Mindful Management

This book is about the power of our rational-conscious (Rider) and emotional-unconscious (Elephant) minds in our work lives. It demonstrates the essential connections between them and highlights the power of the Elephant mind. More importantly, it offers a powerful explanation of why only 30% of employees are actively engaged in their work.

Neuroscience has shown that although they have different functions, when our two minds are positively aligned, our work engagement and productivity improves dramatically. It also explains why this alignment happens in only a minority of workplaces.

Our Elephant mind is the home of our deepest emotional learning and long-term memories. It is the energetic core of the Rider’s conscious thoughts, speech and behavior. However, it’s also wired to fear uncertainty and to protect our conscious self from social ridicule, so it seeks persistent, positive emotional connections with others – trust. When this happens, our two minds become immediately aligned and our Rider Mind is motivated to work with productive enthusiasm.

Most managers have to “wake up” their Rider minds and consciously create the conditions for trust with their employees because their deeply learned habits for enacting the role of manager (also buried in their Elephant’s long term memories) are centered on acts of control rather than connection. Since control contradicts connection, the employees’ Elephant minds automatically hesitate. They disengage to become the “walking indifferent.”

This book gives managers simple but powerful techniques for becoming mindful and connective and for getting “out of control”. As large workplace studies have shown, where managers can enact these techniques, employee engagement in their work dramatically increases.

Author is available for interviews, blog tours, autographed book giveaways, contests, and book club discussions.