Mike Lee, leadership coach and mindfulness expert, shares insights on optimizing mindset in competitive environments and leading teams in post-COVID reality. He discusses the benefits of mindfulness meditation, tapping into subconscious intuition, and the importance of purpose-driven leadership. The podcast also explores his struggle with depression, a transformative moment, and the value of viewing behavior as a call for love.
Mindfulness and meditation are essential for developing leadership skills, including self-awareness, emotional regulation, and effective decision-making.
The events of 2020 have highlighted the need for new rules in leadership, including being purpose-driven, leading with mindfulness and emotional intelligence, and fostering a sense of belonging among team members.
Leadership involves making an impact on others' lives, connecting individuals with meaningful work, and creating a positive work environment through intention, purpose, and connection.
Deep dives
The Importance of Awareness in Leadership
Being aware of one's thoughts, feelings, and interactions in the present moment is a key skill in leadership. Having this awareness allows for redirecting attention back to the present moment and being more focused and intentional. It also helps leaders tap into their intuition and make decisions rooted in love and service rather than fear or judgment.
Mindfulness and Meditation as Essential Tools
Mindfulness is the skill of non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, feelings, and interactions, while meditation is the practice that strengthens this skill. Meditation helps train the brain to be more present, improves focus, and enhances self-awareness. By incorporating mindfulness and meditation into daily life, leaders can access a sense of peace, clarity, and creativity, as well as develop transferable skills for effective decision-making and emotional regulation.
The Need for New Rules in Leadership
The events of 2020, such as the pandemic, social justice movements, and economic uncertainty, have highlighted the need for new rules in leadership. These challenges have brought forth a purpose crisis, burnout, and a desire for more meaningful and purpose-driven work. The new rules include being purpose-driven in all actions, creating a compelling vision of the future, leading with mindfulness and emotional intelligence, and leading from the heart to foster a sense of belonging, safety, and inspiration among team members.
The Importance of Connection and Impact
Leadership is about making an impact on others' lives in areas they are passionate about. It involves helping others overcome challenges, tapping into their potential, and achieving their dreams. Leaders play a vital role in connecting individuals with meaningful work and creating a positive work environment. By leading with intention and focusing on purpose and connection, leaders can cultivate engagement, inspiration, and fulfillment among their team members.
Leading with Vision and Mindfulness
Leading with vision is crucial in motivating and inspiring employees. By setting a clear direction and making decisive decisions, leaders can rally their team and create a sense of purpose. Additionally, leading with mindfulness is essential for building trust and connection with others. Being aware of our own behavior and modeling the desired qualities lays the foundation for emotional intelligence and effective leadership. Mindfulness helps leaders pause and respond rather than react, leading to better outcomes in relationships and decision-making.
Recognizing the Call for Love
Viewing people's behavior as either a call for love or an expression of love can transform how we perceive and interact with others. Understanding that hurtful actions stem from fear allows us to respond with compassion and empathy, rather than taking things personally. This perspective helps build better relationships and cultivates a more positive environment. By recognizing the deep impact of our actions, even in seemingly insignificant moments, we can create a legacy of leading with love and kindness.
Mike Lee is a leadership coach, mindfulness expert, and trainer who's spent time working with NBA legend Steph Curry among other highly successful athletes and executives.
In this episode, Mike talks about optimizing your mindset in competitive environments and the new rules for leading teams in our current post-COVID reality. His new book, 'New Rules for the Future of Leadership,' comes out Nov. 21.
Mike also talks about:
-The proven benefits of mindfulness meditation on brain function, executive skills, and overall well-being
-Why mindfulness is becoming even more valuable the more technological innovation accelerates
-His lifelong struggle with depression and the best ways he's found to work through it
-Tapping into your subconscious intuition when making big life decisions
-The transformative moment when he experienced a deep sense of peace, and how it shifted the direction of his life
-The one thing you should always do before reacting to a trigger
-Why leaders have to be "purpose-driven" and offer more than a paycheck in order to develop winning teams
Mike’s charitable cause:
MENTOR Greater Milwaukee, which works with mentoring programs to safely match caring adult mentors with children in need.
