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Why Mindfulness Matters

By January 18, 2021June 1st, 2021Leadership
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When fear and uncertainty prevail, we can easily lose perspective and start thinking the worst. Adopting a more mindful approach to work, and life, can help reduce stress, improve focus, and restore a sense of calm. Here’s Why Mindfulness Matters.

The practice of mindfulness is not new to business. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella starts each morning with a mindfulness practice that he says helps him stay calm and focused throughout the day. Glint CEO, Jim Barnett founded the ground-breaking employee engagement company with the intention of building a conscious culture.

Barnett is known to embrace the 15 Commitments of conscious leadership, which call for individuals to use self-awareness, and shift their inner reality towards a more authentic and compassionate experience of themselves, others and the world.

So, perhaps it’s not surprising to learn that Glint is consistently among the winners of the annual Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Awards, a list of the Best Places to Work

Nor is it surprising that Glint was recently recognised on the LinkedIn Top Companies | Startups list, which identifies the companies that have grown rapidly and become desirable talent magnets, attracting sizeable volumes of job-seekers.

The fact is, people want to work for great companies, where the organisation operates at its fullest potential by enabling and empowering employees to do their best work.

But it’s not the company’s responsibility alone to create the conditions for engagement.

Because engagement is a choice.

When employees have a say in, and help set the conditions for working at their best, they feel more confident, more committed, and more competent in their abilities. And given greater autonomy in their work, employees choose, not only to engage, but to make a difference.

In this regard, we can see that engagement is a co-created reality.

Mindfulness, when practiced by both individuals and teams, is an essential tool towards creating conscious engagement, and a more holistic, human-centred culture.

So, where does one start? It can seem like a daunting task, particularly when one is feeling demotivated or depleted, as so many people are right now.

To find out more, read our article, When Motivation Has Gone.

Mindfulness and compassion training start with a simple, four-step process:

4 Steps to mindfulness and compassion

Present-state awareness

In a moment of peace and quiet, this first step involves inward-looking, and to see what is arising in the present moment. Without judgement or blame, we simply identify whatever feelings or energy is arising. In recognising the feeling, we may even say, ‘This is anger’, for example.

Opening and allowing

In the second step, we create space for the feeling or energy. Positive or negative, we simply allow its presence. Rather than shutting down or turning away from repellent feelings, we simply give them space to be.

Getting curious

In this step, we investigate the feeling with an open and curious mind. We can even ask ourselves, ‘What does this feeling feel like in my body?’ Getting curious helps to create a gap in our mind, so that we are not so completely identified with the feeling. It’s the difference between saying, ‘I’m angry’ and, ‘This is anger.’

Applying self-care

In this final step, we become a friend to our inner experience. If there is a part of us that feels wounded, hurt or upset, we can imagine ourselves gently helping and supporting this part. The emphasis in this last step is on creating a kind, tender heart towards ourselves, and others.

Mindfulness and compassion training subtly change the way we react to everything – ourselves and others, and life. It may take a while to get the hang of it, but mindfulness and compassion are the keys to a stronger, more stable, and kinder mind.

Who wouldn’t want to live with those life-affirming benefits?

Felicity Hinton

Felicity Hinton

Felicity Hinton is the founder and chief strategist at Humanist, a culture-change agency that helps transform people for business success. Previously, she worked in human performance solution design, and advertising. She is a certified change manager (UCT), has a Bachelor’s degree in English (Wits), and has won several awards for her business writing, including a Silver Quill.

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