What your kids need to know about leadership through mindfulness

Researchers, educationists and corporate leaders are of the opinion that a mindful leader does better than others. How does that happen? Read on to find out, and plant these qualities into your kids to watch them flowering into better humans tomorrow.  

A mindful leader practises what is preached  
A mindful leader is someone who is aware of what is happening and why he or she is doing something. So, they do only what they want to do, and in turn, do not expect others to do things they aren’t willing to do. This creates a strong connect and trust between the leadership and the workforce. If you want to limit your 12-year-olds mobile gaming hours, make sure you are following the rules too. If you practice what you are preaching children, they will do the same.  

Self-awareness makes a leader humble 
Humility is not weakness. Mindfulness is all about being totally self-aware. If your daughter is great at Math but lagging in English, mindfulness will teach her to ask for help without shame. It will also help her understand that a peer who is bad at Math is not foolish, but simply has a different skill level. A humble leader also proactively asks for feedback, keeps upgrading and never stops learning. That’s what makes them successful, and it applies to students too.   

Mindfulness teaches appreciation and recognition 
Employees value leaders who appreciate their work, recognise achievements, and provide critical feedback. Just paying for it is not enough. A mindful child is a good team player. He will appreciate what other kids are doing, and suggest improvements and work to make the common goal better. That’s the kind of kid who does better at sports and group projects.  

A mindful leader is balanced and communicative  
Mindfulness practices put leaders in touch with their emotions. They can analyse these and communicate it in the right words or actions. So when a kid steps on your teen’s new shoe accidentally, she won’t scream. She will point out what happened – and the other kid will apologise genuinely – and isn’t that what you want?