What type of environment do you want to foster at work and in your personal life? Amidst the stressors of your daily responsibilities, it can be hard to find a sense of calm.
However, offering “peace of mind” — for yourself and those you lead — may ultimately be one of the most powerful leadership strategies you could implement.
Peace of Mind Results In Better Decision-Making
When you focus on your well-being, you create emotional security and peace of mind, which in turn leads to better decision-making. Coming from a place of peace ensures you aren’t going to let fear or panic affect your decisions.
Peace of mind helps you take a long-term view to your decisions, rather than focusing on the worries and pressures of the short-term. This enables you to become less reactive, and instead, approach decisions with a more analytical and balanced approach. This can help promote faster decision-making and ensure that you make the right decision the first time around.
As Rakesh Gupta, president of biBerk, a small business insurance provider notes, “Giving yourself peace of mind means becoming proactive about things that could disrupt that peace of mind later on. It means taking steps to prevent future crises. This level of preparedness leaves you better equipped to address future incidents in a clear and level-headed manner.”
This quiet confidence can be especially important during times of crisis, because plans have already been proactively put in place. In many cases, decisions about what to do and how to do them have technically been made in advance, so in times when emotions are potentially running high, you simply execute the previously agreed-upon plan.
Peace of Mind Creates Psychological Safety
Individuals who instill peace of mind in themselves and then seek to provide it for those they lead can create a powerful workplace culture rooted in psychological safety. Leaders who operate from a place of peace are equipped to create a sustainable work environment where emotions are regulated properly and everyone works together toward a common goal.
Coming from a place of peace can alter how interactions in the workplace play out. As illustrated in a blog post by Chatsworth Consulting Group, individuals who let peace win out “were able to work things out with a very difficult boss. They were able to stop needing a colleague to act in certain ways and were able to find a way to move forward despite that colleague. They were able to step more fully into their role as a manager and leader. To give up struggle and meet more goals more easily. To take on more and more responsibility. To meet their teams where their teams were and to give their teams what their teams needed.”
Leaders who model peace of mind for their team set a strong foundation for a respectful workplace where everyone is given the resources they need to succeed. Rather than letting arguments, drama, and blame overtake the team, colleagues feel like they have the support they need and are in a safe space to take measured risks, give feedback, and continue to learn.
In an era when only 37% of employees in the U.S. strongly feel like they are treated respectfully at work, approaching leadership with peace of mind can make a dramatic difference in your ability to demonstrate true respect to each team member.
Peace of Mind Helps You Be Present and Focused
When you’re able to find peace of mind, you are more present and focused in all aspects of your work. As author and business consultant Darren Fleming writes, “The leaders who are truly changing the game aren’t the loudest in the room. They’re the most present. Presence creates focus. Focus drives performance. And performance that comes from peace — rather than pressure — is sustainable.”
The ability to be present helps you become a better listener, one who remains calm and in control of their emotions regardless of what is happening around them. This helps you maintain the focus and energy needed to solve tough problems without getting burned out. It helps you be confident in your decisions, rather than second-guessing yourself. It helps you stay energized and enthusiastic, and think clearly in any situation.
With this mindset, you are able to offer the same firm and uplifting leadership, whether everything is going well or if your company is dealing with a crisis.
Creating a True Win-Win
Adopting peace of mind creates a true win-win for leaders. Not only does it help with your own emotional relegation and well-being, but it also creates a safe and uplifting culture for those you lead. Cultivating a sense of peace in what you do will lift the entire team, allowing for clear thinking, honest feedback, and empowerment that create long-term wins for your organization.
By fostering peace of mind now, you and your team will be ready for the future challenges and opportunities that come your way.