Scott Shute is a pioneer of creating workplace mindfulness programs and advancing the discussion around compassion at work. He blends his experience as a Silicon Valley executive with his lifelong practice and passion as a wisdom seeker and teacher. In his recent role at LinkedIn, Scott was the Head of Mindfulness and Compassion programs, and he is the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Full Body Yes. Here, he is interviewed by Emilie Mogensen.
Read MoreAfter a career as a customer-facing executive, Scott Shute designed and took his dream job, as Head of Mindfulness and Compassion Programs at LinkedIn. On the eve of his departure from LinkedIn, we spoke about Scott’s approach to leadership, which he describes as inside-out. This approach, based in compassion, has never been more critical than now amid the Great Resignation and so much other stress and tumult for employees within and beyond the workplace.
Read MoreCompassion at the deepest level requires us to truly wish the best for someone else. To love them. Unconditionally.
To comprehend love, I think of an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg, the part that sticks up out of the water—this is the part we allow other people to see. For some of us, or in some situations, that visible part is very small. We’re closed off. When we share ourselves more, and when another person holds that space for us, it feels amazing. It feels so good that we want to share even more. We lower the waterline on our iceberg.
Read MoreFor Scott Shute, mindfulness is a full-time job. Literally. After six years as LinkedIn's vice president of global customer operations, in 2018 he became head of the company's mindfulness and compassion programs.
He leads a team that holds 40 to 60 meditation sessions a week across the globe, hosts workshops on topics such as resilience and a growth mindset, and conducts mini retreats for those who want to deepen their mindfulness practices. His goals are, in his words, to "mainstream mindfulness," in part by making it as normal as exercising, and to "operationalize compassion," by training employees to embed it in every decision they make for the business.
Read MoreWhen we measure our success, it’s often a proxy for how other people view us. Status. Position. Relative rank to the rest of society. This constant comparison is a strategy for misery. The thief of joy. True happiness, real success, comes from developing your own inner strength and contentment.
Here are three ways you are defining success wrong and what you can do to help yourself stay on track.
Read MoreOne trait of highly successful people is having a positive outlook on life, always moving forward, always learning – especially when it’s hard. We’re not typically grateful for the “worst” things in our lives. If we want to have a growth mindset, we should be.
Read MoreIn a team environment, have you ever played the game “Two Truths and a Lie” to get to know each other better? Let’s try that with Mindfulness, though I won’t make you guess which one is the lie (myth). What is Mindfulness? Simply put, it’s being aware of the present moment in a non-judgmental way.
Read MoreAt LinkedIn we believe that compassion is not just a better way to live, it’s better way to build a team, it’s better way to build and grow a business.
Read MoreHow To Create A Mindful And Compassionate Workplace: The Story Of LinkedIn.
Read MoreThe defensive tendencies of our ego come at great costs to our success as leaders — and that of our companies.
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