Meditation can make you a better business leader, says Harvard Business School professor and former CEO Bill George.
Meditation "teaches you to pay attention to the present moment, recognizing your feelings and emotions and keeping them under control, especially when faced with highly stressful situations," George writes in Harvard Business Review.
Pressures and the pursuit of profits turn too many managers into monsters, George observes.
"The key is to stay grounded and authentic, face new challenges with humility, and balance professional success with more important but less easily quantified measures of personal success."
If meditation feels too woo-woo, other mind-calming tools are available.
"The important thing is to have a set time each day to pull back from the intense pressures of leadership to reflect on what is happening. In addition to meditation, I know leaders who take time for daily journaling, prayer, and reflecting while walking, hiking or jogging," George says.
