We all acknowledge the importance of staff wellbeing in attracting and retaining talent and making sure our people perform at their best. Although discounted gym memberships and healthy office snacks have become commonplace benefits, the truly forward-thinking companies have now begun to think more deeply about holistic wellbeing, and the importance of a mentally and emotionally healthy workforce.
I am lucky enough to coach teams and individuals from many walks of life in mindfulness and meditation. To explain these two concepts, I like to use a sports metaphor (stay with me!) In this analogy, Life is the football match, Mindfulness (or awareness) is your athletic skill, and Meditation is your training session. The more mindful you are, the smoother and more comfortable life will feel, and the less you will struggle. You can practise your mindfulness skills simply by using them in the ‘game’ of life, or you can develop and strengthen them further by training them in meditation.
I have seen a great increase in demand for my coaching thanks to some very positive press about the benefits of practising regular meditation and/or day-to-day mindfulness, and the fact that global giants like Google, Apple and UBS consider them an integral part of their working culture. But, understandably, I also meet my fair share of scepticism and confusion. In demanding environments and under tight budgets, is there really a place for these airy-fairy ideas? Do they actually improve performance? Can it affect the bottom line?
A weight of scientific evidence points to the positive effect on stress and mood that meditation and mindfulness have, and the benefits of that are obvious. A team that is content and deals better with the demands of their work means reduced sick days, higher productivity, and a positive working atmosphere.
Moreover, on the learning and development side of things, there are some significant tangible benefits that often get overlooked. How many of these would be of benefit to your business?
Self-awareness – mindfulness helps us notice things that we don’t always pick up on in the hurry and distraction of daily life. We become more aware of patterns of behaviour, and can more clearly see where we fall into reactive states. In a business sense, we are able to notice where we might be making mistakes, or where we act out of habit when there might be a more efficient approach.
Creativity – learning how to focus on the present moment instead of dwelling on the past allows us to be open to new opportunities, new ideas and new ways of doing things. We can also deal better with setbacks and challenges as and when they arise, with less tendency to spiral into panic about their impact on the future.
Open minds – being mindful means being curious and interested in what is actually happening, and this trains us to see things clearly and choose the best response, rather than going into denial, inaction, or recrimination. In the long term, this helps us identify opportunities to grow and learn instead of blame and judge.
Setting better targets – taking dedicated time to pause, such as in meditation, gives us room to reflect on our values. By checking in regularly, we can ensure that our goals are aligned with those values, and in turn that our actions are best serving those goals. The resulting clarity helps us avoid wasted effort and unnecessary struggle, and ensures more progress in the right direction at both the individual and organisational level.
Whether you’re approaching mindfulness from a personal or business perspective, it is worth the modest investment of your time and resources. Even taking a couple of minutes in your day to close your eyes and focus your attention on your breathing can have incredible effects on your mindset. Similarly, fostering a workplace culture that allows time to pause, reflect and reset can be transformational for every aspect of your business.
For Megan’s blog, and more information about how she can enhance your business with tailor-made coaching, visit happinessinformationoffice.com
