The Mindful Promise: Leading with Integrity for a Sustainable Future

Abstract

This paper examines the notion that “mindfulness has the power to change the world, one person at a time, from the inside out”. It explores the benefits and challenges of adopting mindfulness practices, and how change from the ‘inside out’ is articulated at the level of Self, Organization, and System (SOS). Change for good is often framed as ‘sustainable development’, but sustainability theory and practice traditionally prioritizes the outer, ecological, social, economic and technological dimensions of change. We examine the idea that learning to cultivate the inner-place from which we operate, through contemplative practice, is integral to deeper and lasting change. The paper draws on Integral Theory, and interviews with 10 well-established leaders, who have a personal mindfulness practice, and who are introducing mindfulness into a range of organizational and system-change initiatives. Our research suggests that transformations at the level of Self – Organization – System are interconnected and coemergent. Transformation of these domains can be encapsulated in the acronym ‘SOS’ - an urgent ‘cry for help’. We promote the SOS concept as a holistic approach to leading with integrity, for a sustainable future.