Mindfulness in the workplace

Mindfulness. It’s the latest buzzword in psychology and driving the craze for adult colouring-in books at Kmart but does it have a place in the workplace?

Last week, Professor Amanda Sinclair published her third book, Leading Mindfully – a guide on how to cultivate everyday mindfulness for leaders seeking to make their organisations and workplaces productive, fulfilling and enjoyable places to be.

The book incorporates summaries of the latest neuro-scientific and leadership research and provides a simple and powerful path to leadership through 20 mindful practices that can help leaders manage the demands of the never ending ‘To Do’ list. 

Professor Sinclair said the book was inspired by her fields of expertise, leadership and organisational culture along with her work with CEOs through MBS’s Executive Education programs and students enrolled in the full and part-time MBA. 

“Using the mind to think is one of those taken-for-granted activities that we rarely stop to explore or analyse,” said Professor Sinclair. 

“Leading mindfully means using our minds and thinking in both a more discriminating and a more expansive way. Being able to gain perspective on the mind enables leaders to focus their thinking on what matters, less caught up and stressed by the mind’s deviations, ruminations and, sometimes, catastrophising.”

“Seeing beyond the chatter of habitual thinking, we are in turn less of a slave to those thoughts and able to choose if we give them an audience”

“Mindfulness is helpful for all of us involved in the day-to-day of leadership, in those interactions in organisations, communities, schools and families where we are seeking to influence others towards positive outcomes.” 

Leading Mindfully is available to buy via the Allen & Unwin website. 

Professor Amanda Sinclair will be the keynote speaker at the Melbourne Global Alumni Celebration event on March 17, exploring topics featured in Leading Mindfully. Tickets cost $30 for MBS Alumni and $20 for current students. Please RSVP by March 11 to secure your spot.