Mindfulness is the act of paying attention in the moment in a purposeful and non-judgmental way. It is regarded as an active form of meditation that can be practised in a matter of seconds, rather than minutes. Hundreds of companies around the world are now bringing mindfulness into the workplace, because it works.
According to one leader who practices mindfulness in the workplace, “I make better decisions. I don’t get as caught up when bad things happen. I’m not as reactive to people or situations”. His company also uses mindfulness to help clients as a way of relieving stress when faced with difficult decisions. Simply using deep abdominal breathing can defuse financial anxiety and stress. The clients report a more positive relationship with decisions by reflecting inward rather than reacting to external circumstances.
I believe mindfulness will gain an even greater following than meditation – it’s just much more applicable. It wasn’t that long ago that leaders and employers had difficulty recognising that business and spirituality could co-exist, let alone work together to effect more productive and profitable outcomes. Today, mindfulness and other meditative practices are being recognised as having a straight line from the boardroom to the bottom line. That’s effective leadership. Being able to understand and regulate emotions helps us understand what motivates us. It is through mindfulness that we emotional intelligence, the core of effective leadership.
In a world now overrun by information, being able to filter out mental chatter and improve clarity, helps to gain reduce anxiety and gain more objectivity. Neurologically, there is a significant increase in the main parts of their brain associated with positive emotions and motivation. This includes the basal ganglia, which plays an important role in motivation, as well as helping to regulate emotional activity in the prefrontal cortex, which in turn influences the orbitofrontal cortex – dominant in decision making.
Mindfulness is now being considered ‘the sixth sense of business’. It helps dampen down disruptive emotions that prevent individuals reaching their full potential. Emotions such as greed, anger, fear and jealousy. The outcomes have a positive impact on the individual as well as others they interact with – they become a better listener, a better problem solver, and a better leader. Ultimately, that typically leads to making more money.
On the flip side of profit – it reduces employee health care costs by reducing stress-related illnesses. Using signals from our body, we are better placed to regulate our emotions, and our responses. When we listen more and communicate better, work becomes more meaningful. And it is just as effective in large, mature organisations as it is in new entrepreneurial ventures
Business today is information driven – how we react, or don’t react, to that information determines our health and our wealth. That’s makes mindfulness a powerful business practice.
Author: Gail La Grouw. Insight Mastery Program Director, and Strategic Performance Consultant for Coded Vision Ltd.
