We've all experienced it - that total absorption in our work (or play) where we experience total connectedness with the subject at hand, things become effortless and time seems like it's standing still. In Buddhism, this state is called "Samadhi." In sports, it's called being "in the zone." This is, in fact, where our best performance, our best ideas and our highest levels of satisfaction come from. So the real questions are:

Can we cultivate this state for easier access?
How much more could be possible if we operated from this state on a regular basis?

Setting the Stage
Our ego delivers constant brain chatter in our daily lives - all day, every day. While this voice can serve us well and keep us out of harm's way, in many respects, it limits our ability to explore other options, including the very option of turning it off:-) In order to encourage Samadhi arising in us, we need to temporarily quiet this voice so all of our senses can be engaged in the task at hand. In the work environment, this also means eliminating as many distractions as possible. The simple act of shutting your door and turning off email alerts sets the stage for fewer distractions. If you are in a more open work environment, develop a signal, even if it's just a sticky note stuck to your cubicle, that says "no interruptions for awhile."

Center Your Breathing
Why do we do this? Because Samadhi cannot be intentionally created. "Samadhi arises on its own. It cannot be willfully entered because that which would "will" it is non other than the stand-apart "I" (ego). That said, the body and breath can be developed in ways that become conducive to this condition arising," states Ginny Whitelaw in the book, The Zen Leader. 

Mindful breathing brings the body and mind in focus together. These 3 simple breathing exercises are a great way to quiet the mind and bring it in sync with the body. Remember, the thought, "I want to be in Samadhi," is not the same as being in Samadhi.  The thought, "Let me have a quiet mind," is not the same as a quiet mind. Becoming one with our breathing is a way past thought into a more deeply absorbed state.

God is in the Details
So, you've eliminated some obvious distractions, have entered through breathing, and can now bring the same condition of total absorption to your work. Whether your approach is slow or fast, perform every detail with the same quality standard you expect for the whole. You are now the creator, addressing all considerations… with all things considered. Take satisfaction in completing each step with mindful excellence, feeling into and one with the whole creation. 

Someone once said that "God is in the details." It's through these details that I can get completely lost in the moment. Think of it like a symphony tuning up before the concert begins. One by one, you hear each instrument come into harmony… each one dependent on the others while maintaining its own creative voice. If one were left untuned, the performance would suffer. The same holds true for your project.

From Contolling to Connecting
Moving from controlling to connecting is one of the important "flips" discussed in The Zen Leader. Although this chapter focuses on our relationships with people, I see how it also has a lot to do with how we tackle a problem or perform a task. Forcing an answer is not always in our best interest. Developing a solution from a connected state is always more sustainable in the long run. Why? Because through our own connectedness we are able to lead from a "big picture" perspective - it's at the very heart of being connected.

The more we can optimize our conditions for Samadhi arising in us, the easier and more likely it is to happen. Sitting meditation has long been a proven way to clear and concentrate the mind. Simple tasks can also work if done mindfully. And what is a major project, but a bunch of simple tasks all linked together?

Do you have some special way you engage yourself more fully in the project at hand? Please share.

As leaders, we all make a conscious effort to walk the talk, especially when it comes to implementing change. Showing others that we follow through on our thinking with our own action sets the pace for others to follow.  But sometimes this turns into a very short walk. We can lose momentum, get sidetracked, run into obstacles, or even get frustrated and turn back. Walking the talk is not an easy stroll in the park.

I am in the middle of such a walk right now. Last month I attended a program at the Institute for Zen Leadership (IZL). This was a 4-day immersion in how to make difficult "flips" that can greatly enhance my leadership skills, along with an introduction to zen meditation. I've read enough about the benefits of meditation to know that this could help me immensely, so I went. For the 4 mornings that I was there, sitting on my cushion with the other small group of leaders who had come for the same purpose, I wasn't just doing it, I was enjoying it. I liked how clear my mind became, how refreshed and energized I felt, and I was determined to make this a real practice in my life.

Then I returned home.

I don't need to tell you how quickly this "practice" fell off. Time became my biggest excuse, aided by a dose of procrastination. What struck me is how difficult it is to walk the talk. As agents of change, we are expected to lead the march without faltering. How can I expect others to keep taking those steps if I don't keep moving forward at a sustained pace myself? So, I've put together a few suggestions that have helped me walk the talk, or continue the journey down a difficult path.

Push through the pain and just DO IT!
I know this seems like I'm stating the obvious, but take a lesson from our greatest athletes and push through whatever resistance gets in your way - including yourself. As Ginny Whitelaw (author of The Zen Leader and director of the IZL program I attended) would say, "Get out of your own way!" This might be a "flip" in consciousness, like getting out of coping mode… or a fierce desire to see it through. Find your resolve and determination that came with the original idea and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Don't think about it and just DO IT!
This may seem equally obvious, but recognize that your thoughts can be the greatest procrastinators. Move beyond the question of whether you're going to do it or not do it - similar to brushing your teeth in the morning. Once you shut down the internal debate and simply do what you said you were going to do, you'll find it's much easier than thinking about it. 

Make small rewards along the way
If it's hard for you to keep the momentum going, imagine how hard it is for others who are now in pace behind you? Define some milestones that are quickly attainable and reward them (and yourself) once they get there. This is no different than breaking down an insurmountable task into bite-size pieces. Keep your eye on the end goal, but make it a series of walks, not just one long marathon… and celebrate the little victories along the way.

Keep smiling
A positive attitude works. Don't have it today? Fake it… and keep faking until it comes naturally again. People are looking to you for inspiration. When they see you smiling in the face of adversity, they find hope for themselves and will push through the hard times. Don't ever underestimate the power of a smile in changing the energy around a situation.

Today I am hitting the cushion again and will be doing it tomorrow, too. In writing this, I find a new confidence… one that will carry me through those rough patches of indifference. To walk the talk. To do what I said I was going to because I know this change WILL make a difference.

And I'm going to do it with a little buddha smile:-)

We often hear from readers of The Zen Leader, talking about their reactions, experiences or insights as they read the book and work through the activities.  Since some are just too good to keep to ourselves, here is a note we received from James Murphy, who described his own reaction to several of the chapters.

What has landed for me are the following:
 

Chapter 5: From Playing Your Strengths to Strengthening Your Play
 

While I’ve done a lot of these personality tests in the past and pretty much know where I am, this was a fun chapter. It was also unique in the sense that this is the first book or course I’ve seen where it is proposed to develop personality attributes that are not your strengths. I think this makes a lot of sense and I will try to do this. Instinctively, for example, I know my collaboration skills are weak and I’ve been trying to get my wife to join a ballroom dancing class to help me to improve this skill. I also know my driver skills are weak and my main physical activities are running and weight lifting. So it is curious that these activities have not resulted in stronger driver attributes.


As a side note, I chose to read this book not for work but for personal reasons. I am building a sailboat racing team and quickly realized that I was not performing as a leader properly. At work, I am not a manager, I am an architect, but I know to turn concepts into reality I need to lead so the concepts here will help me in that role.
 

Chapter 7: From Driving Results to Attracting the Future.

While reading this chapter and doing the exercises I was able to see a future that I hadn’t seen before. In a sense, I knew what some of the components of the future might be but I didn’t put them together into a larger whole. With this exercise I was able to do that. The unfortunate part of the results of this exercise is that if indeed my vision is the future and I am to lead the world to it, then I’ve got a lot of work to do because the future is very big indeed and fundamentally different than what we currently see. The silver lining is that I can see a path that starts with limited scope and can be incrementally expanded. (Note, this vision applies to my work, not sailing)
 

Chapter 10: From Delusion to Awakening

This chapter is good since it sets down some practical steps to make the lessons from this book stick. Indeed practice is required to acquire a Zen mindset. This chapter makes that clear and provides some good guidance. Indeed much of the book, and this chapter in particular were incomprehensible to me mostly because I have not experienced the mind state described in the book. Specifically I am talking about the concepts from the Surangama Sutra and understanding self and host versus guest, etc. I believe that in order to become the whole I will need to consistently practice and probably re-read this book a couple of times. As an ex-competitive runner, I believe my approach will have to be similar to athletic training. A plan, a schedule, making time and being consistent and disciplined.
 

The Swedes have a great word for this: Lagom, which roughly translates as "enough, sufficient, or just right." Too often, in today's world of avid consumerism, we get caught in a "good, better, best" way of thinking and find ourselves applying that principle to all aspects of our lives, including leadership. Our tendency to overdo can lead to "leadership obesity" which manifests in many undesirable ways: the ultimate problem-solver who fails to empower their employees, or the achievement-driven leader who drives for success at all costs. "Just as we don't serve ourselves well from overeating, we do ourselves no favor by over-indulging these needs," states Ginny Whitelaw, in The Zen Leader. If you'd like a memorable visual of "leadership gorging," I invite you to watch The Zen Leader Animated.

To develop leaders using the concept of "just enough," The Zen Leader prompts us to pause and ask those questions that bring self-awareness to the situation. "When we jump in and do a task that we're comfortable with, but someone else could be doing, we might ask, Am I really the right person to do this, or am I doing this only to satisfy my own need for accomplishment? When we push ourselves too hard and edge toward burnout, we might ask, Does this situation call for this extreme response, or am I doing this because I'm only happy when I'm achieving?" The answers won't always be the same, but they will bring clarity to the source. "Pausing to face our needs at any level, and ensuring we're meeting them just enough and not to the point of greed, we make the flip from compulsively using life to serve our needs into using our needs to effectively serve life."

Changing awareness from "It's all about me" to "I'm all about it" is one of the "flips" in consciousness that The Zen Leader walks you through and is an integral part of leading by the "just enough" rule. Do you recognize the faces of "It's all about me?" Look at these statements below and see how they can be flipped around to change your perspective and how you serve the situation:

• Only I can do this.  >  I'd enjoy doing this, but who else can learn from this?
• I need to market myself better.  >  How can I add real and visible value?
• I'm worried about money.  >  I can be prudent about money and resourceful about living with just enough if I have to.
• If our groups get merge, I may be out of a job.  >  Our groups merging may signal it's time for a new chapter for me.

The idea that we create our own reality is not a new concept, but as you'll read, a lesson I'm still learning. Werner Erhard, the controversial founder of the "est" movement in the 70's was the first one I can remember in my own lifetime to talk about this idea. But if we look back through the ages, we see this same concept in the Buddhist notion of "interdependent arising," or what Thich Nhat Hanh calls  "interbeing." Everyone, everything, everywhere interdependently co-creating the reality we call our world. Do we really create our own reality? If so, why aren't we doing a better job of it?