MindShifting Edition 2 Revised and updated

“Joshua Ehrlich has taken the complicated concept of mindfulness and simplified it for busy executives. His ability to explain ideas clearly, and then offer ways to reflect and process them, makes this an easy to read and easy to apply book. His authentic and personal approach to storytelling brings his ideas to life.”

—Jose Davila, Chief People Officer, J. Crew

“Josh Ehrlich’s MindShifting offers a panoply of ideas to improve one’s effectiveness, whether it is personal or professional. Anyone who picks up this book cannot help but find several approaches that will resonate with them. I have seen Josh’s recommendations on the importance of sleep and the creation of your own personal board of directors presented as development initiatives for leaders in organizations in which I worked. When implemented, both drove leader effectiveness as well as improved quality of thought and decision making.”

—Liz Dunlap, SVP and Chief People Officer, Panera Bread

“MindShifting provides invaluable insight, tools, and resources to address the central issues of our age. How do leaders show up effectively with all the demands on their time and attention? And how do they chart a clear course with the information overload, ambiguity, and speed of modern business? This book shows the way.”

—Diane Hessan, CEO, Communispace

“MindShifting transforms thinking to produce better outcomes. It encourages the reader to think about how we think. It includes practical ‘experiments’ to help the reader try new incremental approaches to learning and change. This intriguing ‘how to’ manual celebrates mindfulness. This book has the potential to be life altering. Every person interested in a more productive existence can benefit from MindShifting.”

—Rich Smith, Vice President, Human Resources, at Kaiser Permanente

“Josh Ehrlich has made a major contribution in MindShifting. The book does a terrific job of drawing on research and theory to build an extremely pragmatic and useful way of thinking about leadership and learning. Numerous cases and examples, combined with very effective tips and tools, make this a valuable guide for leaders. MindShifting provides a terrific roadmap for improving your leadership effectiveness in the context of the tremendously demanding environment of today’s world.”

—David A. Nadler, Vice Chairman, Marsh and McLennan Companies and author of Champions of Change, Organizational Architecture, and Building Better Boards

“As we all strive to get more done faster, we actually achieve less. In this breakthrough book, Josh uses the full depth of his experience and expertise to show us how to look at the world from the inside out. His focus is more on who we are rather than what we do. More importantly, Josh describes a number of simple, easy to use tools and techniques that everyone can use immediately to become a better leader.”

—Paul J. Gallagher, Managing Director, TIAA-CREF

“If you’re one of today’s overloaded, overstressed, and overfrazzled leaders who wants to be more effective without being more frantic, then MindShifting is the book for you. It’s simple framework, engaging stories, and practical exercises will help you step back and take control over your life and your career.”

—Ron Ashkenas, Senior Partner, Schaffer Consulting and author of Simply Effective

“Giving myself permission to stop and reflect is critical to my success given the challenges and sensitivities I face in cross-cultural settings. As a global executive living outside my home country, I now use this book as my ‘go-to’ reference for coaching my team, being a thinking partner to my colleagues, and keeping myself on track.”

—Susan West, Chief Human Resource Office, GS1, Brussels

“Executives being coached are often asked to ‘reflect’ or ‘be in the moment’ as if it were as simple as that! Josh Ehrlich provides practical advice and wisdom on these mysterious practices and many others that underpin the success of learning anything.”

—Michael Molinaro, Chief Learning Officer, New York Life Insurance Company

“This book offers a banquet of ideas. Don’t try to consume it all at once. Rather, savor each bite. You will get a great deal if you give yourself the opportunity to work with the concepts and practice the exercises over time.”

—Brian Lownds, Manager, Organizational Development, JetBlue

“If the fast track you are on is taking you in circles because of your heavy workload, disappointing career progress, or intractable business issues, then do yourself a favor and give yourself permission to stop and read Josh Ehrlich’s book. His incisive discussion, self-assessments, skill-building exercises, and case examples will give you what you need to refocus, reenergize, and reclaim control of your life.”

—Michael O’Malley, CEO, Promontory Financial Human Resource Solutions, and author of Leading with Kindness

“Building our reflective muscles takes focus, time, and energy. It requires a willingness to be somewhat vulnerable and revealing, to examine ourselves in a way that may not be entirely comfortable.”

—Carey Bongard, Executive Vice President–Human Resources and Organizational Development, Assurant Solutions, Inc.

“The single most revolutionary act you can do these days is to find time to think. When you study successful leaders there are two major attributes that stand out—clarity of purpose and a heightened level of self-awareness. Both of these attributes directly relate to the fact that most successful leaders are self-reflective. They understand that to be their best it is important to slow down, and they give themselves the gift of time to pause, reflect, and most importantly take the time to think about the important issues in their lives.”

—Margaret Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science

“MindShifting is a powerful guide for people who want to break their self-limiting habits and build more effective relationships at work and elsewhere. In a very practical way, it shows you how to lead yourself better, which is the foundation for leading others. This is an insightful and supportive approach to better leadership.”

—Robert J. Lee, Managing Director, iCoachNewYork

C O N T E N T S:

Preface
Foreword by Garth Barker-Goldie

1. The Challenge

Part I: Three Core Disciplines and Their Application to Learning

2. Stopping
3. Reflecting
4. Learning through Reflecting
5. Focusing
6. Learning through Focusing

Part II: A Map, a Compass, and Seven Essential Skills

7. MindShifting
8. Values and Purpose
9. Strategic Thinking
10. Innovative Thinking
11. Stress Management and Resilience
12. Communication
13. Emotional Intelligence
14. Relationship Building, Negotiating, and Networking
15. Leading and Developing Teams

Part III: Overcoming Five Destructive Habits

16. Habits
17. Perfectionism, Self-criticism, and Self-confidence
18. Negative and Irrational Thinking
19. Tolerating Uncertainty and Managing Change
20. Multitasking and Technology
21. Prioritization and Time Management

Part IV: Conclusions and Implications

22. Goal-Setting and Development Planning
23. Organizational Goals and Focus
24. Mindful Coaching
25. Who Are You?

Joshua Ehrlich

Joshua Ehrlich is an organizational consultant, executive coach, supervisor, and accreditor of coaches. He advises CEOs and facilitates top teams to achieve complex objectives. He coaches executives in leadership skills including communication, negotiating/influencing, network and relationship management, team building and stress management. He also provides career management coaching to help individuals prepare for advancement opportunities and transition into new roles. Josh Ehrlich is the founder of the Global Leadership Council, an international network of experts in leadership and organizational transformation. He is passionate about helping clients leverage their strengths, accelerate their learning, and unleash their potential. His clients include more than 50 of the Fortune 100 across diverse industries.