I believe mindfulness practice has the capacity to transform any workplace culture. Nowadays it is very easy to get lost with what other people are saying, thinking and doing. What are my competitors doing, what kind of products are they selling, in which way are they advertising, how does their website look, etc. We tend to get lost with the philosophy that the neighbor’s chicken is better than ours. When we allow this to happen, besides not giving the proper focus to our company, 3 things occur: the levels of stress increase, deteriorating the quality of communication and work relationships, and our own potential is dismissed. Here are some simple and practical advice's:
Stress Reduction:
- Include mindfulness practices in your company in the beginning and end of the day, this will allow people to be focused and be more productive, as well as enhancing levels of health and prevent the accumulation of stress and burnout;
- Have a mindfulness bell designated person each meeting and every time the meeting is highjacked by other subjects or strong emotions the bell is ranged, and everyone enters 1 minute of silence to get back the focus and calmness back.
Mindful Communication & Healthy Relationships:
- Communicating in a mindful way is essential for a good and prosperous work culture. It is essential to reduce possible “ego battles” in the workplace, which are also the cause of increased the levels of stress in many work environments. Whether we communicate face to face or indirectly, through email or other online forms, there is a speaker, a message and a listener.
To assure a good quality of communication, as a speaker one should be direct, specific, honest and kind. When we talk and talk, not being direct or specific, we set a margin in which the listener will have to interpret what you said. According to his/her perception, the listener will have to assume the this or that was the most important, which gives room for an error margin to occur and in consequence possible misunderstandings. When instead of being honest and kind we use sarcasm or irony, again we are not being clear of what our opinion really is, but instead going out at somebody’s ego. Having the other guessing what we mean is a game most companies shouldn't afford.
The message should express a clear intention or need, and also transmit a set of values (strength, motivation, inspiration, safety, humor, etc.).
Acceptance should be inherent in context of mindful communication. When acceptance is present, one doesn’t waste unnecessary energy in refuting if we are in agreement or disagreement, or who is to blame for a certain problem or fact, instead one directly focuses the attention on a possible solution.
As a listener one should let everything aside and fully listen to the other person is saying; without thinking of ways to respond while the other is speaking or interrupting. Here again one should respect the other opinion.
Emotions play of course a very interesting part on how we communicate, and for this, in every communication one should be aware of how we feel, what we say, how we say it and the effect it has on other people. This will dictate the quality of your relationships and ultimately of the work culture of you company.
Acknowledge potential:
- Having mindful communication in mind, create an environment where feedback is welcomed and well accepted by everyone. Being seen as a tool for growth and personal development.
- In a non-stress environment, creativity flourishes and comes from anywhere despite of hierarchical status. Take advantage of this fact and of the potential already existing in your company as the first step, before going for outsourcing.
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