What Being A Good Teacher is About

I've just come back from a week of intensive MSC Teacher Training in the Netherlands with Chris Germer, Mila de Koning and Laura Bassi, hosted by De Mindfulness Academie. Together with 40 teacher trainees from over 20 countries, we practiced over seven days, learning how to teach self-compassion and in doing that we shared a lot of very personal experiences with each other. Our teachers created and maintained a space for over a week in which we were able to reveal some of our darkest and brightest parts. Anyone who has the courage to allow such a process will inevitably create great closeness. What a journey!

On Sunday a week ago, I started practicing with 40 complete strangers, and when I left a week later, I was deeply connected to the whole group. When a group of people has reached this level, a flow is created that enables everyone to be both with the self and with others with their attention and feelings at the same time. This creates an immense positive energy with which a lot of good things can develop in this world. As teachers and leaders, we must learn to do just that, and everything else will come with great power, joy, and ease. Then, all you have to do is following whatever opportunities life throws at you and be willing to trustingly surrender to that cause.

At a conference in Zurich in 2010, leading practitioners and thinkers from various disciplines such as economics, management theory, psychology and Buddhism came together to discuss how we can make our economic systems fairer and healthier in a globalized world. When asked how leadership training should look like, the Dalai Lama replied that leaders are neither born nor made into such. Rather, people develop into leaders by cultivating certain qualities, and by embracing inner values and putting them into practice on the outside.

I cannot say it more beautifully and aptly. My wish to you is that you can continually grow into the leader you always wanted to be. Mindfulness, kindness, and connection are qualities you can constantly cultivate on that path. In addition, may you act according to your inner core values and invest in your own development as well as in that of others. May you always give yourself opportunities to be vulnerable to allow yourself and others to feel and reflect your genuine self to be able to develop further. If you do all this, then you will practice holistic (self-) leadership with head and heart, with intellect and feeling. You and the people in your life will then have a good chance for a healthier, happier and more successful connection and togetherness.

If you like, please send your feedback on how you have fared on your leader journey so far. You can reach me at: www.myleaderjourney.de/contact

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Namasté & Lead on

Nadja