Mindful Leadership Resources

Mindfulness techniques have been shown through many studies to be an effective way to counteract stress and burnout in the workplace. It is imperative for leaders to set a good example and foster an environment that supports efforts to improve employee well-being. 

Amit Sood, MD is a former Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic and is a world leader in the application of mindfulness techniques in the workplace.  His approach is evidence based and practical for busy professionals. In his book The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living he outlines the neuroscience behind these techniques. Known as “The Happiness Doctor,” Dr. Sood left medical practice and has gone on to introduce his program to major corporations including Pepsico, Kohl’s, Delta, and NASA. These curated resources are meant to serve as a starting point for leaders to learn about the practice of mindfulness and how to implement and support this practice to improve the well-being of your team.

1. Introductory Resources

1. Mindful Tech: How to Bring Balance to Our Digital Lives, David M. Levy – This book discusses how to implement mindfulness into our ever increasing digital world. Employees spend as much as 50% of time at work managing emails that can detach us from the work and lead to stress and burnout.  The author provides tips on how to implement mindfulness practices when immersed in a digital environment.
2. Happy Brain: How to Overcome Our Neural Predispositions to Suffering | Amit Sood, MD – This Tedx Talk summarizes Dr. Amit Sood’s journey to mindfulness and introduction to his program. Link to YouTube.
3. The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living, Amit Sood, MD – This book reviews the neuroscience behind mindfulness and provides practical tips that busy professionals can use to bring mindfulness into their lives.

• Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hachette Books. 

This book highlights the practice of living in the moment as a way to improve peace and self-awareness. This book discusses practical exercises to implement meditation and mindfulness into everyday life.

Marc Lesser wrote “Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader” based on his work helping to create Search Inside Yourself, a mindfulness-based emotional intelligence program at Google. In this short interview, he shares seven simple, powerful practices for optimizing mindful leadership at work, as well as living a full and meaningful life. 

It explores the concept of team mindfulness and its transformative impact on workplace dynamics and outcomes. It highlights how mindfulness can reduce stress, improve resilience, and foster divergent thinking, but emphasizes that individual mindfulness alone isn’t enough. Instead, the article advocates for collective mindfulness—a shared practice among team members.

The key ideas include:

1. Allowing: Accepting the present moment and approaching situations with openness and compassion.
2. Inquiry: Cultivating curiosity about team dynamics, individual habits, and external systems to foster reflection and innovation.
3. Meta-awareness: Observing team interactions and patterns from a broader perspective, enabling better communication and decision-making.

The authors provide practical examples of how teams that practice mindfulness together create psychological safety, reduce unhelpful conflict, and build stronger collaboration—especially during crises. They argue that the benefits go beyond productivity, leading to higher well-being and job satisfaction for individuals and teams alike.

This book discusses how to implement mindfulness into our ever increasing digital world. Employees spend as much as 50% of time at work managing emails that can detach us from the work and lead to stress and burnout.  The author provides tips on how to implement mindfulness practices when immersed in a digital environment.

Mindfulness is crucial because it helps us manage stress, which can affect anyone, regardless of their professional success. Dan Harris’s journey in “10% Happier” highlights that even high-achieving individuals are not immune to the pressures that can lead to significant stress. Through his experiences, he discovered that meditation could help calm the relentless internal chatter, leading to better decision-making and overall well-being. This story underscores the importance of mindfulness practices like meditation in promoting mental health and resilience in our fast-paced lives.

10% Happier by Dan Harris | Goodreads