The Key to Becoming a Wise Leader
In conversation with Mindful CEO Coach Nikolas Konstantin
“One time, I brought in a theater director to help a young Tech CEO grow more fully into a role. Another time, I worked with horses to help a board member understand how he energetically intimidated others. Those experiences would have been impossible if we had “just talked”.
— Nikolas Konstantin
In our fast-paced world, business leadership often demands rapid decision-making and unwavering action, making it easy to forget to reflect on where those decisions might lead.
Without deep reflection spaces, we run in the wrong direction while holding on to the past solutions. Yet, in a complex and volatile world, what worked in the past isn’t a blueprint for the future. How can we design a deeper reflection space for wiser actions and better leadership?
I interviewed Nikolas Konstantin, a CEO Coach with an unconventional approach to reflection spaces. Nikolas’s “The Mindful CEO” newsletter has become a go-to read for integrated leaders. His writing has reached a few million readers in the last year. I interviewed him to find out why.
(accentuated quotations applied by the editor)
Inspiring Wise Leadership
Why is awareness the key to better leadership and healthy organizations?
Before Nikolas began his career as a CEO coach, he was an advisor to the European Parliament. “Growing up as a German-Greek, I always thought it was vital to be engaged in politics and to take on the responsibility of addressing world problems. I wanted to be in the room where decisions of consequence were being made and believed that by applying more progressive ideas, we could help move our societies forward. However, I quickly saw that although Europe's political leaders knew the facts on paper, something foundational was missing.”
Early in his career, Nikolas felt deeply disappointed by the authority figures of politicians and business leaders. “They were often extremely overwhelmed with the demands put on them. This made them reactive to the point that they took terrible decisions.” Nikolas quickly realized how many personal blind spots these leaders had and how resistant they were to meaningful change. “We all have blind spots,” Nikolas explains. “However, the more power we hold—be it in a family, a business, or from a political platform—the more suffering we may cause others when those blind spots are left unchecked.”
With these insights, Nikolas left the parliament, his lucrative career, and the power and benefits that came with it.
He embarked on his educational journey, exploring the science of mindfulness and the ancient teachings of wisdom traditions. He studied with Buddhist monks and sat for weeks on end in silent contemplation. “I was drawn to no-bullshit teachers with decades of experience and a deep understanding of the mental models they taught. The ‘Insight Meditation’ tradition and my teacher, Stephen Batchelor, deeply influenced me. For coaching, I trained in ‘Transactional Analysis’ — the theoretical backbone for some of the most impactful CEO coaches of our time.” Nikolas also started writing The Mindful CEO, translating timeless wisdom into hands-on lessons for modern leaders.
Spaces to Grow Awareness
“The beautiful thing is that the individual work you do on yourself as a leader will always reflect on the quality of your organization."
How do we cultivate wise leadership traits?
Nikolas believes modern leaders must widen their awareness to identify internal blind spots and unresolved motivational drivers. Since these are often aspects of behavior, personality, attitudes, or skills that we cannot see ourselves, it helps to seek regular feedback from others.
The beauty is that the work we do on ourselves serves our entire organization and the wider community. “The fish always rots from the head down”, argues Nikolas. “Working on yourself when so many depend on you is the prerequisite for an organization to thrive. Now, if we accept that leadership awareness is one of the most important measures of organizational health, how do we best cultivate it?”
This inquiry led Nikolas to host deep reflection spaces for business leaders. Unlike most coaches who limit their work to hour-long check-ins, Nikolas chooses to work in full-day immersions. “We can go much further when we have undisturbed time for deep work. Having a full day to explore yourself instead of just an hour helps you go deeper in understanding yourself. You start to uncover your motivational drivers, zones of genius, limiting beliefs, and reactive patterns. This newfound awareness will give you more bandwidth to act.”
“I love to create spaces for people to work on themselves, spaces that invite courage and vulnerability, inspiring leaders to show up with their full selves and explore both their unconscious drivers and remarkable gifts.”
Nikolas’s approach when working one-on-one is very personalized and draws unusual lessons from other fields: “One time, I brought in a theater director to help a young Tech CEO grow more fully into a role. Another time, I worked with horses to help a board member understand how he energetically intimidated others. Those experiences would have been impossible if we had ‘just talked’. I’m looking for unusual answers to get to a deeper experience fast. I love to listen for what a person truly needs to uncover their next step of understanding.”
Nikolas shares the story of Tom, the founder of a leading European tech startup: “When Tom first started, he was like a chunky monkey from funky town — his mind was scattered in various directions. Through personal coaching and guided mental training, I helped him identify where he finds the most energy and focus. As a result, he became more centered.”
“During a silent retreat I led, he learned to train his attention to stay focused on the present moment, letting go of the distractions of thoughts, people, and problems,” says Nikolas. Tom’s newfound focus greatly improved the leadership team meetings.
“Additionally, Tom is now better able to connect with and mentor his leadership team because he is less distracted by his concerns. He is also able to pick up on and integrate criticism, which previously would make him reactive. The company thrives because the CEO has examined his life and choices.”
“The beautiful thing”, Nikolas concludes, “is that the individual work you do on yourself as a leader will always reflect on the quality of your organization.”
The Power of Silence
In today’s business world, everyone seems busy and overwhelmed. But what are the consequences of “being stuck in Busyland,” as Nikolas calls it?
“Nowadays, there is a constant urge to think and act fast. Many CEOs are constantly in doing mode without taking the time to reflect on their direction. They are moving fast but aren’t making efficient progress on their goals. This is why I host a yearly retreat to for leaders to reflect on their direction. They learn to become more attentive and aware by allowing their thinking to slow down. They recognize why they act before they act. They start to become aware of the unconscious and outdated strategies that tend to make problems worse. Time and again, they realize that they are trying to solve the wrong problem altogether.”
Slowing down and proactively taking time to reflect in silence creates a spaciousness to take hold of our lives. This also affects our nervous system, as Nikolas explains:
“The hallmark of great leadership is a relaxed and integrated nervous system. When you speak in front of 500 people, stay relaxed, and stay connected with your fire, your presence will move others. They will feel relaxed and experience your sense of purpose. They will feel called to create the most meaningful work of their lives. That’s the work.”
Slowing down for reflection is vital. It allows us to better direct our energy to grow what matters to us and let go of the things that don’t. In the silent retreats, Nikolas encourages leaders to think about what he calls the “four relationships”:
“Many coaches focus on work-life balance. But work-life balance can easily make you feel like you failed if you can’t excel equally in both “work” and “life.” It creates a false expectation. Instead, ask yourself: ‘What relationship needs deepening in your life?’. It is helpful to think in terms of four fundamental relationships: with ourselves, with our careers, with our loved ones, and with existence. Only by nurturing depth in each of these relationships can we aspire to become great leaders and exemplary human beings. By looking at our life and choices more deeply, we cultivate understanding for ourselves and arrive at a greater sense of purpose.”
Nikolas Konstantin is a leading executive coach and voice on wise and mindful leadership. You can follow him on LinkedIn or sign up for his newsletter “The Mindful CEO” to receive wise advice to grow your leadership skills with more wisdom. Would you like to work with Nikolas on becoming a more aware and integrated leader? Discover his executive leadership offer here or sign up for the next silent meditation retreat from August 6th to 11th, held at a lakeside villa nearby Berlin.
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This article is written by community writer and editor
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