Search Inside Yourself: How to Develop Emotionally Intelligent Leaders
For a long time, I struggled to use mindfulness in the day-to-day of my job. While I had started to experience the benefits of my daily meditation practice in my personal life, it didn’t quite translate into my work life.
Then in 2018, I lucked out and got a last minute registration to the extremely popular Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program at Google.
Over two days, we explored the neuroscience of mindfulness, saw how attention training can lead to enhanced emotional intelligence, and experimented with dozens of practical exercises that can be applied in daily life.
I walked away from that training changed, and armed with a set of skills and practices that allowed me to fully integrate mindfulness into my job.
What happened from there?
- I experienced less stress and anxiety about work and life
- I became more comfortable navigating difficult conversations and challenging situations
- I felt more connected to my teammates
- I noticed improvements in my attention, focus, and concentration.
- I generally felt more ‘at peace’ with the world around me
Fast-forward to today, and I’m thrilled to share that I have just completed my training and I’m now officially a Search Inside Yourself Certified Teacher.
What is Search Inside Yourself?
Originally developed at Google in 2007, Search Inside Yourself teaches practical mindfulness, emotional intelligence and leadership tools to unlock your full potential at work and in life.
The program has gone global. It’s been taught at world-leading companies like SAP, LinkedIn, and Ford, and has been delivered in more than 150 cities and 150 countries!
In short, SIY combines neuroscience, attention-training, and emotional intelligence and takes an evidence-based approach to building the skills that lead to outstanding leadership.
The program is managed by the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI), a non-profit organization started in 2012 that is independent of Google. I love the vision and mission of SIYLI:
We are a global community making mindfulness and emotional intelligence practical and accessible. Together, we’re working toward a more peaceful world in which all people feel connected and act with compassion.
While SIY is the flagship program from SIYLI, there are a variety of other programs available, including a newly developed 3-part series on “Adaptive Resilience.
Here’s a quick look at the benefits of SIY, but check out the full impact and results from SIYLI’s latest research here.
Want to learn more?
The first place to start is the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute website. Here you can read about the research into the impact of SIY, learn about new programs, and sign-up for a variety online events.
Or, you can join me for a free online workshop on July 14th where you can get a hands-on introduction to the program. Register here.
If you’d like to discuss bringing SIY to your organization, then get in touch directly with me at connor@connorswenson.com and we can explore the opportunity in more detail.
A big thanks to the teachers who made this possible, namely Meg Levie, Simon Moyes, and Brandon Rennels. And a lot of appreciation to the SIYLI team for their hard work in sustaining this program, namely Judith, Abri, as well as Tricia and Ruchika from Google’s SIY team!
