As business leaders we need to
have a clear picture of present reality in order to make effective
decisions. Meditation
is a practice designed to clear the
mind of stress and distortion, and allow you to experience present
reality.
Over time our minds become filled with
thoughts and beliefs that were
placed there both consciously and unconsciously. We have
defined experiences and recorded them as beliefs. Thought patterns have
developed over the years, some of which are helpful and others are
not. We are bombarded with ideas, advertising and images from
TV and movies that stick in our memories. These thoughts often circle
in our minds causing fear and stress.
All these thoughts and beliefs were filtered by our mood at the time we
experienced them. If we are in a good mood, we tend to record a more
positive message; if we are in a bad mood, it will be more
negative. When we recall this information it is also filtered
by our mood at the moment of recall. The bottom line is our mind is
full of highly distorted information that is often conflicting.
Meditation helps to clear the mind and leave room in our consciousness
to experience the reality of the moment. The flow of cause
and effect is highly complex and, in order to be successful business
leaders, we need to be able to see present reality with a minimum of
filtering from the thoughts and images filling our minds.
When working with teams of engineers, I enjoy asking if anyone has
invented a successful time machine. Of course, they always
say no. Then I ask, “So you are certain that no one
can travel to the past and the future?” They laugh and
agree. Therefore,
there is no reality outside of the present
moment. The future is a speculation, and the
past is what we
have recorded in our memory or in writing, which is, as I said earlier,
highly distorted.
Yet how much of the time do most leaders spend traveling to the past
and the future in their mind? I would suggest, too
much. The best leaders realize that being able to live in the
present moment is the secret to both personal power and strategic
advantage. They learn to see through false realities and
connect with true reality.
An
Example from Sports
After watching Florence Joyner win the hundred meter dash, the TV
interviewer showed a super slow motion playback of her run.
She was about equal with the field through the middle of the run, and
then she leaped out way ahead of the field to win the race.
The interviewer played the run again, and just as she put distance
between her and the field, the interviewer stopped the tape and pointed
to the screen and asked, “What happens right here?”
Florence answered, “I just let go.”
She stopped thinking about the race and slipped into what sports
coaches call “The Zone” and, of course, her
performance accelerated dramatically. She was integrating all
her training with the reality of the present. Being able to
find your way into “The Zone” is critical for
success as an athlete. Some respond to pressure by
“clutching” and thereby reducing performance, and
others slip into “The Zone.” Michael
Jordan was famous for performing better under pressure, as are many
successful athletes. As a leader, is this true for
you? When the pressure is on, do you call for the ball?
Integrative
Presence
Sports coaches realize that if athletes think too much about the past
and the future, they will miss the reality of what is happening in the
present. The future extends from the present, not from the cognitive
frameworks in your mind. Those who can let go of their
thoughts will find it easier to integrate their actions with present
reality. In business, I call this “Integrative
Presence.”
If an athlete can create this state of
mind, so can a leader. If these
states of mind that seem to create super human results can be created
in one area of life, they should be able to be created in
others. While the environment is right for this kind of
performance in sports, it is not beyond or separate from the business
world. The most effective leaders have mastered Integrative
Presence.
Integrative Presence unleashes
genius in any endeavor. Integrative
Presence, as I define it, is collaboration with the natural flow that
extends from the present integrated with the knowledge, intention and
consciousness of an individual or group. Integrative Presence
allows you to integrate all the realities of the moment simultaneously
while combining them with your intention. Those who master this will Unleash
Genius within themselves, and the people who follow them,
to
create new realities once unimaginable.
Business is much more complex
than sports, but the state of mind that
creates Integrative Presence is as important for leaders as it is for
athletes. The
best leaders are able to achieve this state at
will. In a board meeting or when closing an
important deal,
the best leaders can be in the present while integrating their
knowledge and all the events that are happening around them
simultaneously.
The truth is anything can cause your conscious mind to let go of
comparative thought and find Integrative Presence. It would
be impossible to catalog all experiences people have
had. What is important is to know the difference
between the two states of mind. Meditation
is a practice that will help
you find your personal road map into this powerful state.
When I have asked people to describe how
they feel when they experience
“Integrative Presence” they say things like:
confident, at peace, exhilarated, powerful, graceful, focused and
present. Some report a slow-motion effect. Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar told how the five seconds he had to win the NBA
championship with one shot seemed like five
minutes. He felt relaxed, as if he had all the time
in the world, yet he appeared to move like lightning to the rest of the
world--the very definition of “Integrative
Presence.” His creativity, within these few
precious seconds, was nothing less than pure genius. He was
integrating the skills he had learned over the years, his desire to
make the shot, and the flow of the moment, without interruption from
his thoughts.
Most people have experienced this state of mind; the question is what
percent of your life is spent in this state. The art of
getting into this state of mind is letting go of thoughts and
connecting with the flow of events in the moment. Meditation
is practice for your mind and body. An athlete must practice
their sport, a leader must practice disciplining their mind. Meditation
is a time-tested form of practice.
There
is no Substitute for Practice
As in sports, there is no substitute for practice. Knowing
how to move from “normal thinking” into Integrative
Presence comes from practice. Take time to connect with your
peak experiences and observe how you transitioned yourself.
Find ways to still your mental chatter and connect with the present,
and you will become a much more effective leader and a happier person.
Meditation
Technique
The following is a simple meditation technique that can help you clear
your mind. It will help establish an inner road map to
stillness, which allows you to flow with present reality.
- The Right Environment:
Find a quiet
place and arrange to have no distractions or interruptions. A
special place in your home or a place out in nature. It is
especially important in the first stages of meditation to find a
special place. It helps you move towards stillness
naturally. Over time you will be able to meditate anywhere,
at any time, even as you walk through hallways.
- Sit Comfortably: You
want your body to
be at ease. Find a chair that is comfortable and sit up
straight; be sure not to cross you arms or legs. Sitting up
straight in a way that you will not have to move should one of your
limbs fall asleep is important.
- Three Deep Breaths:
Take three deep
breaths and hold the oxygen in as long as you can on each breath, and
let the oxygen out suddenly once you can no longer hold the air.
- Breathe Normally:
Return to your
normal breathing pattern. Close your eyes and put your
attention on your breathing process. Follow your breath in
and then out. Notice the rhythm and depth of each of your
breaths. Spend 2-3 minutes just following your breath with your
attention.
- Imagine a Beautiful Place:
Imagine yourself in a beautiful place in nature.
Choose a
favorite spot or create a spot that would be ideal for you.
Each time you begin meditating come back to this place. It
will serve as an anchor for peace and help you to relax each
time. Once you have felt the peace of this place, use it as a
background and return your attention to your breathing.
- Let Go of Thoughts:
As
thoughts arise in your mind, do not resist them. Practice
observing without processing, and then letting go of them.
You can imagine them floating up into the sky or being absorbed by
nature. As you let go return your attention to your breathing.
- Deepen Your Breathing:
Once
you have found your natural rhythm increase the depth of your
breathing. Inhale 10-15 percent deeper and exhale 10-15
percent deeper. Play with this deeper rhythm until it becomes
natural. Continue to let go of thoughts as they arise.
- Notice Stillness:
Notice
that at the moment you fully inhale, just before you exhale, there is a
still point. Likewise, after you have fully exhaled, there is
the same still point. One, the inhale, is full and the
second, the exhale, is empty. Notice the difference.
- Fall into Stillness:
At times when
your total focus is on this deeper breathing process, you will notice
the stillness inside you. Let your consciousness fall into
this stillness. Let go and don’t be afraid; it is
your destination. Stay there as long as your ego will
allow. It might take a number of sessions before you achieve
this, but it is worth the practice and discipline.
- Open Your Eyes:
In about
20-25 minutes gently open your eyes without moving and notice the world
around you. Notice your state of mind and journal your
experience.
- Take This State of Mind With
You: Practice staying with this state of mind as
you get up
from your chair and walk, focusing on your breathing as
before. Find a rhythm between your steps and your
breath. Count how many breaths per step until you find a
comfortable pace that is a little deeper than normal. This will help
you begin to integrate this state of mind into your daily
life.
- Do Short Meditations:
Once
you have mastered this practice you will be able to take a few minutes
to clear your mind between meetings or even with short pauses during
meetings.
Meditation creates the same
state of being that Florence Joyner and
other athletes achieve when they are in “The
Zone.” Your consciousness will deepen and widen and
you will be able to perform more effectively. Remember, there
is no substitute for practice.
As you continue to meditate, you will find the quality of your thought
improving. You will have great ideas and find it easy to
solve problems. Creating this space of stillness within you
leads to Integrative Presence. Meditation is a powerful tool
for those who are creating the future. It helps with idea
generation and stress reduction. If you are a leader, you
need both to be successful.
Paul David Walker is a CEO coach, author
of three books and is a leader
in his profession. It is difficult to value the impact of a leadership
consultant that has been advising the leaders of Fortune 500 and
midsized companies for over twenty-five years. With this
experience he brings a unique perspective that can be invaluable to
leaders. Paul has advised leaders through three downturns and
recoveries in the economy. He has lead turnarounds,
acquisition integration, rapid growth, culture change and strategic
projects to align strategy, structure and culture. His latest
book is entitled, Unleashing
Genius: Leading Yourself, Teams and
Corporations. You can contact Paul at Turiya
Leadership
Consulting, www.turiyalc.com
or 562-233-7861.
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find out more, listen to our teleconference
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Lighthouse Consulting Services, LLC provides a variety of services,
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development, team building, interpersonal & communication
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Permission is needed from Paul David Walker to
reproduce any portion provided in this article. ©
2008.
The information contained in this article is not meant to be a
substitute for professional counseling.
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