Big results come from small steps.
If you think you don't have time for mindfulness, think again. This handbook, named a Best Courageous Book of 2014 by The Center for Courage and Renewal, was written with school leaders in mind-your responsibilities, your stress, and your schedule. When you add mindfulness into your day, bit by bit, you'll become a more effective leader and a more positive force for your staff and students.
With the help of this inspirational yet practical guide, you'll start fitting pieces of practice into your busy home and work life, whether you are sitting in your office or walking down the hall. Features include
Real-life profiles of mindful school leaders
Practice exercises to try right away
Guidance so you know if you are "doing it right"
Hard-to-find resources, including mindfulness apps
Mindful school leaders are better at managing meetings, responding creatively to complex situations, and achieving resilience at work and at home. Take the first steps to transform your life-and your school.
"This inspiring book makes a strong case for school leaders to include mindfulness in their personal and professional lives. Based on solid research and enhanced by compelling examples of real people, it shows how school leaders can feel more grounded, connected, clear and focused. Mindfulness makes leaders more effective with relatively little effort, but be advised that the benefits can be contagious, transforming your school from the inside out."
Christopher Germer, Clinical Instructor
Harvard Medical School
"In The Mindful School Leader, Brown and Olson offer with remarkable clarity and depth a thorough introduction to the practice of meditation, the science behind its benefits, and many firsthand accounts of lives and work situations transformed through this practice. Although this book was written for those in leadership roles in education, it will be inspiring for anyone interested in understanding their own minds and finding more ease in life and work."
Joseph Goldstein, Co-Founder
Insight Meditation Society
Foreword by Richard Brady, President, Mindfulness in Education Network
Introduction
Chapter 1. Why Mindfulness? The School Leader's Life
A School Leader Practicing Mindfulness
Benefits of Practice
What Is Mindfulness?
Why Do Leaders Need a Mindfulness Practice?
Leadership Challenges to Our Sector
Knowing When to Disengage and Recharge
How Stress Shapes Our Brains
Mindfulness for Educational Leaders
Your Leadership Practice Matters
A Leader With a Growing Mindfulness Practice
First Steps: You've Got to Practice
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 2. The Science of Mindfulness
Practice Snapshot: A School Leader Practicing Mindfulness
The Science of Mindfulness
Stress: A Public Health Risk for Educators
Mindfulness Alleviates Stress in the Body and Mind
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 3. The Well-Focused School Leader
A Sleepless Night for Jason
Mindfulness and Attention Training
Two Ways to Practice: Formal and Informal
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Mindful Attitudes
How Much Practice Time?
Practices That Complement Mindfulness
Distraction: The New Normal and the School Leader's Dilemma
Negativity Bias: Part of the School Leader's Dilemma
The Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind
The Myth of Multitasking
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 4. Communication and Connection: Powerful Skills of the Mindful School Leader
Donna S.T.O.P.s
Mindful Communication: Mindful Speaking, Mindful Listening
Having Difficult Conversations
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 5. Reclaiming Our Wholeness: Four Educational Leaders Explore Mindfulness
Portraits of Practice: Schools Leaders Practicing Mindfulness
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Chapter 6. Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence: Principles and Practices to Transform Your Leadership Life
A Leader Fails to Notice
A Leader Grows EQ Through Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Chapter 7. Mindful Leadership in Action: Putting It All Together
Fundamental Principles: The Evolution of the Leader Evolves the Team
Stepping-Stones in Your Leadership Journey: Know Yourself
What Mindfulness Practice Supports
A Mindful Leader in Action: A Last Case Study
Well-Being and Compassion at the Center of a New Educational Vision
Mindfulness Practice Aids
Portraits of Practice
Appendix A: Books for the Mindful School Leader (Online Only)
Appendix B: The (General) Mindful Library (Online Only)
Appendix C: Mindfulness Apps-Our Top Picks (Online Only)
Appendix D: Our Top Picks for Websites and Places to Practice Mindfulness (Online Only)
Appendix E: Relevant, Recent Mindfulness Research in Education (Online Only)
Appendix F: Comprehensive List of All Mindfulness Practice Aids in This Book (Online Only)
Appendix G: Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Online Only)
