Practicing Mindfulness as a Leader
School Administrator, August 2022

About five years into my superintendency in Madison, Wis., I attended a mindfulness retreat and learned the importance of leading and healing. As a result, I began practicing mindfulness as a school system leader and applying what I learned during the retreat. Here are three takeaways.

»Lesson 1: Pay mindful attention.

It is easy to become lost in a swirl of thoughts, opportunities and problems to be solved in jobs such as the superintendency, especially now.

I learned that when I was present in both mind and body, it made all the difference. I was more compassionate and less defensive. I made fewer assumptions and, ultimately, I made better, more informed decisions.

So I started to take a breath between meetings, preparing my mind for the next topic of discussion. I resisted the temptation to rush from one thing to the next because I knew the minute or two that I saved from the act of rushing only made me feel less present when I arrived. I began practicing how to welcome people into each meeting and to express my appreciation for their time and attention. Finally, I became more conscious of my wandering mind so I could practice how to bring it back into focus.

Like many leaders, I often struggled with the need for more time. But I realized if I practiced being fully present in the time I was given, the time started to feel like enough.

»Lesson 2: Practice love and kindness to self.

I also learned I needed to be kind to myself.

In one mindfulness exercise, we were asked to think of someone who loves us without judgment and put ourselves back in a place and time with that person.

I imagined my best teacher friend, who I used to run with regularly years ago. I put myself back on one of our favorite trails. I was amazed at how clearly I could remember it — the long grass at the start of the trail, the roots we’d have to jump over, the climb up the hill. But mostly I remember the beauty of talking, and sometimes not talking at all, about triumphs and difficulties at work and in life.

While it was easy to remember the feeling, it hurt to feel it, too, mainly because I realized in that exercise I hadn’t felt that human in a while. I realized if I was going to lead in a particular place, I would have to be able to live there, too. That meant exercising again. It meant telling my own life story so people knew more about me. Ultimately, it meant allowing myself to be me, every day — dropping my kid off at school more often, running my errands, sharing my truth and my vulnerability, albeit selectively at first, which included my learning and my growth as a leader.

I needed to allow myself to be more human and trust that the community would treat me with the love and kindness we all deserve. If they didn’t, then I had a choice, and I could walk away.

»Lesson 3: Extend love and kindness to others.

Finally, and most importantly, I learned how vital it is to practice love and kindness to others.

In one exercise, we were asked to send messages of love and kindness to those we love, those we know, those we don’t know and those who we are in conflict with. It is important to understand that even those who challenge us still want the same things: to be cared for, to be safe, to be seen and to be appreciated.

I also realized I needed to extend love and kindness more regularly, which I felt but didn’t always express to the teachers and staff in my school district.

I believe to my core that as long as we stay faithful to our vision and goals and the vocation we have chosen, then each day what we do — as educators, as leaders, as parents, as partners, as people — has to be enough.

—  JENNIFER CHEATHAM