Non-Judgment
Leaders need to be aware of the judgements and stories they tell themselves about others and develop the capacity to make a choice of what to let go. They can connect with others more meaningfully and authentically by being aware of what lies behind their judgements. A leader who can be free of judgement will be truly inclusive and engaging.
Mindful Listening
Leaders influence more powerfully if they listen and connect better with others. By practicing mindful listening skills, employees will feel heard, and a relationship of trust will be built.
Compassion
The habit of demonstrating acceptance and compassion can improve the situation in many work cultures that had a tendency to be toxic. It can increase employee engagement levels and job satisfaction. Highly mindful leaders demonstrate not only empathy, but also acceptance and compassion for others. They create a humanistic work culture, where significant value is placed on the well-being of self and others. As an example, in a study of public service employees : receipt of compassion from supervisors in the public service workplace was positively associated with employees’ sense of work engagement, and negatively related to their work burnout. Furthermore, receipt of compassion was also found to impact public service employees’ organizational citizenship behavior and knowledge sharing as rated by their supervisors, as well as their service-oriented performance of compassionate behavior toward clients rated by the citizens.(The Compassionate Workplace)
Leader Presence
A supervisors’ psychological presence at work is defined in terms of being focused, attentive, connected and integrated with his/her team. This increases employee work engagement and well-being. When leaders pay attention and are aware of the people around them, it signals their interest and respect for their staff.( Reb et al, Leading Mindfully)
References
The Compassionate Workplace—The Effect of Compassion and Stress on Employee Engagement, Burnout, and Performance, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2018, Pages 86–103, https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mux028
Reb, J., Narayanan, J. & Chaturvedi, S. Leading Mindfully: Two Studies on the Influence of Supervisor Trait Mindfulness on Employee Well-Being and Performance. Mindfulness 5, 36–45 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0144-z
