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SPEAKING.COM:<\/span>\u00a0You grew up in Bangladesh. What role has eastern culture played in your thought process and career?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0I left my native home Bangladesh when I was 17 for US. Spending my childhood in Bangladesh and adulthood in US taught me some critical life lessons:<\/p>\n \u2022 A deep understanding of human suffering SPEAKING.COM:<\/span>\u00a0What sets \u201cmindful leadership\u201d apart from leadership?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0When a leader, entrepreneur, or professional practice mindfulness they are better able to connect the dots between past, present, and future. As a result, they usually create more sustainable solutions and values.<\/p>\n Several decades ago, the term \u2018mindfulness\u2019 implied Eastern mysticism related to the spiritual journey of a person, rooted in Buddhist, Hindu, and ancient Chinese philosophies. Today, mindfulness is less about a spiritual journey and more about awareness and focus.<\/p>\n There are two fundamental forces at play that cause resistance to change.<\/p>\n \u2022 An internal limitation that causes a person to feel like they are unable to change; Those two factors are equally applicable to organizations as they are to individuals. Organizations are nothing but collections of people, so when the leaders cannot help others overcome those internal and external change factors, businesses cannot move forward.<\/p>\n So how does a business or an individual counteract these two forces and become more open to change? It is through mindfulness \u2013 the ability to provide undivided attention to your inner world, your outer world, and the impact of your actions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no surprise then, that the \u201cmeditation and mindfulness industry raked in nearly $1 billion\u201d last year (according to a\u00a0Forbes<\/i>\u00a0report). Mindfulness is now practiced by corporations, entrepreneurs, educational institutes, and military organizations alike.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span>\u00a0Can you explain the underpinnings of a sustainable organization?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0One of the greatest challenges business leaders and, by extension, their enterprises face in today\u2019s disruptive world is the ability to respond quickly to constant, unforeseen changes. The inability to do so is what makes a team irrelevant and underperforming.<\/p>\n Agility, by definition, is a business\u2019s response to change\u2014at the organizational level, it isn\u2019t about changing one time, but rather creating a culture that constantly practices change through creativity and innovation.<\/p>\n Being different has always mattered, but now it matters even more. Setting yourself apart from the competition is Entrepreneurship 101, but it\u2019s since evolved into putting yourself into a whole new world. Why compete on the same playing field when you can invent a whole new one and make up the rules as you go along?<\/p>\n Sustainability comes from creating a culture of agility, innovation, and repeated operational execution.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span>\u00a0How does a leader transform an underperforming team?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Although it takes more than just this to lead through turmoil, here are three essential principles that you can begin implementing right away to start turning around your troubled team:<\/p>\n Assess to navigate<\/em>: The first step to improvement is to understand the current situation. Selecting the right success indicators to drive our activities helps us identify the tasks that we can knock out first in order to make the greatest impact. Begin with evaluating present capabilities to execute, focusing on your assets, structure, and capacity.<\/p>\n Set a vision to redefine purpose<\/em>: We have a natural tendency to move toward the light, and making the most of a bad situation is the best way to regain momentum. In turmoil, it is paramount for a leader to define and communicate the right vision. During turmoil, motivational leaders know how to create a sense of self-worth in their teams by making them feel good about the urgency and the tasks at hand.<\/p>\n Build a culture that sparks execution<\/em>: If change is embedded in the organization, through good times and bad times, changing to escape a period of turmoil usually does not seem like such a foreign concept. The two critical drivers for such a culture are experimentation and responsibility. When things are going well, innovation tends to offer incremental benefits, but when we need to make wholesale changes, the ability to experiment can often transform the situation entirely. When a team owns the route out of the quagmire, the next time they fall in one they will be ever more confident that they will get out of trouble again.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span>\u00a0Your most recent book\u00a0Survive to Thrive<\/i>\u00a0examines successful leaders who had to overcome a variety of obstacles to accomplish their goals. Who are a few of the people profiled in your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Along with our own life lessons, the book highlights stories from all walks of life such as:<\/p>\n Brad Feld \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Managing director at Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado. Brad has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987.<\/p>\n Julie Wainwright \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Founder of TheRealReal, technology industry veteran, e-commerce pioneer, and brand management expert whose career spans more than 25 years.<\/p>\n Kamal Ravikant \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and author of several books including\u00a0Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It<\/i>.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span>\u00a0You write that resilience is like a muscle: \u201cthe more you train it, the better it will perform.\u201d What are some ways you can train your resilience?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Among other things, resiliency comes from self-compassion, gratitude, being ok with imperfection, and being devoted to building your skills.<\/p>\n Self-compassion<\/em>: There are three components of self-compassion:<\/p>\n \u2022 Self-love It\u2019s from self-acceptance that we discover the complexities of our emotions, vulnerabilities, and imperfections. That\u2019s the basis of true authenticity \u2014 without which we\u2019re usually unable to grow to our full potential, because we wind up wasting our energies where we shouldn\u2019t. The need for approval from others destroys our freedom to succeed on our own terms.<\/p>\n Gratitude<\/em>: No matter how self-motivated or driven we may be, external forces are constantly shaping our lives. Successful people don\u2019t take things for granted. They consciously practice gratitude. If you\u2019re making a fresh start of any kind, you\u2019ll need to do the same.<\/p>\n The act of showing gratitude isn\u2019t just a one-way thing, after all. It changes our lives in a handful of ways:<\/p>\n \u2022 It makes us more patient. Be okay with imperfection<\/em>: Paradoxically, it\u2019s only by embracing imperfection that we maximize our chances of success. Setting unrealistic standards leads us to dismiss talented people out of hand, ignore big opportunities, and fail to contribute our all to worthy causes. Holding out for something better, in other words, usually leaves us worse for the wear.<\/p>\n As one ancient folk adage has it, \u201cIf you pull the string too tight, it will snap. If you leave it too loose, it won\u2019t make music when plucked.\u201d Adjust your expectations before you set out on something new. Know that the outcome can still fall short of your ideal and still count as success.<\/p>\n Devotion<\/em>: When we feel there is no one to call upon for help, it is ultimately our skills that save us. We master our skills by constantly pushing ourselves with devoted effort \u2014 devotion that allows us to craft our authentic calling by connecting the dots between our inner world and outer world. You have to stay in the game in order to win.<\/p>\n All of my talks are delivered with real life stories and examples, immediate practical how-tos, and access to digital tools\/apps for daily practice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Since I speak at a variety of venues and audiences, typically my talks are tailor made for a speaking engagement. Here are some sample takeaways:<\/p>\n All of my talks are delivered with real life stories and examples, immediate practical how-tos, and access to digital tools\/apps for daily practice.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span> What kind of special prep work do you do prior to an event? How do you prepare for your speaking engagements?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0I study the goals and objective of the events, organizers, and attendees. I do prep calls \u2013 and depending on the situation go over the draft material with the organizers before finalizes them.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span>\u00a0Have you had any particularly memorable speaking engagements \/ unusual situations arise while on the road?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0No two engagements or situations are alike. I have been very fortunate to speak across the globe at events, corporations, govt. agencies, and universities. Often the journey\/travel\/people make things more memorable than anything else.<\/p>\n During my speaking engagements, I have traveled through a winter storm from NYC to Muskat; visited many historic spiritual sites in Japan, India, and Israel; bonded with US Marine personnel; and have been deeply inspired at MIT, Yale, and the NY Stock Exchange. I am grateful for each of these unique and memorable experiences, as they have continuously shaped my thinking, writing, speaking, and my own business practices.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span> What types of audiences would most benefit from your message?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Businesses, leaders, educators, university students, entrepreneurs, and government\/non-profit agencies.<\/p>\n SPEAKING.COM:<\/span> Which of your keynote speaking topics are your favorites and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n HOQUE:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0I love talking about innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability that combines systemic thinking (i.e. agility, culture, organization, process, technology) and emotional intelligence (i.e. mindset, resiliency, mindfulness, creativity).<\/p>\n![\"Print\"](\"http:\/\/faisalhoque.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Top25small.jpg\")
His books, blog, and articles on innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and building resilience attract readers worldwide, including many high profile CEOs. His latest book is\u00a0Survive to Thrive \u2013 27 Practices of Resilient Entrepreneurs, Innovators, And Leaders\u00a0<\/i>. He shares his guidance and ideas for young business leaders through Twitter and as a regular contributor to\u00a0Fast Company<\/i>,\u00a0The Business Insider<\/i>, and the\u00a0Huffington Post<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n
When a leader, entrepreneur, or professional practice mindfulness they are better able to connect the dots between past, present, and future.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n\u2022 An inventive mindset to tackle problems with limited resources
\n\u2022 Resiliency
\n\u2022 Western entrepreneurial soul with eastern philosophical foundations
\n\u2022 A love for creativity and innovation that combines both art and science<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 The inability to keep up with the external change around them.<\/p>\n\n
If change is embedded in the organization, through good times and bad times, changing to escape a period of turmoil usually does not seem like such a foreign concept.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The need for approval from others destroys our freedom to succeed on our own terms.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n\u2022 Self-expression
\n\u2022 Self-confidence<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 It boosts our self-confidence.
\n\u2022 It fortifies our relationships with others.
\n\u2022 It helps us rethink our goals and determine why they matter.<\/p>\nFaisal Hoque ON Speaking<\/h5>\n
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<\/p>\nSPEAKING.COM:<\/span> What do you want people to learn\/take away from your presentations?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n\n