THE MINDFUL WORKPLACE

Michael Chaskalson, who is a mindfulness and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) trainer based in the United Kingdom, has written a wonderful book entitled The Mindful Workplace.

Chaskalson, who is one of the world's foremost proponents of the use of mindfulness in workplace settings, offers a practical and theoretical guide to the benefits of MBSR in the workplace. He describes the latest neuroscience research into the effects of mindfulness training and details an eight-week mindfulness training course.

Chaskalson makes the point---and also provides evidentiary material to support his view---that business success and other ‘economic imperatives’ are not only not inconsistent with human wellbeing, they are totally consistent, even synergistically interrelated. I only wish more entrepreneurs were of that mindset. Too many of them are concerned only with the so-called ‘bottom line,’ failing to realise that their bottom line would significantly improve if they wisely invested in the human wellbeing of their employees.

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Many Australians can enhance their lives simply by thinking more positively and mindfully, says the renowned international psychologist Professor Ellen J Langer (pictured left) who spoke at the University of Melbourne on 1 June 2011.

Professor Langer was the first woman ever to be tenured in psychology at Harvard University. She has studied the illusion of control, decision making, ageing and mindfulness theory and is the author of more than 200 research articles and 11 books, including Mindfulness and The Power of Mindful Learning. Her latest book is Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility.

The Australian Unity sponsored lecture, Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility, focused on Professor Langer’s research into the causes and consequences of mindlessness and discusses a mindfulness 'cure'.

Langer points out that most of our physical and psychological suffering is the direct or indirect result of mindlessness. She said her research can be summed up as ‘wherever you put the mind, the body will follow.’

‘Most of us are sealed in unlived lives and are unaware of the toll our mindlessness takes on our psychological and physical wellbeing. Our level of effectiveness and a person’s limits are of their own making,’ Professor Langer said.

Australian Unity is to be commended for sponsoring this lecture by one of the world's leading academic experts on the power of mindfulness.

To listen to the lecture select one of three links below:

MP3

WAV

MOV

[Source: Australian Unity media release 16/06/2011 12:00 AM]

Now, on the subject of mindful leadership, here is a link to a video presentation of Professor Langer speaking in Melbourne at the ADC Future Summit 2011 on mindful leadership.

Langer speaks about mindfulness and how uncertainty and awareness affect the quality of our decision-making.

The rationale behind the concept of ‘mindful leadership’ is very simple. If you want to lead others, and want the ‘perks’ of being a leader, then you are obligated to accept that you are under a ‘duty’ - yes, duty - to others to treat them with respect. You cannot do that unless, among other things, you make rationally humane decisions:

·     based on the ‘merits’ and special circumstances of the particular matter before you, and

·     with a ‘clear mind’, which is fully present in the moment, focused on the matter-at-hand, and free from the ‘baggage’ of the past (that is, free from conditioning, presumptions, assumptions, predilections, prejudices, etc) to the extent humanly possible.

I have some difficulties with Professor Langer's exposition of mindfulness, which, by her 'definition', is somewhat akin to creative thinking. Indeed, Langer is sometimes at pains to distinguish - somewhat disingenuously in my respectful opinion - her concept of mindfulness from the Eastern one. I could, and perhaps at some time in the near future will, do a whole blog on that particular matter.

Be that as it may, Langer is at her best when speaking and writing about the 'counterpart' of mindfulness, namely mindlessness. Also, I cannot fault Langer's references to mindfulness as 'the ability to always see things as new and open' [my emphasis]. Yes, a mind must be wide open in order to function freely in thought.

Also, Langer does not appear to disassociate herself from the characteristically Eastern truth that we are always in a state of becoming ... as opposed to being ... and that nothing is fixed. Thus, a mindful leader is careful to avoid rigid systems (especially 'belief-systems') and is adept at changing with the ever changing ... for, as well all know, the only 'constant' in life is change.

When speaking to business leaders and managers I often say, 'Forget about Management by Objectives (MBO). Instead, think in terms of Management by Mindfulness (MBM).' I wonder what Peter Drucker, if he were still alive today, would say about that? (I think I know.)

To download this second talk of Profesor Langer select one of three links below:

Feeds MP3 podcast iTunes podcast iTunes vodcast   (high data usage)

Download this talk Flash Video (.flv): 157 MB MP3 Audio (.mp3): 24 MB MPEG Video (.m4v): 149 MB (right-click > save)

[Source: ADC Future Summit 2011]

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We hear a lot these days about sustainability, especially economic sustainability, ecological sustainability and environmental sustainability. However, there is also something called human sustainability, and it is receiving more and more importance.

Effective leadership is all about balance and sustainability. In this article from the Financial Post Ray Williams writes:

“Most leadership books and training programs focus on how leaders can achieve more - do more, better, faster, with spectacular results. We’ve become obsessed with continuous improvement at increasing speed, with resulting rising stress levels to leaders and their followers and deteriorating relationships.  Mindfulness as both a leadership practice and workplace culture holds the promise to bring back balance and better health.”

What helps to make a “good” leader? Well, many things, such as strength of character (honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, reliability, self-confidence, self-knowledge, self-awareness, creativity, sensitivity, empathy, etc), the capacity to create and engender vision, a constructive spirit of discontent, the willingness to assume responsibility, the ability to engage others and build teams and adapt to changing circumstances, ambition and a competitive spirit, mental toughness and self-control (very important!), peer respect ... However, none of the foregoing guarantees one will be an effective leader. In my experience, one of the most important attributes of good leaders is the ability to keep on keepin’ on. Staying power, if you like.

Here’s something else I teach as a management and organisational consultant ... whatever one’s position, and duties and responsibilities, in an organisation, we are all leaders! And the hardest thing of all is this ... to lead, or manage, oneself.

Michael Carroll (pictured below), a Buddhist-trained HR executive with many years of experience in both the corporate and Zen worlds, is the author of Awake at Work and The Mindful Leader. In each of those books, both of which are favourites of mine, Carroll emphasises the renewal and perspective that can result from taking time out.

Carroll, who has enjoyed a long history of corporate life, shows us in his books and articles that rather than living as victims of our jobs - yes, there really are no victims, only volunteers - we can transform the everyday hassles and anxieties of the workplace into valuable opportunities for personal growth, heightened wisdom and increased effectiveness.

Carroll writes, "Innovative leaders and managers of corporations are discovering a growing body of research on mindfulness meditation; these studies show how the practice leads to stress reduction, mental clarity, and better physical health."

Carroll demonstrates in his books how mindfulness in leaders and their organisations can heal toxic workplace cultures where anxiety and stress impede creativity and performance, cultivate courage and confidence in spite of workplace difficulties in economic downturns, pursue organisational goals without neglecting the here and now, lead with wisdom and gentleness, not only with ambition, relentless drive and power, and develop innate leadership talents.

Leadership expert and author John Maxwell has written, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." In order to do those three things, you need insight into yourself, others and the world around you. Such insight best comes from the regular practice of mindfulness.

So, take time to be mindful, both “externally” and “internally”. External mindfulness is being able to sense situations, being aware of the signals and cues in different contexts, and paying attention to them.  Internal mindfulness is being aware of one’s body, emotions and thoughts and requires the ability and attitude to monitor one’s inner reality.

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Read what Bill George, Harvard Business School Professor, former Medtronic CEO, and best-selling author has to say about Mindfulness and leadership.

This is no surprise to those who have been teaching and practising Mindfulness and Mindfulness Meditation for some time now.

Mindfulness is being taught at several leading US law and business schools including Harvard, UC Berkeley and Stanford, as well as at numerous Continuing Legal Education (CLE) and Continuing Professional Education (CPE) workshops and seminars across the USA. In addition, Mindfulness has been endorsed by several US Bar Associations and insurance companies.

We have known for some time now that Mindfulness can not only reduce stress and stress-related medical symptoms. There in now abundant evidence that meditation beneficially alters the actual physical structure of the human brain by increasing the thickness of the brain’s grey matter. The latter is associated with attention, sensation, perception and other cognitive functioning.

For those interested this scholarly journal article is worth reading (and it is just one of MANY such articles attesting to and otherwise reporting on innumerable medical and scientific findings).

All of this is very exciting, to say the least.

NOTE. This blog sets out a simple form of mindfulness sitting meditation.


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