Calm (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)

1 Leaders Need Meditation Now More Than Ever By Matthias Birk

With everything going on in the world and at work, chances are high that you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and afraid. That’s normal. The survival part of our brain (mainly the amygdala) kicks in when we perceive a threat and causes our focus to narrow. This is helpful when we face an immediate threat, but it also means our thinking can follow unproductive patterns: We are more likely to engage in worst-case scenario thinking or, alternatively, deny the threat; we have less access to the creative and analytical parts of our brain; and we are impaired in our ability to empathize, listen, and relate to others.

Unfortunately, those are the exact skills we need as leaders in times ...