Inner Switch

Using yoga principles can enhance your leadership skills.

Many business leaders believe that their personal satisfaction comes from achievement. But in a volatile business environment, the drive to control outcomes proves less valuable than the ability to respond creatively to the unexpected. Leaders who are obsessed with results frequently react to obstacles by driving themselves and their team even harder.

If you push your team members without regard for their well-being, you undermine their effectiveness and drive them to disengage or quit. Outcome-obsessed leaders operate in a state of “reactivity,” viewing their goals, their team, and themselves through the distorting lens of anxiety. Because they can’t perceive an accurate picture of their present reality, stressed leaders may react in habitual ways that prove unsuitable, ineffective, or counterproductive.

Consider the alternative of leading from a yoga-like state of presence and connection. When you adopt this state of mindfulness, you can counteract distorted thinking and free yourself from preconditioned reactions. This helps you view your current challenges more objectively and forge a stronger connection...