1. Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership
Donald Davis, Ph.D.
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

2. Leadership Lead others Lead self
Goals: Do well in school to get good job or enter into careers, e.g., law school
Fears: Burn out from stress/pressure, do poorly on admission exams, external factor such as job market
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

3. Authentic Leadership
Self-awareness and self-regulation—understand one’s own strengths, weaknesses and internal states, how others see one, how one sees others. “I seek feedback to improve interactions with others.”
Transparency—openly share information and feelings as appropriate, share one’s true self. “I display emotions exactly in line with my feelings.”
Ethical/moral—set high standards for moral and ethical conduct, internal moral and ethical standards guide self-regulation. “I make decisions based on my core values.”
Balanced processing—base decisions on objective analysis of data, solicit opinions of others and consider these when making decisions. “I listen carefully to different points of view before coming to conclusions.”
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

4. Fit of Leadership to Core Values
Integrity
Authentic Leadership Skills
Self-awareness
Transparency
Ethical/moral
Balanced processing
Cordiality, mutual respect
Exceed standards of legal profession
Never sacrifice quality for efficiency, teamwork for self-interest, morality for convenience, honor for success
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

5. Fit of Leadership to Core Values
Stewardship
Respond promptly to demands of others
Serve profession and community
Offer quality working environment, excellent resources, competitive C&B
Be mindful of privilege granted as servants of the law
Authentic Leadership Skills
Self-awareness
Transparency
Ethical/moral
Balanced processing
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

6. Who are Authentic Leaders?
Dedicated to self-awareness, self-cultivation and self-regulation
Know who they are, what they believe and value, and act consistently according to their beliefs and values
Perceived by those being led to be virtuous, transparent, trustworthy, optimistic, hopeful
Create positive spirals of influence
Spread “virus” of virtue through their actions; authenticity and virtue become “contagious” and spread throughout the organization
Success requires mindfulness
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

7. Mindfulness Qualities (Shapiro, Schwartz & Santerre, 2005)
Nonjudging: observe
Nonstriving: don’t insist, resist, desist
Acceptance: pure reality
Patience (right timing)
Trust: oneself, life
Openness (beginner’s Mind)
Letting go: don’t hold onto thoughts, feelings
Gentleness: tender
Generosity: prosocial
Empathy: authentic communication
Gratitude: reverent, thankful
Loving-kindness: compassion joined to wisdom, unconditional love and forgiveness
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

8. How Do You Cultivate Mindfulness?
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

9. Why Practice Mindfulness?
Changes our brains, e.g., increases density of neural connections related to attention, learning, memory, emotion regulation, empathy
Improves emotions, e.g., increases positive emotions, reduces negative emotions, enhances self-regulation, increases emotional intelligence
Improves cognition, e.g., enhances attention, memory, positive beliefs and expectations, self-regulation of thoughts, creativity
Enhances relationships, e.g., greater interpersonal sensitivity, empathy, compassion, kindness
Strengthens bodies, e.g., enhance stress management, increased relaxation, moving meditation (e.g., tai chi) increases bone density, agility, balance, core strength
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

10. Why Practice Mindfulness? (continued)
Enhances physical health, e.g., strengthen immune system, faster recovery from surgery, longer life, reduced absenteeism
Enhances mental health, e.g., effective treatment for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD, some personality disorders; increases happiness and well-being, helps to lead a meaningful life
Effective route to go beyond “normal” and instead achieve flourishing
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership

11. Change Your Mind, Change Your Life
Donald Davis
Mindfulness and Authentic Leadership