Could this hugely popular trend save your disconnected boardroom?
Please be aware that this article was written way before COVID-19 and we’ve tried to keep this evergreen. That is, content that lives beyond our current climate of uncertainty and undoubted challenge.
The human brain can process 11 million pieces of information every single second. However, only 50 pieces of that are able to be processed by our conscious mind. So, when you consider the mass amount of data we receive every single day, it stands to reason that you’d want those 50 pieces of conscious information to be worthwhile. And when those processes are essentially just a convoluted bunch of messages sent through pulses of electrical energy, making sure we retain the important things seems like an impossible task. Luckily, it’s not – thanks to something called mindfulness.
What is mindfulness?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, it’s highly likely you’ve become familiar with the word ‘mindfulness’. But if you haven’t, you might be wondering what it is. Touted by many as the answer to all that ails us, mindfulness is officially a big deal. And while it might seem like something that would have no place in the boardroom – or any corporate scenario, for that matter – the introduction and subsequent benefits of mindfulness have started to be seen even in the most formal of settings. With proper implementation, mindfulness can bring a whole new level of functioning to any situation, including the boardroom.
But first, for those who are still unclear of what it is, here’s a quick definition published in Berkley’s magazine, Greater Good:
‘Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment.’
Put simply, mindfulness is the ability to remain attentive and open to the present. When you’re mindful, you don’t get swept up in the stampede of inane thoughts we’re all so prone to having. Mindfulness quietens your mind and allows you to think clearly, increasing the ability to make better decisions instead of allowing our unconscious mind to make a snap judgement call. Mindfulness has deep connections to Buddhism and spirituality, but its rise in popularity has also seen it become much more secular in practice, especially in psychology. Introduced by Jon Kabat-Zinn, who pioneered the successful psychotherapy programme known as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), this rise in popularity has encouraged the study of mindfulness, with consistent and positive results.
As mindfulness has gained steam over the past few years, it’s been given a corporate makeover. Mindfulness rooms and retreats are becoming more commonplace in the office. Though it might induce a few eye-rolls for some, the benefits are substantial and can be seen in everyone from employees to supervisors and directors. Singapore Management University’s 2014 study, ‘Leading Mindfully’, found that there was a significant correlation between a mindful workplace and mentally/emotionally healthy employees, as well as improved success in productivity and higher psychological satisfaction. The study showed other results such as lower rates of emotional exhaustion, better work-life balance and overall job performance ratings. What’s more, it was purported that similar positive effects could be seen even just by having someone mindful in a leadership position.
As a society, we are all running on autopilot. We are too focused on the numbers, the logistics and the financial dashboard, and we’ve let that completely dictate how we operate. And, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, trust is in crisis, with the general population becoming more and more distrustful of the four main institutions: business, government, NGOs and media. Scaling our thinking back to that which is purely necessary is the first step in solving this disconnection, and it starts with mindfulness.
Our subconsciousness has dimmed the powerful intuition we are born with so severely that we don’t listen to our feelings anymore. Intuition is deemed to be untrustworthy because it can’t be analysed, quantified and input into a spreadsheet. But by introducing mindfulness into your company and boardroom, you can foster your intuition and better understand who you are, both on an individual and company level. This allows you to build that trust back by redefining and reconnecting with the why, namely, why do you want to exist as a business? Becoming conscious of the motivation behind your actions can help you ensure they align with the direction you envision and better serve your customers and stakeholders.
If mindfulness can do all this, as well as improve our social relationships, promote healthier communication and encourage a wider understanding of empathy for our fellow colleagues, then maybe this is one fad that is worth your attention.