Ideas for leading yourself, leading others, and living a meaningful life.
Essays, observations and practical ideas about leadership, work, human behavior, consciousness and becoming better at what matters.
EXPLORE THE IDEAS
Five territories this work explores — start wherever you’re curious.
LEADERSHIP
How we lead people, make decisions, create accountability, handle difficult conversations and bring out the best in others.
INNER LEADERSHIP
Self-awareness, presence, emotional intelligence, confidence, resilience and the internal work behind effective leadership.
WORK & MEANING
Ambition, career, purpose, success, fulfillment, burnout, money, identity and creating a life in which work has meaning.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Behavior change, habits, psychology, coaching insights and the difficult process of becoming more capable, aware and intentional.
IDEAS
Books, thinkers, philosophy, spirituality, consciousness and observations about how people live and lead.
FEATURED IDEAS
A few of the strongest pieces — the ones readers return to.
Five Steps to a Better, More Mindful Meeting
What twenty years of sitting through bad meetings taught Clifton about running good ones. By Clifton Carmody · April 10, 2024 · Leadership
The F-Word and Changing Perspectives
On failure, fear, and learning to see our setbacks differently. By Clifton Carmody · January 3, 2024 · Inner Leadership
7 Conscious Leadership Traits to Practice During Covid Now
Acknowledging fear and uncertainty as a way to meet your people where they are. By Clifton Carmody · June 9, 2021 · Leadership
What Makes a Good Workplace Leader?
Clifton on what actually makes a good leader at work. By Clifton Carmody · September 3, 2020 · Leadership
A POINT OF VIEW
MNDFL LDR explores the intersection of outer effectiveness and inner development. Better leadership and better work begin with becoming more aware of how we think, behave, relate and choose.
ABOUT CLIFTON
Clifton Carmody is a writer, leadership thinker, executive coach and former business operator. He spent more than two decades leading teams and operations inside companies before turning to coaching, where he holds PCC and ACTC credentials. His work lives at the intersection of outer effectiveness and inner development — how we lead others, how we lead ourselves, and how we build work that means something.