Leaders who want to keep an edge at work should hone these three soft skills, says Jacqueline Carter, author of The Mind of the Leader. She sat down with James Gimian, Mindful's Executive Director.

Want to be a more mindful leader? Learn the 10 benefits of mindfulness in the workplace and how mindful leadership can make you a better leader.

Why solitude is more than just secluding yourself from other people, why it's so hard to come by, and how leadership has suffered because of that.

Find out 6 ways to become more self-aware, plus get 19 self-reflection questions to ask yourself to assess your own self-awareness as a leader.

When leaders don’t practice effective listening, they are disconnected from their people and their problems. These leaders fail to recognise that true value is created only when people listen to each other, when they are free to share an opinion and when they feel heard and respected for their views

Use the following social awareness tactics to boost your EQ and turn yourself into a superhuman leader that understands and motivates people.

Are you trying to make those around you better? Improving our mentoring skills will make you a better leader, coach, and supervisor.

When employees say they want their voices to be heard, they are really saying they want leaders who will not just hear them, but really listen to them. As employees seek more attention, feedback and support, leaders must become more mindful of individual needs in order to more effectively inspire professional development and overall performance. Leaders who listen are able to create trustworthy relationships that are transparent and breed loyalty. You know the leaders who have their employees’ best interests at heart because they truly listen to them. Here are six effective forms of listening that will help get you started:

Nothing is more important in life than finding out what makes you happy! In this article, I’ll share a few simple tools you can use today to find out.

What makes a good leader? Take an honest look at your career history. There are hidden signs that you will make a better leader than you think. #1, You...

An infographic with the essential principles from Dale Carnegie on how to win and influence people - key ability in business.

What makes a good leader? Take an honest look at your career history. There are hidden signs that you will make a better leader than you think. #1, You...

Do you know anyone in your organization that flaunts their title as their only means to get things done? People who rely on their title, position, or power to influence others do not lead well, and they neglect many of the human aspects when it comes to their people in their organization. While this approach can influence others, it does not foster effective long-term working relationships. Instead, it often disenfranchises people and prevents them from expressing their ideas and opinions.Your

Wouldn’t you like to be the first person to know if your lesson was a flop or your students misinterpreted your words or intentions? Whether you like it or not, your students are continually evaluating your teaching materials and instructional style. Their opinions travel quickly to peers, parents, tutors, advisors, and school administrators. Frequently, the last person to hear this feedback is often the actual teacher. In fact, this negative chatter, and exaggerations can turn a minor incident or criticism into a big ordeal. What’s more, the spread of negative gossip can create lasting misconceptions. Listen to Your Students Ideas and Opinions: Allowing your students to evaluate your classroom materials, assignments and approaches can provide the needed feedback right to the source – you, the teacher. You will be surprised at the value of your students’ critiques. My students have inspired some of my best materials. How Can Teachers Gather This Information? Utilizing a questionnaire with a Likert Scale can allow you to assess your students’ feedback quantitatively. This can be done for assignments, projects, lessons and more. Offer a suggestion box, where students can anonymously submit their feedback. Weekly, you can review the comments, and if needed, discuss the advice with the class. Allocate 10 minutes a week for students to discuss their ideas, favorite lessons and materials as well as critiques and concerns. How Can Teachers and Students Benefit from The Teacher Assessment Cycle? Students know what is “cool” for their generation, and they can help keep you abreast of the motivating fads. Students can discover how to be mindful of what they are learning and to generate and share their creative ideas. Students will learn the value of accepting feedback. Students can be empowered participants in the design of the curriculum. In fact, if your students feel that they have a voice in your approach, they will be more motivated to complete the work. Students come to your class with a wealth of experience and knowledge, and they are their own best experts. Students can develop their critical reasoning skills. Students learn through example, and they will often imitate the behaviors of their teachers. Therefore, if you listen to your students, they will be more apt to listen to you. Students can learn communication skills. If inappropriate or hurtful words are expressed during an evaluation, you can use this as a lesson tool. Teach your students how to turn negative criticism into positive advice. The class can practice how to communicate their feelings in a way that gets their message across without hurting the recipient’s feelings and also achieving their desired outcome. Students might make you aware of issues that you innocently overlooked. For example, just yesterday when I was working with a student, Maddy. She had to complete a portfolio assignment for her math class, and one of the requirements was to make the presentation as colorful as possible. Maddy was troubled, as she did not have access to a color printer, while many of her peers did. She was afraid that she would be graded down for this and spent a lot of time hand coloring the images, knowing that her attempt to mimic a color printout was second rate. At the end of the assignment, the teacher allowed Maddy to rate this project and make recommendations for the future. Maddy was pleased to communicate her concerns and shared that some students in the class could not afford a color printer. In another instance, I learned that, “some Native American Tribes consider it to be taboo to show students animals such as snakes or owls.” This was valuable feedback, because I often use images of animals in my lessons and was innocently unaware of this offensive behavior. Clearly, accepting student evaluations will help you to be a life-long learner, an expert on your students’ needs as well as better, kinder, teacher. I would love to hear your feedback. If you would like a free copy of Dr. Warren's printable assessments, CLICK HERE Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.· Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/· YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1· Podcast: https://godyslexia.com/· Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/· Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/· Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/69400 · Private Practice: Learning to Learn

What makes a good leader? Take an honest look at your career history. There are hidden signs that you will make a better leader than you think. #1, You...