Lead Like a Buddha

6 qualities we need if we want to lead our minds and could be useful for leaders

Deep in the Slovakian mountains, I was stretching my legs after another day of intense silent meditation, waiting for our teacher’s talk on Buddhist philosophy. It was about how we can lead our own minds. Upon hearing the word “lead”, my consultant-self suddenly sat up and perked his ears (this was, of course, before he learned the next day that there is no self…): “This could be useful for the leaders I work with!”

I was right! That August night I learned that, according to the Buddha, there are 6 qualities we need if we want to lead our minds well. But you’ll see below that it’s applicable to leadership, too. (The technical terms will be paraphrased, but I believe they are true to the spirit.)

1. OBSERVE OBJECTIVELY: in meditation we learn to suspend all judgment and just observe – which can lead to unexpected realisations. No-one sees the truth unbiased, but because leaders are expected to be confident and act quickly, all too often they come with unquestioned preconceptions, jumping right into action. But it’s often wise to stop and really ask what the situation is? Is there something more to this than I see now? Can I withhold judgment? Have I listened to all parties, seen all data? Total objectivity is not possible, but the striving towards it can make a vital difference.

2. FIND INTEREST: at a retreat, as we sit and watch your breaths for hours on end, we are trying to cultivate something called the ‘beginners mind’: looking at seemingly boring things as if we saw them for the first time. Much like a 2-year-old child, who finds EVERYTHING interesting and worth exploring: a rock, a leaf, Mommy’s hair. Leaders can also get bored of the same old processes, challenges, same old team members. Why not try to look at them with this kind of openness? Why not express genuine interest in how they are doing? This will make your life, as well as theirs, so much more colorful!

3. ENCOURAGE/GLADDEN: meditating 8 hours a day, just like working 8 hours a day, can be very taxing. If you ask your employees, 9 out of 10 will say they are in fatigue. This can lead to a total loss of motivation and burnout, which the Buddha already realized as a great danger in the practice. So he suggested, we should sometimes ease up, lighten up, gladden ourselves to carry on. The same way, a good leader will skillfully know when it’s too much stress and workload on her subordinates. Can you find ways to ease the pressure in your team? How to make work more enjoyable, even fun? A quick “well done!”, a shorter afternoon, surprise donuts or just a laugh at a “dead serious issue” may bring back people from the brink of resignation.

4. BALANCED EMOTIONS: it’s normal that we flee from what we don’t like and are drawn to that which we do. While it’s normal, it can be a pitfall, because we might miss serious learnings by fleeing from the unpleasant. Equanimity (or balanced emotions) means that even though we have likes, dislikes, cravings, aversions: they don’t throw us around like a leaf in the wind. People can suffer tremendously from a boss who says this one day, and changes his mind constantly because of fleeting moods. So a good leader acknowledges his feelings and those of his team, takes them as valuable information, but can see beyond the “wants” and “hates”, can set aside impulses… and can apologize when he didn’t succeed in it!

5. INCLINING TO THE HIGHER: Wait a minute – how can you have full acceptance, while you strive for the better? It’s a paradox, I know. But an inspiring leader will not only see who her employees are, also who they COULD BE! Thus she radiates the conviction to them that they are able to do more. And she celebrates when they grow – maybe grow her team/company out.

6. FINDING DELIGHT IN LETTING GO: in the volatile environment we all live in, change is not an option, it’s a given. As meditators, one day we have a blissful peak experience, ethereal happiness, and we think it will always be this way – only to find in the next sitting that it’s gone, all you feel is the hurting knees. It’s the same for leaders, but with an extra catch: you have power to create, and then to cling to your creation, to keep things as they were, even if this is not serving the organisation any more. Who of us hasn’t fallen in love with our idea, project, or vision? Being a leader is like building sand castles: you put all your creativity and experience into it, only to see it washed away by the waves the next day. If you can make peace with this, it will be so much easier and lighter for you and your co-workers.

I found it incredible that this 2,500-year-old wisdom is so applicable to 21st century leadership. At the end of the talk our teacher didn’t fail to demonstrat how the 3rd quality can help us, tired meditators: “And do you know where these 6 qualities lead us? In Buddhist technical terms, this, ladies and gentlemen, is called the path to Supreme Coolness” A quiet giggle swept through the austere meditation hall, and we went back to do the hard work of leading our minds… like a Buddha, in a “supremely cool” way.

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