Mindfulness at Work
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE HUFFINGTON POST 3/1/2017
Adriana Girdler, ContributorCEO CornerStone Dynamics, Efficiency Expert, Heart-based Coach, Speaker and Author
Mindfulness at Work: The Secret to Achieving Business Success
The secret’s out! It’s not all numbers and spreadsheets that determine how successful a workforce will be, rather their mindset at and on the job. A quick Google search of the word ‘mindfulness’ will get you over 52 million results. Fortune 500 companies are now embracing mindfulness as a complimentary approach to goal setting and employee engagement. It goes beyond the traditional goal-directed strategies to address the patterns that keep us stuck in behaviors which negatively impact our focus on work.
Leaders are refocusing team members and organizations to focus on a collaborative, communal approach to achieving success through mindfulness. Companies are shifting employee’s mindsets to a proactive rather than reactive or ego-driven motivation, enhancing personal growth and driving profits as a result.
Developing a better business is not just about improving ways of working. It’s also about every individual in the organization looking at how they can improve.
Mindfulness is about resonating with your core being, connecting with your heart, and paying attention on purpose in the moment. So how do you do that in business? Here are my Top 5 benefits of integrating mindfulness and heart-centered behavior into your organization to help promote continuous improvement:
Move from a ME to WE culture – Leave your ego at the door. Make better choices. Be more conscious of behavior. This leads to better reactions to issues. Being mindful of your approach to others in the workplace and employing a collaborative rather than an internal competitive mindset leads to better and strong teams that are built on trust. Knowing that everyone is performing their tasks for the greater good of the organization and not just someone’s own personal agenda creates a domino effect of having a happy and healthy workforce.
Don’t fear what’s in your heart – Fear is powerful. It can lead to decisions that truly don’t resonate with our true inner being and can also make us mistrust our teams and leadership. Using mindfulness to become more aware of these fears and mistrust issues, and replace them with behaviors that come from our heart. We are not being mindful of how we react and interact.
Connect with the vision – We all have an important role to perform. There becomes a greater connection to why we do what we do and start to ask how we can be of assistance to help achieve and maintain the organization vision.
There’s no ‘I’ in team – Feeling at ease with your team is the key to coming up with new and innovative ideas. When individuals look to improve themselves by collaborating and brainstorming, it’s easier to join forces and explore new ideas. We are not worried with how it will impact us, we understand our value, and as a result, are willing to suggest things that challenge the status quo.
Mind over stress – Practicing mindfulness is proven to be a stress reducer at work, which improves the overall work environment. Many organizations, including Peel Regional Police, are now teaching their employees mindfulness practices, like meditation, and encouraging them to take time out of their day to reset their energy.
According to the Harvard Gazette, people spend close to 47% of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they are doing. Mindfulness is the key to staying focused at work.
Mindfulness Express classes are available at The Indiana Holistic Center. These 12-15 minute classes are perfect for preparing for your work day, or a chance to refocus during lunch. See our class schedule under appointments/classes for more information.
