We spend 80,000 hours of our lives at work… wouldn’t it be great if they felt meaningful?

As a leader, you work to get results. 


You worry about targets, quarters, attracting talent... and you feel a constant pressure to grow. But sometimes you focus so much on these end goals that you don’t pay attention to your journey.


The result? You feel out of touch and dragged along.


It’s only when you face problems in your team, or productivity takes a nose-dive that you peer over the balance sheets and realize you’re not where you wanted to be. 

The truth is, leadership is about more than numbers.

People and connections and relationships matter. 




Yet it’s easy to get caught up in a culture of management “hacks” and quick fixes and dismiss “well-being” as free-snacks Friday and some quiet time in a back-office wearing yoga pants.


Only it’s so much more than that. Mindful leaders are more successful, less stressed, and more connected to their purpose, and you know you can be too. 


You can be the kind of leader who...


  • Cultivates productivity through authentic relationships

  • Communicates what matters and brings people with them

  • Builds alignment within their teams

  • Brings out the best in themselves and others

But how do you get there?

In this on-demand course

… you’ll learn the Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader with Marc Lesser: mindfulness teacher, CEO, executive coach, and emotional intelligence advisor to Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and some of the world’s highest-level business leaders.

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You’ll use the tools of mindfulness to develop emotional intelligence so you can be more purposeful, present, and empathetic in your workplace. 

Not convinced that emotional intelligence
makes better leaders?

Here’s what the research says…

"Workplace star performers score 53% higher in emotional intelligence than average-performing employees."

Daniel Goleman, Working With Emotional Intelligence.

"When 300,000 leaders, managers and employees identified the skills that had the greatest impact on their success, 6 out of the top 8 were related to emotional intelligence… only 2 were related to IQ."

Jack Zenger & Joseph Folkman, Harvard Business Review

"Emotional intelligence accounts for 90% of why some people succeed over others who have similar IQ and technical skill."

Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business Review.

A large meta-analysis shows that IQ-related factors don’t contribute to a person’s happiness and well-being, whereas emotional intelligence traits – e.g. gratitude and optimism – matter a lot.

Dr. Sonia Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness


In summary, leaders with high emotional intelligence (EI) are happier, more successful, and better at their jobs. 


The Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader are your roadmap to developed EI.


I’ve used these seven practices to successfully navigate being CEO to three companies and have helped my clients embrace and enjoy the challenges of leadership.


Now, I know what you’re thinking... “but I’m not a billionaire CEO and my business isn’t Google”... Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from decades of contemplative practice, it’s that it doesn’t matter. 

We’re all leaders and we can all benefit from being more awake and connected in our everyday lives.



Allow me to tell you a story. 


As a college freshman, I was assigned the book – Toward a Psychology of Being - by Abraham Maslow. 


Those 320 pages opened my eyes to how connected, open, and purposeful I could be in my everyday life… and it was a huge contrast to how asleep I felt at that time.



Once I acknowledged that feeling, I had to grab it with both hands and see where it could lead.


So, I went from college to the San Francisco Zen Center where, over the next decade, I “did the work” of mindfulness that the Zen tradition teaches. 


By “work” I don’t mean sitting on my own in a pebbled garden repeating mantras. I mean applying mindfulness principles to every aspect of my life, from the Monastery kitchen to marriage and family, to teaching mindfulness in corporate settings.


And even though my wife still finds it hilarious that I teach emotional intelligence, I’ve used these skills to live a life with purpose. One where I co-created the Search Inside Yourself emotional intelligence program at Google, ran successful businesses, and coached some of the world’s most prominent business leaders.


Now, I want to share those same skills with you. 


Not because your idea of “success” is the same as mine. But because I know I’m not the only one who’s felt like they’re floating through life asleep...


I want you to feel the same sense of purpose, openness, and connectedness that I gained through studying and embodying these mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and leadership practices.


But, you should know...

Becoming a more mindful leader takes work.

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Emotional intelligence is not a “quick fix,” a management “scheme,” or a dispensable “soft skill” – and this course isn’t a series of videos you watch alone in your office or a four-weeks-and-done “hack” that you forget about a few days later. It’s a highly interactive series of…

  • Personal Insights from my
    decades-long Zen and
    leadership practice

  • Detailed Lessons
    you can watch, listen to,
    read, or download

  • Guided Practices
    and
    Contemplative Exercises

Together we’ll dissect the Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader

… and come to understand their basis in the “3 minds” – Joyful Mind, Grandmother Mind, and Wise Mind – introduced by Dogen, the founder of Zen in Japan.



We’ll take a deep dive into the practices I discuss in my book...

  • Love the work - embrace self-awareness and help others

  • Do the work - of mindfulness and meditation

  • Don’t be an expert - cultivate a beginner’s mind, let go of being right

  • Connect to your pain - don’t avoid what is difficult

  • Connect to the pain of others - connect deeply with others

  • Depend on others - don’t overemphasize self-reliance

  • Keep making it simpler - let go of what is extra

By the end of this course, you’ll understand how to “do the work” that will move you from fire-fighting and overwhelm to a more connected and effective form of leadership. One that’s rooted in the key features of emotional intelligence…

What people say about Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader

"Marc’s deep wisdom, practical knowledge, and love for mindfulness applied in profound and yet practical ways shines through."

— Peter Bostelmann, Director, SAP Global Mindfulness Practice

"Marc brings ancient Zen wisdom into our modern-day boardroom. The practices he introduces provide a clear pathway towards bringing more of our best human selves into our day to day leadership."

— Rasmus Hougaard, Founder and CEO of Potential Project and author of The Mind of the Leader

"Amazing” is a word that is so overused, it loses its value. But the "Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader" workshop at LinkedIn was truly that: amazing. I’m always looking for ways to become a better leader, a more empathic listener, and the kind of person who walks through the world with appreciation. Marc Lesser provided practical ways to do all that in a fun and engaging environment."

— Pamela Scott, First Republic Bank

"For leaders of organizations large or small, Marc Lesser offers a wise and practical approach for fostering a healthy, dignified workplace and inspiring the very best in others."

— Michael Carroll, author of The Mindful Leader and Fearless at Work

"Marc is a skilled facilitator and speaker who uses storytelling, humility and humor to connect with participants while cultivating self-awareness, mindfulness and leadership skills. He is one of the most authentic and thoughtful people I’ve had the pleasure of working with."

— Jared Taylor, Sr. Manager, Disney ABC Television Group

"A lifetime of experience in both business and spiritual practice environments has afforded Marc Lesser a deft way of explaining how and why living with more heart promotes effective leadership."

— Norman Fischer, Zen priest, poet, author of The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path

Don’t be held back by feelings of doubt.

I don’t want you to be held back by a feeling that mindfulness is not for you. 


Too many people hear great things about EI research and think “it sounds great, but I’m just not that kind of person.”


And I get it! 


Even though I’ve practiced mindful leadership for two decades, I still struggle to bring the two worlds together from time to time.


I’ve walked up to packed conference halls and thought to myself...


“Am I showing up as a business person or am I showing up as a mindfulness teacher?”


“Should I look like the business guy or should I look like the Zen guy?”


But, here’s the thing.


Your work life is just life. We spend 80,000 hours of our lives at work. So, it should be meaningful. It should make us feel satisfied and fulfilled… at least as much as our personal lives.


And the research couldn’t be more clear that mindfulness builds EI and EI makes better leaders.

So, this course is for you...

… if you want to be the kind of person who:

  • Faces difficult situations with confidence

  • Casts aside doubts, negativity and conflict

  • Cultivates positivity and a present mind

  • Feels a deep sense of purpose

  • Unites others around a common goal

What participants say…

“So much here - simple practices for a better life and better interactions with others.”

“I had my doubts… but it was incredible - thank you!”

“Much needed session with great mindfulness practices, very inspiring conversations and connections.”

If you’re ready to do the deep work… the transformative work to become a more effective leader, then…

Join me in an exploration of the Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader



Learn how you can be a more purposeful, active, and empathetic force for change in your organization.

Join the course!

Your coach

Marc Lesser MBA is a mindfulness teacher, executive business coach and emotional intelligence advisor to Twitter, SAP, Comcast, Genentech and more.

He was the Director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center – the first Zen monastery in the Western world – and one of the architects behind Google’s world-renowned Search Inside Yourself program. He’s also co-founder of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute.

He shares his experience as a CEO of successful enterprises and 10-year resident at the San Francisco Zen Center through in-person workshops, one-on-one coaching, and his 4 books on business and mindfulness.

Join Marc Lesser in the Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader now.
Join the course!

FAQ

  • Do I need any special technology to participate?

    You will need access to a high-speed internet connection (at least 5mbps download speed to stream the sessions), and a device or computer with an internet browser.

    Live sessions will be hosted on Zoom. If you haven’t used Zoom before, you’ll need to download the Zoom app, which you’ll find at https://zoom.us/download.

  • What if I need to cancel?

    If for some reason you are not entirely happy with this course, you can email us within 30 days of registering to request a full refund.

  • Is this a live training?

    No, this training was live in September 2020, and the full recordings are now available in this course for you to watch anytime, at your own pace. If you are interested in having a live training for your organization, email us for more info.