The mindsets of the past can be challenging to let go of. People get into set patterns, and they feel comfortable and might be resistant to changes. However, this new era requires that leaders be agile and aware, and opening the mind to the possibilities of new leadership styles is critical for success.
There are always valuable lessons to learn from the past. Leadership models have evolved over the last century, from the task-focused manager who had all the control and power, to the brain-focused leaders of today who equate ideas with power.
Our minds and ideas are more powerful than we know, and modern neuroscience is helping us to understand what mindfulness can do for your mental and physical health. Many Eastern traditions, including Buddhism, support nurturing a healthy mind through mindfulness.
Mindful meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy have shown to be useful in the treatment of terminal or chronic illnesses and conditions such as depression or OCD (Sanivarapu, 2016).
Nothing threatens a corrupt system more than a free mind.
Suzy Kassem
The political climate around the world is quite alarming. Turmoil, threats from climate change, government instability, and political uncertainty reiterate the need for strong, ethical leaders. What kind of world do we want to leave behind for future generations?
Learning how to free your mind, to increase your awareness of those around you, and to be agile and ready to react will make you a more effective leader. And leaders who possess these skills are desperately needed, in nearly every country on this planet. The old mindsets of the past are dragging us back into the dark ages, where science is questioned, and humans have no rights.
Modern leaders in the Imagination Age need to be more open-minded. The paradigms of the past should be allowed to become extinct and give way to mindfulness. But it isn’t enough to jump on the bandwagon of mindfulness.
Our bodies matter, too, and getting enough sleep, eating properly, exercising, and time to relax are also needed. The necessary physical health is required to support changes in our brains.
Open-mindedness will lead to increased awareness and agility. Leaders with high levels of agility trust his or her instructs, and they can quickly change course and implement new measures.
Leaders with low levels of agility are more likely to subscribe to the leadership models of the past, and rely on rules and authority, be unwilling to compromise, and these leaders do not know how to guide others
Citation:
Sanivarapu S. Free your mind: Mindfulness practice of Buddhist philosophy. Indian J Psychiatry 2016; 58:345.