Transform Your Leadership by Committing to the Art of Presence
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:00:02 Welcome to Heart Glow CEO™, where high achievers evolve into purpose-driven powerhouses. I'm Kc Rossi, your Integrative Leadership Coach. Join us to break free from people pleasing and burnout, exploring mindset, embodiment, and soul alignment. Discover expert insights, success stories, and actionable tips for holistic wealth on your terms. This is where transformation meets the modern female leader. Let's go!
As mentioned last week, we will be exploring the art of mindful leadership and how staying present can revolutionize your approach to leading yourself and others. This is such a necessary topic in our world. We're taking a pause, a breath, and a moment to compose ourselves often feels like a pipe dream in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
However, what is true is that you create your reality. Even if you're in the confines of an organization or your own packed schedule — you still have jurisdiction over your thoughts, words, deeds, breathing, brakes, reactions, and so forth. Let's dive in.
What is mindful leadership? Well, it's a practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:01:25 It involves self-awareness, emotional regulation, and a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of the team members around you. The other thing I want to underscore is we have to have this relationship with ourself first.
All amazing leadership starts with self-leadership.
So this relationship with yourself, being comfortable with silence, and an attuned awareness of what's going on around you is going to help cultivate that mindful leadership. I think it's helpful to also look at the opposite. So what isn't mindful leadership if you want to say. And that would be like bouncing from one thing to the next. Overwhelmed brain fog, moving too quickly, missing things, reacting impulsively, having a short fuse, and being easily distracted. And maybe you see yourself in some of these pieces, or maybe someone immediately in your sphere is coming to mind where you're nodding your head and you're like, oh my gosh, that is so and so. It's amazing to look at them in contrast, because you can see by being intentional about being mindful, you have the power to create harmony and improve culture.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:02:41 And that's pretty exciting!
Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. (That is a mouthful, but that's his title.) He says “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” I'm going to repeat that “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.” Sounds pretty easy, doesn't it? But it does take a conscious effort to slow down, pay attention, and allow your brain and nervous system to take in all of the data.
There is science behind mindful leadership. Research has shown that mindfulness can significantly impact leadership effectiveness. You probably already know this. You just basically by picking up on what's around you, whether you are a very small team or you work in an organization, I'm sure you have seen and noticed the difference between a leader that comes in and actually is present, and someone that is spinning like a top with a million things on their mind.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:03:57 A study published in the Journal of Business Ethics found that leaders who practice mindfulness exhibit higher levels of moral reasoning and decision-making capabilities.
Another study from the Journal of Applied Psychology revealed that mindful leaders are better equipped to manage stress and foster positive workplace relationships. So there's a couple other things that the science is showing us.:
Improved emotional intelligence. Mindful leaders have enhanced emotional intelligence, which helps them understand and manage their own emotions while empathizing with their team members. This also goes back to if you have not experienced that, you cannot give it to someone else. You actually have to walk the walk in your own life in order to have empathy. And empathy can't be faked. It's something that comes from the heart. It's nothing that you can, you know, study a flowchart and be empathetic. And so part of this goes back to that self-leadership to truly understand someone's viewpoint, to put yourself in their shoes, and to fee…l that is really when you're going to start to experience empathy. When you have that, it absolutely leads to better communication and conflict resolution.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:05:20 I'm a Certified EQ 2.0 Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. So if you're curious about your relationship with emotional intelligence or EQ as it's known, absolutely reach out to me because through this assessment, you can see where your strengths are and what areas you can leverage for more balance and EQ depth. I will definitely drop a link in the show notes for more information on it, because I think it's a fascinating subject. It just becomes one of those personal tools that can give you specifics about your wiring and your makeup, and then you get to play around with these different composites and see how you can use one where you have a stronger relationship with that muscle, so to speak, to pull up another one that may be lagging for whatever reason. So really cool stuff.
The next big piece, which we have heard about, but it's still so important to highlight, is reducing our stress. Mindfulness practices have been shown to reduce cortisol levels (the hormone associated with stress) and lower stress levels contribute to a healthier work environment and improved leader wellbeing.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:06:30 You know this already. You are a better version of yourself when you are not under extreme stress. Slowing down and tuning in can help.
A study by the Harvard Business Review found that mindfulness training can improve focus, memory, and cognitive flexibility. I love even thinking about that last one; cognitive flexibility. Can you imagine how our relationships would be off the chart if both partners exercised cognitive flexibility? It's like mind-blowing.
So this enhanced focus and productivity allows leaders to make more informed decisions and be more productive. But not only leaders. As I age and see my inner tribe, who is around 20 years my senior, I have a newfound respect for memory. Remember back in the day, we thought multitasking was a superpower, only to realize there really isn't any such thing? And in fact, when we try it, it's actually to our detriment. We now know that multitasking can reduce efficiency, increase errors, cause stress, and impair cognitive functions like memory and focus. And it often leads to lower quality of work and prolonged task completion times, which makes complete sense because we're frequently switching between activities.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:07:55 Holy smokes! And thank God we have new understanding and new learnings before we're completely burned out. We can now drop any guilt from zoning in on a deep work block and doing one thing at a time, wholly and solely.
Another quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn is ”Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” And I just want to pause with that for just a minute. Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience. And I think this is so very interesting because how often do we keep ourselves in the equation? I know especially for high-performing, high-achieving females, it is very common to be filling everybody else's cup around us. Are you okay? Are you okay? Are you okay? We're making sure to cross the T's, dot the I's, and making sure that everyone's cup is filled around us. So it's so interesting when I read that mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves. And I think to myself, how many women, how many of my clients actually can perceive mindfulness as a way of befriending themselves, as putting themselves in the equation?
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:09:19 I really look at this as a huge opportunity to change the channel and release these outdated paradigms that don't serve us, that make us bitter and resentful and exhausted. The last part of that quote is, and I'll read the whole thing - “Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” And that other piece is really interesting, our experience. How are we taking in the experience? And this goes really into the mindfulness consciousness, our leadership. Are we just checking boxes? Are we just, you know, taskmasters completing the thing to say that it's done and on our asana board? Or are we fully taking a breath and even understanding what our experience is? Who are the players in the game? What's my role in this game? How do I feel about it? Right? We may go to that extent, but I encourage you to go a little bit deeper. When we think of our personal experience, what does it feel like in your body? How does it make you mentally interact with the thing, the person, place or thing? Is it calming? Is it anxiety-provoking? Is it causing disruption in your sleep because you are ruminating, you know, and even taking it further, what is the experience of the temperature, the taste? Really engaging all of our senses.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:10:49 This mindfulness goes far beyond our mind because we can now take it into conscious eating. We can take it into our sense pleasures when we're taking a bath at the end of the evening, when we're picking that tomato that's ripe in our garden, you'll start to see this trickle-down effect come in through your life. You may begin this because you're looking to transform your leadership, but you will see that once you start to change one thing in your life, you will start to go deep and see things through a different lens in so many other chapters of your story. I find that so incredibly exhilarating! And that's why my friends, as you already know, I'm a transformation junkie. That's never going to change. :-)
So let's get into the how. My invitation to you is to keep it simple. Pick 1 or 2 things that I'm going to throw out there for you, and weave them into your daily routine. Practice and repetition are your friends here as you thread consciousness into your life.
The very first thing is mindful breathing.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:11:57 This is something that you can access 24/7. Thankfully, it's also free. It's also something that you can do so subtly whether you are entering in a meeting, whether you are in the middle of a heated argument. You get to control your breath. You can come back to you and back to your center through mindful breathing. I think a great way to start your day is just to begin with, a few minutes of mindful breathing. This simple practice can help you center your thoughts and set a positive tone for the day ahead.
Actually, I just got the heart math's inner balance sensor. I don't know if you've seen it. You clip it on your ear and you plug it into your phone, and it's got this app which tracks heart rate, your heart rate variability. It allows you to tune in to your breathing and see your heart-brain coherence in real-time. It's a it's a cool little gadget, and it's interesting to see that in 3 or 4 minutes you can go from frustrated to calm and feel a noticeable improvement.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:13:03 Now, you've heard me say this before, you do not need another gadget. You can just breathe and it can be as simple as that. So that's one tip or suggestion invitation. So you can take that on board, whether it's putting a little post-it note by your bedside or a little lipstick on your mirror where it's like, “Take 3 to 4 mindful breaths, you beautiful, beautiful creature.” Whatever works for you. That's a suggestion.
The second one is active listening and practicing active listening during meetings and one on one conversations - It can literally make the difference of trust, of remembrance, and going right back to that interconnectedness that we talked about. So many of the things in our life, whether it's sales, whether it is, influence. It comes down to the interpersonal relationship part of boosting that is being an active listener. Give your full attention to the speaker. Acknowledge their feelings. Respond thoughtfully. This is a big one. When was the last time that you felt heard? You may be wondering what that even feels like, because most times the other party is looking at their device, phone, computer, or notes.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:14:26 If you're in the boardroom. My invitation here is to practice what it's like to be the one giving that gift to others. So practice that first so you get that feeling. What does it feel like to not be multitasking? What does it feel like to not be a ha ha ha when your significant other is recapping their day and you're like, half on Facebook, half listening to the, you know, radio, half watching, whatever you love is blind, right? What does it feel like to be the active listener and to give that gift and see the difference? Feel the difference again. Tap into the experience. How does it land for them? How does it land for you? I had a session yesterday and my client just broke down in tears because the feeling of having sacred space open and held for her was totally foreign, and her emotional system just busted open and needed their release, which is a beautiful thing. It's pretty incredible the power heart-based connection has through active listening. Give it a try.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:15:37 All right. The other thing is regular reflection. So setting aside time each week to reflect on your leadership style and your interactions will really start to expand your awareness. It will also help you expand your capacity for new and different. There are so many layers when you start to just reflect. Consider what went well and the areas for improvement. So that's something that I really like to bake in there because we're programmed for a negativity bias. So I don't know if you have tried journaling before and maybe it went something like this – All the things you wish went differently. All the ways people wronged you, the traffic jams, the shitty weather, all of that. Like it becomes this venting receptacle. And that could have some, some value. But what I'm talking about here is more of a self-awareness piece crucial for growth. So it's something where you're really catching yourself doing something right. And I'm not talking about turning a frown upside down. So, you know, if it feels good to you to have a mix in there, then absolutely do a mix.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:16:54 But I'm really looking at reflecting on times when you felt you were in a conscious communication, and when you noticed yourself being really mindful about either communication. It could be mindful about putting together a presentation. Just taking an extra little minute to think about how it's going to land for someone else. Those are the things that I would love for you to catch yourself doing something right and reflect on it.
If you're an auditory person more than someone that's kinesthetic or visual, I have another client who is more auditory, and she prefers to leave herself little messages on her phone app. So whatever works for you, there really are no rules. It's just an invitation to really be aware of your progress because we often don't look back because we're so looking forward to what's my inbox look like, what are the next things for tomorrow? And we plow through. We just plow to the next thing because that's what we see modeled for us. And this is a new opportunity, which is not so new because we're kind of going back into the ancient times when things were much more simple.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:18:10 But, this is not antiquated by any means. This is how we self-regulate and how we start to get back into our own center and feel grounded despite any chaos going around us. And I don't know anyone that couldn't use a little dose of that.
The other thing to and this goes for whether you're a solopreneur, you know, livin’ in the laptop lifestyle or you are an exec for an organization. The Mindful Breaks piece is such a big thing that, again, I think because it looks so simple, we're often like, yeah, yeah, yeah, like sitting as the new smoking blah blah blah. But by incorporating short, mindful breaks throughout your day, you're going to feel different. Just try it out. Step away from your desk. Take a few deep breaths. Clear your mind. Now these breaks can help you stay present and focused. And if you can, get out into nature with fresh air and away from all the unnatural lighting, all the better, all the better. Because if you are someone that is humped over the computer screen all day long and you choke down your meals.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:19:22 And I've had several people that I have supported in the past, but when we first started coaching, they never even left their desks for lunch. If they were lucky, they would gobble down a protein bar, maybe in between meetings or, inhale a, you know, a sandwich or something that was easy. Or a doughnut from the break room. And again, we're talking about mindfulness here. And it isn't just the stuff in your head, but it's like, how does what you put in your belly affect your whole entire system? Are you taking a minute to be grateful for the nourishment that you're actually about to fuel your system? Isn't that an interesting way to go about eating versus like, how can I, you know, watch a new episode on YouTube while I'm writing down my daily planner and chomping through my avo toast? I have been guilty of that. So I get it. I totally get it. It's like, what's the big deal? But you'll notice a big deal on your system when you start to do it differently.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:20:27 You know, when you actually prioritize yourself enough to have those breaks, to chew your food, to be grateful, to give yourself a moment to digest what you just entered in without racing to another thing or jumping on a call. You're going to start to see an unwinding, and your nervous system is just going to feel really attended to and bathed with space and grace.
And the one thing that I have to say from being someone that is a recovering perfectionist, went through a tremendous amount of burnout through my corporate years and adrenal fatigue… this can take some time. So the space and grace piece, I really want you to lean into that because it is about keeping yourself in the equation. And then you will start to crave the space and grace. You will start to object to racing around and feeling like you're behind the eight ball because your system will feel supported by the opposite. That it will actually continue to give you little nudges of like, oh, we're not going to do that anymore. And you will start to like, have your choices made by your own system versus your mental control tower taking over and governing you! So give it a little practice.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:21:52 I know I want a little bit on a tangent on that. I'm very passionate about it. I'm super excited because we can change. It took me years, but I am an example of the change. If you care about your sustainable, wholistic wealth, all of the elements of your physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, connective, and collective wealth. This mindfulness and and consciousness upgrade is going to be crucial to the journey.
All right. The impact of mindful leadership on teams. You may be saying, Kc, I don't have a team. You know, I may have a VA and a couple of vendors, but I really don't have a team yet. But whenever you are in a position of connection and influence, you do have some sort of team because there is a collaboration around you to make everything go. We don't have success in a silo, so I just want you to think about the benefits of this mindful leadership. It's going to have an impact on the people that are around you.
When leaders are present and engaged, it creates a ripple effect.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:23:11 There is increased trust. Part of that is that active listening, remember, that is such a key piece in building trust. When there is genuine care with the person receiving your message, and then you will start to see this emotional contagion of like, wow, this person used to be 90/10, where the 90 was all about them. But because I stepped up first and gave them the gift of truly being present with unattached expectations. Oh, interesting. There is a change next time we meet. You know, they remembered something and asked me about it. Whether it was a trip or, you know, a little visit to the vet with my dog or whatever the thing happens to be. And the more that you give that to one another, you're going to see this teeter-totter of fostering trust and collaboration and more support in your relationships and work environment. It's going to be a pretty cool thing to watch unfold. The other thing is it enhances morale.
Mindful leaders contribute to higher team morale by creating a culture of respect, understanding, and open communication.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:24:22 You're going to start to see that if you dive deeper into EQ and see that there are several composites in EQ, there's stress tolerance, there's interpersonal relationships, there is flexibility. You're going to start to see how all of these composites actually create the whole of your specific EQ. Super interesting stuff.
The other thing, which might be, of interest, especially for the creative entrepreneur, is it breeds greater innovation. When team members feel heard and valued, they are more likely to share their ideas and take creative risks, leading to greater innovation and problem-solving. And I don't know about you, but I think in an age where a lot is going, I want to say kind of generic, where there isn't really that personal spin on things. A lot of that's coming from the AI space – having individuals that want to tap into their innovation. To me, that is going to separate businesses, that is going to bring the businesses that take creative risk, it's going to take them to a different level. And it's really interesting with this piece, I'm just going to I am going to go on a tangent on this one for a minute, but I want you like as a business owner, like if you have control of your branding, it's really coming to my mind here where you can be so mindful of every interaction in your company.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:25:51 Is your email communication conscious enough? I actually think I'm going to do a dedicated episode on that. Maybe I'll do that next week because I have a lot to say on that. But you can look at it through that lens, you can look at your branding, you can look at every touchpoint people have in your online environment, whether is your social media, your ads on social, your web pages. Does it show that you have a consciousness about the visitor coming through your world? So there's such an amazing amount of potential here for you to exercise greater innovation and take some creative risks. Bring your personality in. Really show how you're different in a way that's so far beyond any black and white, USPs right? So big, big exciting thing here when you're looking at, multi-creative innovation that comes from just being mindful, taking a minute, tuning in, asking yourself what's in it for the other person in this space. That's a really great thing to think about, whether you're talking about branding or user experience through the interwebs.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:27:06 It literally can be face-to-face. What is this other person looking for? What's important to them? Getting out of our own minds for a minute. This is where that pause comes in. You can get really grounded. Line up your spine. Tune in. What am I looking to get out of this? What are they looking to get out of this? And then it really starts bringing in that win-win leadership. When you have a clear understanding by exercising mindfulness. All of a sudden you're like, okay, awesome. Let's do it. How do we make this a win-win? Now, Thich Nhat Hanh says “The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion” That blows me away. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. So we're not living in our past. We can be past-informed, but future focused. And even though you can be a visionary, we are not future-producing. And you may find, like if you start thinking about the what if and all the algorithms of what can go wrong, you are not right here in this present moment.
Kc Rossi, PCC 00:28:13 And when you're talking about transforming your leadership by staying in the art of presence, by being in this present moment, this quote can really bring you right back to reality, the present moment. So right here, right now, you and I are actually sharing this moment right here, right now is the only time over which we have dominion right here. We can control our thought, our breath, the pause button, the rewind button, whatever it happens to be. This present moment is so incredibly powerful.
All right, my friends, thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Heart Glow CEO™. And remember building your relationship with yourself and staying present… they really are the most powerful tools in your leadership toolbox. Commit to these practices, play around with them, and watch how your life unfolds for the better.
Until next time my friend, keep glowing from the inside out and breathe joy.
