Discussion
In this study, we investigated the indirect effect of leader mindfulness on subordinates’ well-being via transformational leadership. Our results showed that leader mindfulness was positively related to transformational leadership that, in turn, was positively related to subordinates’ positive affect and job satisfaction and negatively related to subordinates’ psychosomatic complaints. Furthermore, leader mindfulness was indirectly related to these well-being indicators via transformational leadership.
We contribute to the understanding of interpersonal correlates of mindfulness at work by introducing transformational leadership as an important mechanism through which leader mindfulness relates to subordinates’ well-being. Our results suggest that leader mindfulness finds expression in leaders’ behavior, through which mindfulness translates into subordinates' well-being, extending research that found a positive relationship between leader mindfulness and subordinates’ well-being (Reb et al. 2014). Our study adds to the leadership literature by suggesting that mindfulness facilitates an attentive, stimulating and inspiring behavior that characterizes transformational leadership. First, awareness and a nonreactive stance characterizing mindfulness enable leaders to consider their subordinates’ personal needs and to adapt their own reactions accordingly, facilitating supportive leadership. Second, adaptive and flexible reactions that come along with mindfulness allow leaders to recognize work improvements as they refrain from automatically imposing past judgments, enhancing personal recognition. Third, openness to experience as another mindfulness facet enables mindful leaders to serve as a role model for adaptive cognition, thereby intellectually stimulating their subordinates. Taken together, our results highlight the importance to consider mindfulness in the context of leadership.
