Listen to this informative episode of Mindfulness at Work with Laura Berland and Evan Harrel, the founders of The Center for Compassionate Leadership. Laura is the Center's Executive Director and she is a serial tech entrepreneur, former Fortune 500 executive, meditation teacher, yoga therapist, nonprofit founder/board member, executive mentor, and digital media veteran. Evan is the Center's Chief Operations Officer. He has an MBA from Harvard's Business School and has served in the nonprofit sector as the executive director for a group of inner-city Houston preschools. He was an investment manager for 20 years, where he managed a thirty-billion-dollar mutual fund. Wow -what a duo!
Their years of corporate experience combined with their expertise in the emerging field of compassionate leadership have informed the creation of their groundbreaking curriculum for executives and leaders. In this episode, our listeners learn what the non-profit, Center for Compassionate Leadership does and how it serves our world. Their focus is on training leaders, to use them as an important point of leverage, to help grow the ripples of compassion and mindfulness across the globe.
They teach that mindfulness is the foundation for all the transformational work they execute within a structure and how it is the basis for all of the trainings and consulting they do. It's an acute awareness that we all have access to but we need to cultivate, in order to see clearly and make decisions informed by wholeness. They teach why relationships and connection are innate human needs and how to access the benefits of both by engaging in an awareness of one's energy and thoughts. Organizations should begin putting their hearts around their goals and decisions. They should let go of traditional obstacles that don't serve our culture's desire to flourish as connected, safe human beings.
All of their work is a combination of evidence-based neuroscience and behavioral research, resulting in proactive, results-oriented leaders who want to apply a human-centered approach to enhance personal and organizational effectiveness.
Evan and Laura teach us why leadership always starts with self-compassion and explain how to practice the art of compassion.
Leaders and Leadership qualities and traits can be harnessed in many ways but must include:
1) Intense self-awareness
2) Being approachable
3) Having the wisdom to act
4)Possessing the courage for establishing boundaries- for home, work, and for yourself- which is the very hardest.
They are excited to help in the creation of a new environment for the workforce. They know going "back" to work after the reopening will look different and might be hard, but there will also be a period of deep inquiry and growth opportunity. It will be rewarding to those who are responsive and will open up creativity for deeper problem solving. We can learn a new way of working together in order to heal from the collective grief we've all experienced over the past 18 months. Are you ready?
Please reach Laura or Evan for more information about The Center for Compassionate Leadership. We are all carrying forth the information that the Mental Health Awareness the Month of May presented to us, and now it's time to apply solutions and support in the Month of June and beyond. Their work will help us all in taking action steps to do so.
