MP3 CD Format Today's leaders are grappling with the pace and complexity of change, the challenge of supporting healthy collaboration and alignment among teams, and the resulting stress and burnout. The practice of mindful leadership may be one of the most important competencies in business today if leaders are to move beyond fear, anxiety, nagging self-doubt, and the feeling of constant overwhelm.
Marc Lesser has taught his proven seven-step method to leaders at Google, Genentech, SAP, Facebook, and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies for over twenty years and has distilled a lifetime of mindfulness and business experience into these chapters. This incredibly practical yet accessible book draws on Marc's experience as a CEO of three companies, as cofounder of the world-renowned Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program within Google, and as a longtime Zen practitioner.
The principles in this book can be applied to leadership at any level, providing listeners with the tools they need to shift awareness, enhance communication, build trust, eliminate fear and self-doubt, and minimize unnecessary workplace drama. Embracing any one of the seven practices alone can be life-changing. When used together, they support a path of well-being, productivity, and positive influence.
Marc Lesser is a speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He is known for his engaging, experiential presentations that integrate mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices and training. He is the CEO of ZBA Associates, an executive development and leadership consulting company.
Marc has led mindfulness and emotional intelligence programs at many of the world’s leading businesses and organizations including Google, SAP, Genentech, and Kaiser Permanente, and has coached executives and led trainings in Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, health care, and government.
He helped develop the world-renowned Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program within Google - a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training for leaders which teaches the art of integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and business savvy for creating great corporate cultures and a better world. Deeply rooted in science, the program has been taught to thousands of executives worldwide. He was the founder and CEO of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI).
Marc’s books include Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen,Know Yourself, Forget Yourself,Less: Accomplishing More By Doing Less, and Z.B.A. Zen of Business Administration They have been published in 11 languages.
Marc founded and was CEO of 3 companies and has an MBA degree from New York University. Prior to his business and coaching career, he was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen monastery in the Western world.
He has keynoted at Mindful Leadership Summits in Washington DC, Toronto, and Sydney and has led “Search Inside Yourself” and “Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader” trainings in San Francisco, Japan, Hong Kong, and Toronto. Learn more at www.marclesser.net.
I feel about this book the way I feel about ALL self-help and management books - this does not need to be book length.
If you already know about basic mindfulness tenets, from how to meditate to the usual suspects like breathing/walking/loving-kindness meditation, you already know half this book. If you read the author's bio about how he worked in a zen monastery kitchen and as part of Google's "Search Inside Yourself" workshops, that's another solid quarter of the book which gets included far too often. What's left is some attempt to apply these concepts to leadership. I only wish the focus had gone in the other direction. I feel like most of what the author is writing about as far as leadership goes is really more about how to be mindful in general, and this is useful, but it isn't leadership.
Thanks to the publisher for providing access to this title through Edelweiss.
This is a concise volume that combines great management ideas with practical mindfulness practice, making it A solid starting point for those looking to combine the two skills.
Endorsements: “All of us are leaders in one way or another. In this important new book, Marc Lesser applies the power of mindfulness and compassion to guiding and bringing out the best in others. Written from a profound depth of experience in both Zen monasteries and corporate boardrooms, every page sparkles with clarity, humor, and practical suggestions. A wonderful book, with a range and depth valuable for both first-time managers and top CEOs.” — Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness
“No matter how we support life, this book will awaken us to what it means to be a wise and compassionate leader. This extraordinary book brings transparency and wisdom to our work.” — Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax, abbot of Upaya Zen Center
“Clearly articulated, practical, and helpful.” — Mindful magazine
“We spend one-third of our lives at work, and work is the greatest source of stress in many people’s lives. Over the past decade, an immense amount of research has documented the power of mindfulness practices to decrease stress and anxiety and increase one’s ability to attend. Marc Lesser brings a unique combination of skills to address this situation, thanks to his training as a Zen priest, his immense experience training thousands of individuals in mindfulness, his work cofounding one of the leading programs bringing mindfulness and emotional intelligence skills to business, and his own experience as a business leader. Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader brings together this expertise and, I believe, will be an invaluable tool for changing the world of business by transforming its leaders.” — James R. Doty, MD, founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at the Stanford University School of Medicine and author of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart
“Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader is a pitch-perfect harmony of Marc Lesser’s two lifelong refrains — mindfulness practice and its utility in the world of business, practical affairs, and everyday life. Stripped of cant and mumbo jumbo, Marc’s gentle explorations of ‘great leadership’ expand the boundaries of leadership to include the benefits of kindness and compassion to one’s own life and the lives of others. There is no one — spiritual practitioner or corporate chief — who will not enjoy and benefit from this book.” — Peter Coyote, author, actor, and Zen Buddhist priest
“Nourishing reminders, Zen wisdom with heart.” — Jack Kornfield, cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center
“With exercises embedded in every chapter, the book encourages readers in keeping journals, noticing the breadth and depth of their mind wanderings, enumerating dependents, organizing meetings, even in figuring out their work style — always with a brief yet poignant reminder to keep making it simple.” — Booklist
“As the former head cook of a world-renowned Zen center and cofounder of a mindfulness program at Google, Marc Lesser offers the perfect recipe for genuine conscious leadership. With his humility, vast experience, and engaging, accessible style, Marc skillfully shows how to apply the key ingredients of mindfulness to the workplace to bring out the best in others while creating an environment that both fulfills and nourishes success. A significant contribution. Enjoy the feast!” — James Baraz, cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and coauthor of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness
“Marc Lesser’s Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader is a wonderful explanation of mindfulness practice, covering the skills to cultivate compassion and empathy, clarity and self-awareness, and a deeper connection to one’s neighbor. While it’s written mainly for executive leaders, anyone wanting a mindfulness practice in their life will find this book extremely helpful.” — Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness and Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
“Marc Lesser provides an essential guide for leaders seeking to close the gap between the way they are living, working, and leading and their highest aspirations for how they wish to live, work, and lead. Marc’s experience as a practitioner and teacher of Zen as well as his long-standing experience working with companies such as Google, SAP, and many other influential global organizations come together in this valuable book. It provides practical ways to hone leadership skills in the midst of the ever-increasing complexity and demands that all leaders face. A must-read for leaders at every level, including those who simply wish to lead themselves to more fulfilling work and a generative life.” — Rich Fernandez, CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI)
“This book heralds a new day in corporate life and practice.” — Retailing Insight
“Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader is an in-depth workbook for developing a more soulful approach to mindfulness. A lifetime of experience in both business and spiritual-practice environments has afforded Marc Lesser a deft way of explaining how and why living with more heart promotes effective leadership. I predict that these seven simple practices will be used by many. Thank you, Marc!” — Norman Fischer, Zen priest, poet, and author of The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path
“Here is a rare self-help/business book that squarely faces the pain of change. Marc Lesser is an experienced guide through rough spots. The seven practices he presents are the mature fruit of his own practice and, therefore, won’t fail to enrich the life of other leaders who practice them.” — Brother David Steindl-Rast, cofounder of A Network for Grateful Living
“This is a wonderful book that I highly recommend. Marc Lesser draws from his long and unique experience in both inspiring mindful leaders and showing how to bring mindfulness into organizations. I am grateful that I had the great privilege of working with Marc in training mindful leaders and mindfulness teachers, and he was a great mentor for me in starting a very successful corporate mindfulness programs at SAP. Marc’s deep wisdom, practical knowledge, and love for mindfulness applied in profound and yet practical ways shine through on every page of this wonderful book. His priceless knowledge is now available to everybody. This is a must-read for anyone who would like to become a better mindful leader and a more skillful teacher.” — Peter Bostelmann, director of SAP Global Mindfulness Practice
“With Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader, Marc Lesser has built an everyday bridge to mindfulness for all leaders who want to be more aware in their daily lives. At 1440 Multiversity, we believe mindfulness only matters when we put it to use, and these teachings show everyone seven easy steps to doing exactly that.” — Scott Kriens, cofounder of 1440 Multiversity
“In Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader, Marc Lesser brings ancient Zen wisdom into the modern boardroom. The practices he introduces provide a clear pathway toward bringing more of our best human selves into our day-to-day leadership.” — Rasmus Hougaard, founder and CEO of Potential Project and author of The Mind of the Leader
This book was a Best of the Best for the month of March, 2019, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1.... Search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.
Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader is, as the title indicates, seven practices that you can incorporate into your life to be a more mindful leader in the corporate world. Marc Lesser is uniquely qualified, having worked for a kitchen in a Zen Monastery and creating a Google institute about mindfulness.
For an introductory book about mindfulness, this is excellent! Lesser's practices are simple to understand and remember, along with building upon one another. His anecdotes are both interesting and useful, and his tips are practical ways to incorporate mindfulness in your life.
That said, it doesn't work as well when it comes to a) leadership or b) incorporating a mindfulness-focused culture in business. I'm not necessarily upset about this, because this was the third of my blind date books and not super interested in specifically being a corporate-business leader. If you pick this up expecting a business-focused book, it's lacking that specific focus.
Still, this is a great introductory book to mindfulness, and I'm planning on trying to incorporate some of these practices into my life. I also enjoyed the number of journaling prompts and added a lot of them to my ongoing journaling prompts list. Overall, if you're wanting an introduction to mindfulness, this is a pretty decent choice.
If this is your first introduction to mindfulness, especially in a corporate setting, I would say that the book is concise and to the point, while still including many practices to try throughout the book. For an introduction and a summary on mindfulness, I felt it was very good.
I especially enjoyed the journal prompts offered, as well as how mindfulness can be included in both your personal life as well as within a corporate context. This book was a gift from our CEO, and many of the employees within my company enjoyed reading it, and each person took away a unique and special interpretation of it.
I enjoyed how Marc Lesser mentions that we need to pay attention to our mental health in the same way we do our physical health. I think it is a healthy and necessary reminder that working on our minds and our mental well-being is important and should be given consideration.
Overall, I found the book interesting and learned many new things, although I have read similar books before. I would recommend reading this book.
Good exploration of the intersection between real life and mindfulness. The author has lots of experience applying his Zen Buddhist training in the business world, and the book is filled with practical examples of how to use mindfulness in a business setting. This book would be good for anyone, regardless of their level of understanding of mindfulness. Beginners will be encouraged to start a mindfulness practice, intermediate practioners will learn much, and even people with advanced mindfulness practices will find new ways to apply what they already know.
When the guy said something along the lines of he guessed he came into this world numb because his mom got an epidural during his delivery… I was done. As a woman who has had two children, with my second epidural didn’t fully take. The pain was absolutely unbearable. Men don’t get to write (nor complain) about the pain women go through in childbirth and what meds they take to survive that shit. SMH. I quit the book when he said that - like 20 pages in. The author is just unbearable. He came off as smug and down right out of touch with reality if I’m being honest.
A very simple book on individuals being mindful of our acts - thereby we being not carried away by excess emotions. The author has shared quite a few personal instances from his life that are sure to motivate readers. A portion of the book is flat and dry - and goes into a plain lecture mode - but a decent read to have a reality check on our mindfulness.
This book nicely complemented the Search Inside Yourself course I took. Talks about important leadership skills one needs to acquire to be able to grow personally and professionally. It’s important to realise that leadership skills are very useful to everyone, not only to managers or business and political leaders.