What is Mindfulness at Work?
Mindfulness at work is about bringing focus to each and every interaction at work. It is about creating space and becoming self-aware enough to know when distractions are interfering with the quality of work and re-positioning oneself for greater focus and purposeful actions. Let’s take a closer look at each mindful behaviour.
FOCUS | SPACE | SELF-AWARE | REPOSITION
Bring FOCUS
Bring focus to what you are working on. Sounds simple enough, but how often are you on a call and texting at the same time? How often are you distracted by your to-do list rather than listening to your employee, colleague, or manager? Multi-tasking is common and at times it allows us to push through items that need to get done. However, research shows that multi-tasking is not overly effective. We all know how it feels when the person we are trying to engage with is distracted. It simply doesn’t feel good.
How do we change this? Resolve to make your engagements meaningful. It will take time to train your brain to focus. The brain releases dopamine when we react to social distractions such as a text message. The next time you are in a meeting, be present enough so that you are fully engaged. Ignore the text message (yes, this will be hard) and respect the person you are with. That text message will still be there after your meeting and so will your dopamine fix.
Create SPACE
Creating space means taking micro-pauses. This could be as simple as taking a breath before jumping on a call. It could be giving your body a 30-second timeout and stretch break away from your computer. In these examples, the little things are the big things. When we create space through micro-pauses, we prevent fatigue build-up and, over time, create healthy habits in support of our overall well-being. If micro-pauses are new to you, try scheduling your time outs in your calendar.
One way of making time for your mindful pause is to schedule meetings 5 minutes shorter than the norm. For example, for the next 60-minute meeting you book, schedule it for 55 minutes. This will give you an extra 5 minutes to stretch, breathe, and take your well-deserved micro-pause.
Become SELF-AWARE
Self-awareness helps us see ourselves clearly. Clarity through an objective, non-judgemental lens helps us to know when we are good to proceed or when we need to take a step back. The more we learn about ourselves and our triggers, the more we become aware of what we need. This is where our trusted colleagues, friends, and family can support us when we are feeling overwhelmed.
What does this look like?
As unique human beings, we also have unique self-care needs. For some, it may mean talking through feelings of over-whelm. Sharing with others can be very therapeutic. There are others who need time to process on their own. Whatever the method, knowing what works for you and how you process is important so that you can reposition and refocus.
REPOSITION
When we reposition and refocus, we are making a conscious decision to react. In other words, our next step is one that comes from full awareness, not our habitual tendencies. When we focus, create space, and become self-aware we can then consciously shift and react purposefully. This is mindfulness at work.
LET’S LOOK AT A CASE STUDY
Megan is working with an external consultant, Sergio, to launch a new on-boarding program for new hires. Megan is an individual who is very conscientious about schedules. If a meeting is scheduled to start at 9am, that means all participants must be ready at 9am. People are not filling their coffees or talking about the weekend; they should be ready to jump into the agenda.
On three separate occasions, Sergio has been late for a variety of reasons. Megan has tried to be patient and understanding, making comments like, “Life happens. Maybe next time you can log on a little earlier to work out tech issues.” The next time Megan and Sergio are to meet, Sergio is late once again.
Of the responses below, which best demonstrates mindfulness at work?
A. Megan approaches Sergio with a very angry tone and loud voice — ”I can’t believe you are late again! Don’t you know how important this meeting is?”
B. Megan takes a deep breath and says sarcastically, “Nice of you to join us, Sergio. Shall we get started?”
C. Megan takes a deep breath and says, “Sergio, we are late starting but let’s jump right into things. Where are we at with….”
Answers B and C are both examples of mindfulness at work but let’s take a closer look.
The first response, answer A, Megan is responding without thinking about her reaction. This may even be her go-to reaction or habitual way of responding. It irritates her when others are late. She reacted. Let’s be real here; reactions happen. We are human beings and are far from perfect. We all have triggers. Ideally, we can come to a place where we understand our triggers. In this case, Megan is sensitive to time. Of the three possible reactions, this one does not demonstrate her best mindful self. She did not take a mindful approach to addressing Sergio’s tardiness.
Answers B and C are both mindful responses and reactions. Being mindful does not mean we can’t respond or react with genuine emotion. Even though Megan was sarcastic in B, she was still mindful. She was able to respond from conscious awareness, albeit through sarcasm. She was in control. That said, she was even more mindfully aware in her C response. She took a micro-pause through a deep breath (creating space), which caused her to notice her emotions (self-awareness). She was able to respond to Sergio’s lateness without the distraction of emotion and she brought focus back to the agenda (re-positioning).
Summary
While we all strive to be better people leaders, it is a process. Be kind to yourself as you cultivate greater self-awareness. Habitual ways of reacting and thinking take time to re-shape. Mindfulness at work is highly effective when it is embedded in the workplace culture, but it starts with the leader. Mindfulness at work will reduce turn-over by creating greater team cohesion, and healthier, happier, more productive employees. To learn more, contact Mindful HR Services.