<p>Think about how many times you have back-to-back meetings in a day. When do you have time to process the content of meeting No. 3 when you’re already late for meeting No. 4? By the time you’re done with your day (after meeting No. 7), it is understandably difficult to thoroughly reflect on the proceedings of each meeting.</p> <p>Sportscasters often talk about an athlete who’s “seeing the ball well,” meaning the athlete is focused and anticipates where the ball is going or where the action is taking place and responds appropriately. It’s as if time slows down, allowing the athlete space to process more information and make better decisions. Mindfulness is like that too. It gives you space to reflect.</p> <p>Australian psychologist Viktor Frankl <a href=”https://hbr.org/2016/05/mindfulness-can-improve-strategy-too” target=”_blank”>described</a> it this way: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.”</p> <p><strong>How To Incorporate Mindfulness At Work</strong></p> <p>You don’t have to commit to a month-long retreat to gain the benefits of mindfulness. Here are simple ways to establish the foundation:</p> <p><strong>1. Be open to the idea that mindfulness can help</strong> <strong>you, your people and your bottom line</strong>. Both anecdotal stories and research support the benefits of mindfulness for physical and emotional wellbeing, and new research is coming out that supports the business benefits. Aetna, for example, found that when employees participated in mindfulness training they became more productive, gaining an average of <a href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/business/at-aetna-a-ceos-management-by-mantra.html?mcubz=0″ target=”_blank”>62 minutes</a> per week per person. A more productive team enables a leader to do more. Add that to the ability of mindfulness to give leaders the space and clarity to think strategically and creatively, making decisions with more intention.</p> <p><strong>2. Commit to trying</strong>. The first step in determining what benefits mindfulness can offer you and your team is deciding to try. I recommend putting some measurement around your efforts. What behaviors and outcomes do you see more of or less of (in yourself and in others) as you work on being intentionally mindful?</p> <p><strong>3. Practice mindfulness</strong>. The next meeting you attend, put your commitment to work. Pay attention to how you listen to your team or colleagues. Be aware if your mind is wandering, especially if you’re forming an answer or rebuttal to someone who hasn’t finished speaking. Be mindful of the emotions you’re feeling and how that may influence your reply. If you notice a thought, such as the urge to blurt out a response, but you wait, that’s being mindful. At first, it may seem that you’re spending more time <em>thinking </em>about being mindful than actually <em>being </em>mindful, but that’s expected. Just as with any new skill, it takes conscious, repetitive effort to become more proficient.</p> <p><strong>4. Create space for mindfulness</strong>. One of my clients began building time in her schedule to structure reflection time. That time, perhaps 15 minutes, is non-negotiable. This does two things: It encourages the leader to be more efficient in meetings by staying on schedule, and it gives the leader breathing room to think and not just react.</p> <p>Leaders can create space within meetings as well, to keep the team motivated and on task. Determine that mobile devices shouldn’t be used during meetings. Turn them face down or put them away so the incessant email notifications aren’t tempting to answer. This simple rule encourages focus and attention — i.e., engagement.</p> <p>Mindfulness may be trendy, but it’s a trend that’s been around thousands of years. With the numerous returns practicing mindfulness provides, it may just be the competitive advantage you and your business need.</p>” readability=”118.92427999237″>

What is your organization’s competitive advantage? Maybe it’s a new technology you use or a patent you hold. Perhaps it’s your manufacturing process or unique products or services. Your skills and expertise are a competitive advantage, and one practice that can help you have an even greater advantage in your field is mindfulness.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a term that’s turning up everywhere, from yoga studios to prison cells to school rooms — and now even boardrooms. But what is mindfulness, really? Why is it trending now, and how can this practice make a difference in an organization’s success?

Jon Kabat-Zinn, considered to be the founder of the modern concept of mindfulness, defines mindfulness as “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” It requires cutting out the noise around us and absorbing the current situation, without filtering it through our biases.

With its origin in Buddhist concepts more than 2,000 years old, numerous current studies show that mindfulness can reduce stress and anxiety, increase memory and focus and enhance empathy and compassion. It makes sense, then, that individuals would want to incorporate mindfulness into their daily activities. But for leaders, it goes beyond that.

Mindfulness For Business

Companies like Google, Yahoo and Apple actively support mindfulness training for their employees. They’ve found that mindfulness helps them function more technically and be more lean and agile. Those leaders who practice mindfulness have fresh eyes for different solutions, and this helps them reach the next level needed for their industry.

Think about how many times you have back-to-back meetings in a day. When do you have time to process the content of meeting No. 3 when you’re already late for meeting No. 4? By the time you’re done with your day (after meeting No. 7), it is understandably difficult to thoroughly reflect on the proceedings of each meeting.

Sportscasters often talk about an athlete who’s “seeing the ball well,” meaning the athlete is focused and anticipates where the ball is going or where the action is taking place and responds appropriately. It’s as if time slows down, allowing the athlete space to process more information and make better decisions. Mindfulness is like that too. It gives you space to reflect.

Australian psychologist Viktor Frankl described it this way: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.”

How To Incorporate Mindfulness At Work

You don’t have to commit to a month-long retreat to gain the benefits of mindfulness. Here are simple ways to establish the foundation:

1. Be open to the idea that mindfulness can help you, your people and your bottom line. Both anecdotal stories and research support the benefits of mindfulness for physical and emotional wellbeing, and new research is coming out that supports the business benefits. Aetna, for example, found that when employees participated in mindfulness training they became more productive, gaining an average of 62 minutes per week per person. A more productive team enables a leader to do more. Add that to the ability of mindfulness to give leaders the space and clarity to think strategically and creatively, making decisions with more intention.

2. Commit to trying. The first step in determining what benefits mindfulness can offer you and your team is deciding to try. I recommend putting some measurement around your efforts. What behaviors and outcomes do you see more of or less of (in yourself and in others) as you work on being intentionally mindful?

3. Practice mindfulness. The next meeting you attend, put your commitment to work. Pay attention to how you listen to your team or colleagues. Be aware if your mind is wandering, especially if you’re forming an answer or rebuttal to someone who hasn’t finished speaking. Be mindful of the emotions you’re feeling and how that may influence your reply. If you notice a thought, such as the urge to blurt out a response, but you wait, that’s being mindful. At first, it may seem that you’re spending more time thinking about being mindful than actually being mindful, but that’s expected. Just as with any new skill, it takes conscious, repetitive effort to become more proficient.

4. Create space for mindfulness. One of my clients began building time in her schedule to structure reflection time. That time, perhaps 15 minutes, is non-negotiable. This does two things: It encourages the leader to be more efficient in meetings by staying on schedule, and it gives the leader breathing room to think and not just react.

Leaders can create space within meetings as well, to keep the team motivated and on task. Determine that mobile devices shouldn’t be used during meetings. Turn them face down or put them away so the incessant email notifications aren’t tempting to answer. This simple rule encourages focus and attention — i.e., engagement.

Mindfulness may be trendy, but it’s a trend that’s been around thousands of years. With the numerous returns practicing mindfulness provides, it may just be the competitive advantage you and your business need.