What is Mindful Leadership?

In this article, our aim is to describe an emerging concept in the field of organizational behavior: "Mindfulness". Mindfulness could be defined as the way to become aware of the body, the mind, the emotions and the spirit. It is often presented as a part of Emotional Intelligence (EI). It comes from ancient oriental traditions. It is far from being a recent concept. Even if it is an old concept, more than thousands of years old, it has emerged in the field of organizational behaviour only three or four years ago, mostly in the USA. It is unfortunate considering that mindfulness is part of the Indian culture, much more than it is of the Western culture. In this paper, we call on scholars for doing intensive research on mindfulness. Four areas of research could be considered. First is effective decision making. We argue that any leader or manager will take better decisions if he/she is centered in a state of mindfulness. The second area concerns team work or relationship management. We argue that a mindful person can better transmit a vision to the team and inspire and motivate them. Because mindfulness leads to emotional stability, we argue that a mindful person is also more effective in dealing with conflicts that appear in the workplace. The third area concerns work-life balance. A mindful person is peaceful and calm, and therefore can effectively manage the stresses arising from work and personal life. The fourth area is eco-centric leadership. We argue that mindfulness helps one recognize the interconnectedness between humans and nature. Therefore, mindful leaders develop eco-centric business models that promote a sustainable lifestyle. In this paper we first describe the concept of mindfulness and trace its origins from Buddhist and Indian perspectives. Then, based on published research, we propose that mindfulness in leaders and managers plays a critical role in developing and nurturing a vision of sustainability that thrives on people-centric and eco-centric approach to business. We conclude by discussing the various avenues of research in this new field.