Practicing Mindful Leadership at Ardene
Ardene is committed to growing the practice of mindfulness in our business with the goal of improving the well-being of all team members. Having launched our Mindfulness Program in 2018 with the objective of providing team members with techniques to help stay grounded and overcome stress, it was a natural evolution for us to center mindfulness within our approach to leadership at Ardene. To support our leaders in realizing this vision, we focused our Semi-Annual Leadership Development Forum on the themes of conscious leadership and mindful leadership. Mindful leadership is about expanding our self-awareness skills for the benefit of the team around us. It's a practice in which a leader is intentional about cultivating an attitude of presence, open-mindedness, acceptance, insight and appreciation in relationships with team members. This in turn accelerates the growth of key leadership behaviors such as communicating and providing direction, as well as empowering, caring for and celebrating others. Mindfulness is the foundation for conscious leadership; a revolutionary framework focused on building a culture of “we” rather than a culture of “me”. By applying these concepts, we are creating an environment where our teams can develop meaningful connections, lead with intention and kindness, and be their best selves at work and in their lives.
Learning to GROW
To develop training specifically for our leaders at both head office and stores, we partnered with the Brain Spa: a company that brings mindfulness-based leadership to the workplace. Building on previous trainings that focused on practicing mindfulness at the individual level, the Brain Spa collaborated with us to design tools to help approach leadership challenges mindfully. Facilitated by Miriam Bekkouche, the founder of the Brain Spa, the training inspired our leaders to discover the benefit of placing mindfulness at the heart of our personal leadership styles, while also acquiring practical tools and a four-step framework to successfully lead with mindfulness, even in challenging situations:
G: Give your attention
R: Relate with curiosity
O: Open the way for learning
W: Identify what's the Win
Our leaders learned new ways to expand from "me to we" by applying a mindful approach to finding solutions, instead of reacting to problems. Each challenge we face presents an opportunity for growth, and taking a mindful approach to leadership in handling difficult situations can make all the difference.
Our Commitment
Above all, during the training our leaders committed to nurturing mindfulness at Ardene in ways that are authentic, inspiring and impactful. They were invited to sign a personal declaration to grow as mindful leaders, and by following the 4 C's: Consistent practice, Commitment, Community and Compassion, they made a promise to keep mindfulness at the forefront of everything and pave the way for the success and wellness of all our team members.