The Mindful Leader: Ten Principles for Bringing Out the Best in Ourselves and Others by Michael Carroll

Product Details

Synopsis

Listen to an audio excerpt online in MP3 format—click here.

A new generation of business leaders is turning to mindfulness as a cutting-edge leadership tool. Scientific research suggests that the practice of mindfulness (a technique for learning to live in the present moment) can help individuals to gain clarity, reduce stress, optimize performance, and develop a greater sense of well-being. 

In The Mindful Leader, Michael Carroll explains what mindfulness is and how to develop it in the hectic and often stressful environment of the twenty-first century workplace. He focuses on ten key principles of mindfulness and how they apply to leading groups and organizations. Using engaging stories and practical exercises, he addresses how to:

heal the “toxic workplace,” where anxiety and stress impede performance

cultivate courage and confidence in the face of workplace difficulties

pursue organizational goals without neglecting what’s happening here and now

lead with wisdom and gentleness, not just with ambition and power

start a personal meditation practice to develop your innate leadership talents

4 CDs, 5 hours. Abridged.

Publishers Weekly

While most business books focus on how readers can do more, better and faster, this welcome addition to the category is about taking a moment to pause and reflect. Anticipating some resistance from harried executives, Carroll, a Buddhist-trained HR executive with many years of experience in both the corporate and Zen worlds, emphasizes the renewal and perspective that can result from taking time out; he only discusses meditation directly at the end. His discussion about "Inspiring the Best in Ourselves and Others" includes anecdotes and parables addressing issues like developing openness and breaking out of routine. A series of short descriptions of "The Ten Talents of a Mindful Leader" includes poise, courage, enthusiasm and awareness. After suggesting some practical ways to test these leadership skills, he reviews the basics of meditation. Although Carroll practices what he writes, the book is more informative than preachy. By the end, stressed-out executives may be willing to read about how to give meditation a try as a way to reconnect with themselves and become more open to their colleagues. (Oct. 9)

Biography

For over two decades Michael Carroll worked on Wall Street and in the publishing industry, holding executive positions at Shearson Lehman Brothers, Paine Webber, Simon & Schuster, and the Walt Disney Company. Founding director of AAW Associates, Carroll consults with major corporations on bringing mindfulness into the workplace. He is a longtime student of Buddhist meditation and an authorized teacher in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. Carroll has taught mindfulness meditation at the Wharton School of Business, Columbia University, Kripalu, and the Cape Cod Institute. For more information, visit www.awakeatwork.net.