Are You a Present Leader?

Are you a present leader brought to you by the Conscious Leadership Group? Find them on the web@www.conscious.is. conscious leaders are present leaders, but what does it mean to be present? Being present is paying attention to what is actually here now. Sounds so simple, but as one expert in the field says, most of us aren't here now, and we're not here now enough to know that we're not here now. So if you're not here now, where are you? What you'll notice is that often you're paying attention to what's in the past. It could be the guilt you have about missing your child's soccer game yesterday, the argument you had with a co worker last week, or the fear that your parents didn't challenge you enough when you were younger. Equally possible is that instead of being here now, you're paying attention to the future, planning your next meeting, anticipating your upcoming vacation or or worrying whether you will have enough money for retirement. Physically, not being present looks like checking email while talking to a colleague, texting while in a meeting, looking over the shoulder of a friend at lunch to see who might be coming into the restaurant or watching TV while talking to your child. The impact on others is that we're not attending to them in the now moment. Partial inattention can feel similar to being ignored. Most of us aren't here now, and we're not here now enough to know we're not here now. Presencing the art of paying attention to what is actually here now is a learned skill. Like every other learned skill, it can be mastered through practice. There are many ways to practice presencing, and this is one that we 1. Sit comfortably in a place where you won't be disturbed. 2. Set a timer for 10 minutes. If that seems too long, start with five minutes. 3. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths, making sure to complete your exhale fully. 4. Now bring your full attention to your breath. Do this by noticing where you feel the breath in the body. Some people feel the breath in the expansion and contraction of the belly, or the rising and falling of the chest, or in the back of the throat, or on the upper lip at the opening of the nostrils. Wherever you feel the breath in the body, rest your attention there. 5. Count the breaths. Count 1 on the inhale and 2 on the exhale, 3 on the next inhale and 4 on the exhale. Continue until you reach 10, then repeat. The key to the practice is keeping your attention on the breath. You'll find this is easier said than done. Most people can only keep their attention on their breath for a few seconds before the attention wanders. This is perfectly normal. The practice of presencing is simply noticing when the mind has wandered and gently bringing the attention back to the breath. Being gentle with yourself is key to the practice. Do this every day for 30 days. Consistency of time is more important than length of time. So if you can do 10 minutes a day for 30 days, do that. If you can spend more time, do more. Remember that being present is paying attention to what's actually here now. In this practice, you're paying attention to this breath and this breath is here now. As you exercise your ability to place your attention on what's here now, you'll develop more and more ability to stay present. When talking to a co worker, writing an email or playing with your child, you'll start to be here enough to actually notice when you're not here. And then you'll be able to shift. Being present allows you to be more focused, more intentional and and have purposeful moments with the people and things that matter. This in turn leads to improved relationships with colleagues, peers, family and customers. So are you a present leader?