CEO Secrets Part Two: A Meditation Practice

The best leaders are able to be totally present 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.


There Is No Substitute For Practice 


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.

 

 

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Comments

[QDP]

Thanks for the meditation techniques, Paul. While I also believe our leaders need to "center" themselves, perhaps these charlatans are already way too comfortable in their positions right now. -accountability due, and a few other techniques to improve upon:

1. Don't be comfortable. Stand for a while, a long while, in an unemployment line perhaps.
2. The right environment for you is really a quiet place without distractions, it may be a jail cell. Not visionary, but figuratively, for the illegal actions committed and condoned under YOUR watch. Take those VPs with you
3. Don't blame others. YOU are the leader. Take responsibility, blame and abdicate your ineptness, on moral grounds
4. Breathing technique: Exhale, and don't inhale. Ever. Watch as the stillness of the world ebbs around you and you slip into nothingness. Find your peace there, as we are better - for a bit.
5. This mind clearing, open your eyes, imagining beautiful, harmonious things is only your delusion. This is exactly what got us into the lending, borrowing and spending spree of 14 TRILLION dollar debt. YOUR doing, dear leader, trying to find a comfort zone you neither deserve nor have to somehow meditate your way out of? Take the government with you into this quiet zone.

This global crisis happened precisely because you are too comfortable in your position, you have little in moral thread to guide you, and you focus on meditational delusion to cope with your failure and inability to accept responsibility. .

[EllenWB]

Thanks for these great ideas... so helpful! Are there other ways to meditate, and what is the difference between meditation and "Integrative Presence?" It seems to me that meditation clears the mind to allow you to achieve the state of "Integrative Presence?" Exactly how does that work, and do you teach your CEOs and other leaders to meditate? I would love to hear a story about one.

[Paul David Walker - Huffpost Blogger]

Meditation clears the mind of thoughts, and is essentially a practice that prepares you for "Integrative Presence." If you cannot let go of repetitive thoughts, you cannot be present to what is happening in the moment. Your thoughts circle in your head and capture your consciousness, which is better focused on what is happening in the present. As you take action with a clear mind, you tend to preform better, like an athlete in "The Zone." What happens is you start responding to the reality of the moment instead of your thoughts about the moment. Automatically, your existing knowledge and skills are integrated and you preform an levels we call genius.

There are many forms of meditation: Walking Meditation, Running, Dancing, Playing Sports or any activity that creates focus and helps you let go of circular thought. Thanks again for you comments.

[khanti]

Meditation helps to relax and clears the mind so you can focus better on your target. The S. Koreans use this method to train their archers.
Another is the discriminating mind. The mind that perceive things as like and dislike. It is good to keep the mind from being deluded in this state. Keep the mind free from thoughts like an open sky. When it's time to use the mind, our focus become sharp like a hot knife cutting through butter.
The Emptiness of Zen.

[Paul David Walker - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for your great insights,

[WDHorden]

.
A great article, David, and a great reminder: athletes train to achieve excellence, musicians train to achieve excellence, but our culture has largely ignored the fact that the rest of us need to train to achieve similar qualities of excellence in our own endeavors.

Fortunately, we have traditions from other, older, cultures to adapt to our own needs and times—such as the meditation technique you so generously share here.

Hopefully we can all train our bodies and minds to reach this state of Integrative Presence (what a great way to think of it!) and enjoy an ever-increasing number of peak experiences.

Thanks Much,
William.

[Paul David Walker - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you William. It seems these simple truths are often the most over looked. Make it a great day. Paul