The Zen Business Leader - Seminar für Führungskräfte

The Zen Business Leader

An English-Language Seminar on Self-Leadership, Zen, and Mindfulness

“We live in a moment of profound possibility and disruption. A moment that is marked by the dying of an old mindset and logic of organizing. And one that is marked by the rise of a new awareness and activating social fields.” Otto Scharmer, 2018[1]

[1] O. Scharmer, The Essentials of Theory U, 2018, p. 3

One of Otto Scharmer’s key theses in his Theory U is the blind spot of leadership, “the inner place – the source – from which we operate when we act, communicate, perceive, or think.”[2] While we focus extensively on how and what we do, we ignore our interior condition which is critical to the success of what we undertake. This corresponds to century-old teachings of Zen and which have been adapted for Western leaders by the Zen Leadership Academy, founded by Zen Master Hinnerk Syobu Polenski.

[2] O. Scharmer, The Essentials of Theory U, 2018, p. 6

Zen Training to open our personal and professional potential

This seminar offers a four-day immersion in mediation and interactive learning to lay the foundation for a practice path of self-leadership which is an essential component of any leadership development. We will explore the five practice gates of Zen Leadership (Relaxation and serenity; energy (hara) and focus; silence and mindfulness; courage and heart; wisdom and intuition) and work towards our own practice.

We will investigate mindfulness as “the awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Jon Kabat-Zinn) and how this helps us with our perception of reality. How can mindfulness and its foundations contribute to being a better leader? Silence and mindful listening are inquired as approaches to deeper understanding, reduction of bias, the resolution of conflicts and towards co-creation.

Information and Registration

18.10. - 21.10.2022

What is the structure of the seminar?

After arrival on the evening before, we will start Tuesday morning with introductions and meditation instructions. Mornings and evenings will focus on mediation and practice and in between we have interactive learning sessions on key topics of self-leadership, emotional intelligence as well as mindful leadership communication. Basic mediation practice with guided meditation as well as Yoga and physical exercises round up the days. Be prepared for early morning meditations and meals in silence. The seminar will end Friday mid-morning, in time to be back home the same day. We expect 8-14 participants.

Who should participate?

Being a leader is not a question of rank but a mindset. Everyone who wishes to embark on a path of self-leadership is welcome. While the seminar is designed for people who are new to mediation and it will offer helpful instructions and experiences. Often, a sceptical approach is an excellent starting point when combined with an open mind. More advanced mediation practioners will find specific instruction adapted to them.

Where does the seminar take place?

The Buchenberg Zen Monastery is a place that combines the wisdom of Zen and meditation with the most modern Western methods of personal development. Zen Master Hinnerk Syobu Polenski is the abbot of the European Daishin Zen Order and the monastery. For 30 years he has been leading Zen Leadership seminars for people in positions of responsibility. More and more executives feel the longing to stop the everyday madness.

The Zen monastery is a place of silence that offers space for personal development and interaction with other likeminded leaders. The location offers ideal conditions to pause, take a deep breath, and return with new energy and fresh ideas to our daily leadership challenges. See more here (German): https://zen-leadership.de/seminarort-zen-kloster-und-seminarzentrum-buchenberg/.

Travel and Cost

Munich is the closest international airport. Transfers from and to Munich airport (app. 1,5 hrs) can be organised on request. The nearest railway station is Kempten (Allgäu) which is a 20 min cab drive away. Accommodation is offered in comfortable, fully equipped rooms on campus. Vegetarian meal options are available. The participation fee is € 1249 plus accommodation and full board (single room with full board ranging from € 366 to €426 for the complete seminar).

Who are the Teachers and Trainers?

The Zen Business Leader — Zen Lehrerin & Leiterin der Zen Leadership Academy
Dr. Constanze Hofstaetter

Zen Lehrerin & Leiterin der Zen Leadership Academy

Dr. Constanze Hofstaetter

ist Zen Lehrerin (Jun Shin Sensei) des Daishin Zen und leitet die Zen Leadership Academy im Zen Kloster Buchenberg.

Ihren Zen-Weg begann sie 2006 als Schülerin von Zen-Meister Hinnerk Syobu Polenski. Seit über 15 Jahren wird sie in der Zen Leadership Didaktik von Zen-Meister Hinnerk Polenski ausgebildet. Sie leitet als Zen Lehrerin Seminare im Zen Kloster Buchenberg.

Constanze ist Heilpraktikerin für Psychotherapie mit Schwerpunkt Traumatherapie und Weiterbildungen in Craniosacraler Therapie und Körperpsychotherapie. In ihrer Coachingpraxis verbindet sie klassische Zen Meditationsübungen mit Element der Craniosacralen Therapie und Traumalösung mit dem Ziel, die Integration und Lösung von Spannungen und Blockaden auf körperlicher und emotionaler Ebene zu unterstützen.

Sie hat einen Doktorgrad in Kunstgeschichte und hat nach ihrem Studium im Auktionswesen und Kunsthandel sowie im Bereich Public Relations gearbeitet.

Zen Leadership Trainer

Prof. Dr. Axel Glasmacher

ist Arzt und Hochschullehrer (apl. Prof.) mit Schwerpunkt Krebserkrankungen. Zen Praxis seit 2010 im Zen Leadership, in den letzten Jahren auch Retreats mit Jon Kabat-Zinn und anderen MBSR Lehrern in den USA.

Nach fast zwanzig Jahren Tätigkeit in der Krankenversorgung und universitären Forschung wechselte er 2006 in die pharmazeutische Industrie und übernahm verschiedene Forschungs- und Leitungspositionen, zuletzt aus den USA eine globale Abteilung für klinische Forschung und Entwicklung.

Seit März 2018 zurück in Deutschland ist er als selbständiger Berater im Bereich Arzneimittel- und Personalentwicklung tätig und seit dem als Zen Leadership Trainer in den Seminaren tätig.

Dr. Constanze Hofstaetter, is a Zen teacher (Jun Shin Sensei) and the director of the Zen Leadership Academy at the Zen Monastery Buchenberg. She began her Zen path in 2006 as a student of Zen Master Hinnerk Syobu Polenski. Since 2007 she has been a trainer at the Zen Leadership Academy, and since 2012 she has been leading Zen seminars as a meditation teacher as well as the Zen Academy with internal training in Daishin Zen. She is a non-medical practitioner of psychotherapy with a focus on trauma therapy and further training in craniosacral therapy and body psychotherapy. She has a PhD in art history and after her studies worked in the auction business and art trade as well as in public relations.

Prof. Dr. Axel Glasmacher is a physician and university lecturer with a focus on cancer. He began Zen practice since 2010 in the Zen Leadership Academy, in recent years he also attended retreats with Jon Kabat-Zinn and other MBSR teachers. After almost twenty years working in research, he moved to the pharmaceutical industry in 2006 and took on various research and leadership positions, most recently leading a large global clinical research and development department from the USA. Back in Germany since 2018, he works as an independent consultant and as a member of the board of directors of several European and US biotechnological companies. He has been active as a Zen Leadership Trainer since 2012.