WHO we are and how we view the world is not as it seems. We tend to think that we work at developing our best traits while controlling our worst, and at the same time we rationally absorb the news and slowly develop a clear logical political, social and economic viewpoint.
That’s not what science tells us. It tells us that we are born with innate personality tendencies and that these are constantly moulded and shaped through our lives, for the most part without us being aware that it’s happening, and not only in our early years but all through our lifetime. Moreover a series of studies indicates that specific genes influence our political views, to roughly the same extent as they shape our personality. A US study suggests that politically conservative views are 64.5 per cent heritable in men, and 44.7 percent in women.
We then reinforce these. If we have strong inherent views we tend to read and watch media that confirm rather than challenge our views, so most people unconsciously nurture their genetic political perspectives, while thinking that they are reasoning their way through what are invariably complex issues.
Our civil servants and politicians, right up to the First Minister, Prime Minister, and President of the European Council are no exceptions to this natural tendency. Thus, unless they have consciously and assiduously worked to rebalance their unconscious and unreasoned political biases, they carry them with them in every arena of their work.
The same is true for bosses in businesses and other organisations.
I believe that more than anything else a leader should have a clear, calm mind. This makes them able to resist knee-jerk reactions, avoid angry and spiteful responses, and take into consideration the whole picture rather than a narrow, blinkered view. This doesn’t mean that if our politicians, business leaders and other influential people deliberately and rigorously cultivated their best qualities of mind, they’d all reach agreement on every matter. Most issues are not simple, with gaps in the knowledge needed to be certain about the way ahead, and there’s always the unknowability of future events that may scupper the best laid plans. However it would mean that their genetic and life-skewed political and personal biases would play a lesser part in decision-making.
Linked to this is the second most important quality I think a leader should have, which is a combination of kindness, empathy, and compassion. If our leaders could cultivate clarity and calmness, manage and reduce their innate biases, while genuinely feeling deep in their hearts that they want what is best for all – and that may include animals and the environment – I think most people would agree that the quality of such leadership would be first-rate.
It would be very interesting to know to what extent if at all, our politicians and government officials have been trained in mindfulness as a means of improving their decision-making, for the benefit of all they are there to serve. And if trained in mindfulness, how many make the time to practice regularly so that it can have a positive effect on their abilities. Or do they rely on what’s already controlling and influencing their minds as things stand at present, oblivious to unconscious bias which may include gender inequality, exploitation of power, manipulation, unpleasantness, egotism rather than the greater good, and so many other traits from those in power that we see from time to time on the front pages of our newspapers?
Every one of us is in a position of power. It’s not just the politicians and business people. The person who most influences your life moment by moment is you. Will you grimace or will you smile? Will you buckle under pressure or know how to let it go and thus avoid harmful consequences? Will you cross the street or give a homeless person some money? Can you take a deep breath and go to your boss and tell them that something wrong and unfair is happening in the organisation?
We all have our own sphere of influence, starting with ourselves. So keep practising your mindfulness, moment by moment when you can, and if the politicians and business leaders do so as well we might just find ourselves slowly moving into an era of healthier and fairer times.
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