Title: The mindful managers

Authors: Audrey Tang; Heather Carr

Addresses: CLICK Arts and Training, Northampton, UK ' Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, West London UB8 3PH, UK

Abstract: In the applied sense, 'mindfulness' has never been given real meaning - even the pioneers (e.g., Jon Kabat-Zinn, ThichNhat Hanh or Daniel J. Siegel) have no clear agreement regarding how it is framed, nor how it works. However, it does work; and, in a fast paced world which expects us to be in five places at once through technological innovation, anything that improves our quality of performance is worth considering. Companies have introduced mindfulness sessions into their workplaces - with varying results. This paper presents a brief literature review of mindfulness bringing some clarity to its remit; it addresses scepticism surrounding incorporation of mindful techniques in organisations; and it reviews a mindfulness programme run at Brunel University London demonstrating that mindful practice has benefits both personally and professionally for the leader. The paper concludes with some exercises from this programme that managers can easily incorporate into their schedule generating improved performance.

Keywords: mindfulness; management; self-care; experiential learning; peak performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPSPM.2020.106713

International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 2020 Vol.6 No.2, pp.184 - 192

Received: 20 Jun 2018
Accepted: 09 Sep 2018
Published online: 20 Apr 2020 *

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