When you spend nearly 30 years in the basketball world as both a player and coach, working with the game’s 1%, there are a lot of things that you learn about peak performance and leadership. Some things that are at the top of that list are the power of focus, meticulous preparation, and locking in on the process.
One word I added late to that list, and used to have a massive amount of resistance towards, was the word “peace”. It was taboo. To me it meant complacency and that was the absolute last thing that belonged in my mindset.
But, as I committed to a mindfulness meditation practice to help me overcome the horrific withdrawal symptoms of a medication I started to attribute a different meaning to the word peace. There was one morning in the spring of 2015, I was sitting in meditation on the rooftop of my Santa Monica apartment complex when I experienced a deep and profound sense of inner peace. This was something that had been completely foreign to me. At that moment I understood why elite athletes like Kobe Bryant and iconic business leaders like Ray Dalio had attributed a meditation practice to their success.
I realized that peace was not complacency, weakness, or being soft. Peace or stillness in the middle of change, disruption, and adversity is actually the ultimate strength. Finding that place of being centered or grounded when everything around you seems to be out of your control — clients, the market, your product launch timeline — is how you lead with intention from your values.
With the aftermath of the pandemic, a looming recession, and constant uncertainty stillness is more important than ever for the bold and driven to lead their people and organization into the unknown.
LET’S BEAT BURNOUT. TOGETHER.
If you’re looking to dive deeper my mindfulness workshop or keynote, or coaching program, might be your ideal next step. Drop us a note to see if we’d be a good fit to help you level up your organization’s leadership.
