The effects of self-leadership and mindfulness training on leadership development: a systematic review

Abstract

AbstractInvestment in leadership development programs (LDPs) does not reliably increase leaders’ competence in core socioemotional skills related to self-management, self-awareness, and relationship-building with employees. Training programs focused on self-leadership, in combination with mindfulness practices, have the potential to address this gap. However, robust research that assesses the suitability and efficacy of such programs is lacking. In this article, the results of a systematic review of the literature on self-leadership and mindfulness in the context of LDPs are reported. A total of 52 articles were selected from an initial pool of 284 articles, subjected to textual analysis, and coded in terms of the reported impact levels for all of the examined training programs. This study revealed that training in self-leadership competencies and skills improved stress resilience, job performance and satisfaction, and positive attitudes and increased leaders’ abilities to organize and motivate their teams. Mindfulness training was strongly linked to stress reduction and self-regulation as well as to enhanced sleep and reduced burnout. Mindfulness also appeared to improve job performance and emotional regulation and to increase the ability to establish positive relationships with employees.