Managing and Leading Nonprofit Organizations

Appendix: Tools to Help Build Leadership Practice

Mindfulness Exercises

Mindfulness exercises help you develop your ability to be aware. The literature, for example, shows that individuals who practice mindfulness have less stress in their lives, are better able to focus on tasks that are at hand, and are perceived to be genuine and authentic by those around them (Wasylkiw, Azar, & Cook, 2015). All of this helps to advance one's leadership practice and ability to be effective as a leader. The following exercises are quite simple and take only a few minutes of your time each day.

Mindful Breathing

This is my favorite mindfulness exercise and can be done anywhere. The trick is to start by breathing in slowly through your nose and then exhaling through your mouth. As you do this, close your eyes and focus on the sensation that you experience as you bring in a new breath of fresh air and then exhale. Do this for a few minutes each day and you will immediately find a positive effect. Your mind will settle down and, as noted above, you will reap the benefits of mindfulness practice.

Mindful Observation

Find a time and space to simply observe what is going on around you. As an example, I have a grand old oak tree that I walk under and simply look up to observe the leaves and the branches above me. I allow my focus to be solely on the tree, its color, the way the wind moves the branches, and absorbing the overall experience of settling my mind to simply observe. This exercise will ...