Langer: The essence of effective leadership is mindfulness, which is also the essence of charisma. When you are mindful you are present. When you are present people notice it. When people experience you as mindful they then see you as authentic and trustworthy. We have done lots of studies on this, making people mindful and assessing one aspect or another of leadership.
One study that was particularly interesting to me is about women. Women have always had the problem that, if they respond like women, they are seen as weak and not good leaders, but if they respond like men, they are seen as bitches. So what is a woman to do? We did a study where we had women who were instructed to be male-like or female-like, and half of each group was taught to be mindful. Results showed that when a women acted mindfully, it did not matter whether she was male-like or female-like, people trusted her and saw her as more authentic and charismatic .
Bailey: Where does mindfulness in an organization start? Is it with an individual’s commitment to being more mindful, or is it with a leadership commitment?
via www.forbes.com
The inimitable Dr. Ellen Langer on science based Mindful #leadership. #management #work #mindfulness #innovation #engagement