- Leading from Within

Every month Mariposa Leadership, Inc. chooses a particular leadership concept or theme to focus on. Currently, we are focusing on Leading from Within.  Today’s frantic business landscape is forcing both leaders and employees to work at paces never before seen.  In order to remain calm, focused, and effective, leaders must find mechanisms to help them cope with such intense and high demand lifestyles. This month we are taking a closer look at the benefits that come from leaders slowing down, becoming more self-aware, and beginning to lead from within.

Today’s fast-paced, high pressure business world demands clear vision, sharp focus, and calm demeanor from leaders. But achieving it during a day that feels like a high-stakes pinball game bouncing from meeting, to project, to conference can seem daunting.   Many successful leaders are adopting time-proven advice: Slow down. Take a big, deep breath. And Exhale.  Breathing as a leadership tool…it’s as essential as it is wise.  Wharton, the business school powerhouse at the University of Pennsylvania, sees the need and incorporates the concept.  Speakers are brought in to talk about bolstering leadership skills via meditation and self-awareness.  Corporate titan William George, former CEO of Medtronic, spoke on using it as a tool to “reduce stress, strengthen a leader’s abilities to motivate others and work with teams.”

Sue Bethanis, Founder/CEO of Mariposa Leadership, Inc. agrees.  She coaches her clients at corporations like Yahoo!, Nasdaq, and Washington Mutual to “slow down in order to go fast.”  Continuing, she says, “A leader’s workday is high-demand and turbocharged. Coping mechanisms are needed to maintain focus and energy, and one that’s always effective is meditation.”  Bethanis reminds us that: 

1. Meditation no longer means sitting on a straw mat and burning incense. You can gain its benefits in your office, car, or even on the way to your next meeting.          
2. Renewing your energy at work is one benefit; renewing your fervor for work is another.        
3. A few minutes of meditation during the day is like a shot of caffeine– without the lines, prices or time expended at the corner coffee spot. 

Today’s intense business landscape forces us to work at a furious pace.  For a leader to function at optimal effectiveness the best advice may be to close the corner office door and go within. Reopening that door a few minutes later will reveal a landscape infinitely more manageable and a leader infinitely more able to handle any situation that arises.