’s productivity increases and their employees feel more confident in their work.

Mindfulness, the practice of being fully present and aware of your surroundings, has gained increasing mainstream popularity in recent years. Now, more and more business leaders are incorporating this mindset into management, practicing what’s commonly referred to as mindful leadership.

Learn more about this leadership style and its benefits, as well as practical tips to implement mindfulness in the workplace.

What is mindful leadership?

Mindful leadership is the intentional blending of leadership and mindfulness principles to create a more positive and productive workplace.

“Mindful leadership means leading with presence, self-awareness, and empathy,” explained Tiffany Schlarman, Interim VP of Communications at Trivium Packaging. “Leaders who practice mindful leadership are completely present, understanding themselves and their surroundings.”

Other tenets of mindful leadership include:

Active listening: Giving people undivided attention, listening empathetically without judgment, and truly aiming to understand their point of view.
Emotional regulation: Understanding and managing one’s own feelings and triggers, pausing before responding when needed (rather than reacting on emotion alone).
Purposeful decision-making: Considering the long-term impact of decisions, balancing organizational goals with the needs of the people involved.
Self-reflection: Making time to evaluate one’s own leadership style and habits, and how those impact the team and organization.

Benefits of mindful leadership

Mindful leadership can encourage several long-term workplace benefits, including the following:

Improved decision-making

When solving problems, leaders can develop tunnel vision or otherwise rush through decision-making for the sake of time or ease. Mindful leaders, on the other hand, take in what’s going on around them and consider all points of view to find the right solution, as opposed to the most immediate one.

“Mindfulness allows us, as leaders … to pause, gain clarity, and make choices with purpose instead of pressure,” said Dr. Lamell McMorris, author of "The Power to Persist," podcast host, and Founder of Phase 2 Consulting. “That shift in mindset not only reduces stress; it sharpens decisions, fuels resilience, and makes it possible to inspire teams in the toughest moments.”

Better stress management and resilience

Leaders often face acute and chronic stress, and the latter can have more lasting effects on well-being and performance. Mindfulness helps leaders remain calmer under pressure and navigate daily pressures more easily.

“There’s always more to do, so burnout is always a risk,” said Marie Bahl McKenna, CMO of Uptempo. “Staying self-aware and taking a breath is the way to stand back and stay cool. This way, I can remain observant, curious, and agile.”

A more open and encouraging company culture

The practice of mindful leadership benefits not only the leader but also their team. When leaders practice presence and empathy, they create an environment of psychological safety, where employees are encouraged to speak openly without fear of judgment or negative consequences.

“That calmness and focus can help to create stronger relationships and develop resilience, both critical when navigating difficult circumstances,” Schlarman noted.

This also has a positive ripple effect across the organization, as employees tend to follow the leadership’s example. When a manager is calm and composed in the face of adversity, it teaches others to do the same. And when an entire team is less stressed, they have higher morale and tend to be more productive.

[Read more: What Is Laissez-Faire Leadership?]

Tips for becoming a mindful leader

While the concept of mindful leadership may seem simple, many find it difficult to stay focused and effectively implement the practice into their daily routine. Here are some simple tips to get you started.

Build consistent daily practices

For busy leaders, establishing simple, everyday habits is often the most sustainable way to incorporate mindfulness into their workdays and personal lives.

“I start my day with a five-minute morning meditation, relax my breathing between meetings, and reflect nightly on wins … as well as where to improve,” shared McKenna. “I also try to separate what I can control from what I cannot.”

McKenna recommends tying daily mindfulness practices to other routines, as this can help with consistency: “For me, it works to bookend the day.”

Model intention in how you work

As a leader, the way you structure your day sets the tone for the entire team.

“Conduct meetings with purpose, promote focused dialogue, and work on one task at a time,” advised Schlarman. “Modeling intentional behavior encourages others to enhance their own concentration and work quality.”

Equally important to modeling how you work is modeling breaks from it when needed.

“If the boss is blocking time to stand back from the strain and come back refreshed, the team will take their cues from that,” McKenna added.

Be willing to be vulnerable

While more traditional leadership approaches may view vulnerability as a liability, it can be an incredible asset in mindful leadership.

McMorris noted that being open about challenges, admitting what he doesn’t know, and even acknowledging when he’s gotten it wrong gives his team permission to do the same. This, he explained, creates the foundation for the trust, resilience, and innovation teams need to succeed.

“It reminds everyone that leadership isn’t about perfection,” added McMorris. “It’s about creating the conditions where people feel empowered to bring their best selves forward, through the good times and the tough ones.”

Dan Casarella contributed to this article.