Practicing Zen and Mindful Leadership: Overcoming Stress in Business feat. Marc Lesser

As modern leaders, we are challenged by the pace and complexity of change, the need for collaboration, and the push to align teams. Developing mindful leadership capabilities is a vital skill for leaders today to overcome stress, burnout, anxiety, and overwhelm.  

In this episode, best-selling author and executive coach, Marc Lesser, shares his proven seven-step method to mindful leadership. He talks about his experiences running his kitchen at a Zen Monastery and best practices from tech giants like Google and Facebook. 

Discover how the concept of compassionate accountability, nervous apes, and self-compassion can help align your intentions and actions. 

Episode Quotes:

How did you manage to practice Zen as a chef, where stress levels are already so high?

In the summer, where it was hot, a hundred degrees, we were expected to produce these gourmet-quality vegetarian meals for 80 overnight guests, three meals a day. When the bell rings, the food's supposed to be ready. I think the fact that we were so immersed in the context of mindfulness practice and service — we were aspiring to enter a state of selflessness and timelessness and playing with effort and effortlessness. To me, all of those things are so relevant, whether you're a surgeon, or a teacher, or a software engineer, or whatever you're doing. We all aspire to bring out the best of ourselves in our work and produce this kind of combination of high-quality products or services.

Business as a Form of Service to Others

When you are working in the kitchen, you are there to practice, and you are there to serve the guests, and you are there to create great, great food. People often forget that businesses are primarily about caring for people, whether we're helping people with their finances or creating products. I think we should aspire to create goodness or create some sense of wealth in a way. But, the primary aim is around, 'How can we take care of others?' 

Thoughts About Compassionate Accountability

An expression that I find I'm using a lot these days in the work world is compassionate accountability. This kind of interesting dichotomy of bringing humanity in, but at the same time: results matter. You know, workplaces are not families. I describe them more like sports teams. You know, I was completely blissing out watching the warriors last night, and there's such a great sense of humanity and joy and love. And, when players are not performing well they get traded. And, that's just kind of the way it is. It's the same in the business world. If we find another team that is making us a better offer, sometimes we leave the team that we're on, and that's the world of work. But there is this sense of developing both great compassion and caring and humanity, and at the same time to develop a great sense of holding — holding oneself, and holding each other accountable for results.

Time Code Guide:

00:07:05 Secrets to his Business Success and Practices Ignored by Business Schools

00:09:04 Difference from what you're learning and what the traditional way of leadership and running a business

00:10:40 Finding the right work-life balance: is work supposed to be separate from the rest of your life?

00:16:29 Are companies' stress management programs just window dressing to mask themselves as concerned about employees' welfare?

00:25:14 Mindfulness and its similarities to existentialism and other philosophical traditions

00:27:29 What can we learn from consciously seeking discomfort, addressing it, and focusing on how we react to things which would normally make us nervous

00:31:05 Listening and responding to feedback

00:32:51 Self-compassion, imposter syndrome and acceptance

00:34:59 How do you cultivate a mindset of continual curiosity?

00:38:28 Awareness on choices we make, and moving from small mindset to big mindset

00:40:00 Does businesses become more demanding when they demand high standards in treating their employees and customers?

00:42:47 What does it mean for leaders to hold space?

00:44:36 How do we balance making conscious choices and accepting accountability?

Show Links:

Guest Profile

• Marc Lesser’s Profile
• Marc Lesser on Spirit Rock
• Marc Lesser on San Francisco Zen Center
• Marc Lesser on LinkedIn
• Marc Lesser on Instagram
• Marc Lesser on Facebook
• Marc Lesser on Twitter

His Work

• Marc Lesser’s Official Website
• Marc Lesser’s Audi Dharma Recording
• Articles on Mindful
• Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen
• Know Yourself, Forget Yourself: Five Truths to Transform Your Work, Relationships, and Everyday Life
• Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less
• Z.B.A.: Zen of Business Administration

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