Holly Duckworth, CAE, CMP, LSP, is with Leadership Solutions International and teaches mindfulness to CEOs and executives; she has written two books on leadership through mindfulness and how to lead in these chaotic times with a sense of calm. Holly says, “Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment without judgment.” She led a group at the ASAE Great Ideas conference taking execs on a leadership intensive program at the Garden of the Gods near the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Mindfulness is not necessarily about being on a yoga mat, but involves setting an intention of setting your energy in motion. In creating community, it is important to first set an intention. It is useful for associations to not just focus on data, but also to bring intuition into creating community. Mindfulness can help counteract the 24/7 stress that association execs faces all the time, and can lead to more clarity, focus, and efficiency. We can create better communities by focusing on our intention in a mindful way. Holly says it is important to lead by example in creating a more mindful community. Associations should consider tech-free zones/rooms or take other small steps at meetings to help create a more mindful environment within the association. It’s important to breathe, center, relax, and think about what is the best community you can create for the association and put your intention on that.