Becoming mindful and maintaining that state does not happen by accident. We are asked occasionally whether the development of mindfulness has a place in the business world. We answer with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” Mindfulness is the practical application of self-awareness, self-management and social awareness; in short, developing mindfulness means developing emotional intelligence. What has been know and practiced for thousands of years in the world’s greatest religious and philosophical traditions is only now becoming known in Western study of management and leadership. Self-awareness really does matter, and so does consciously managing our habitual thoughts, feelings, and responses.

As we have pointed out in this book and in other writings self-awareness is a fundamental component of emotional intelligence that has a positive impact not only on our personal development and well-being, but on the bottom line as well. So, mindfulness is not just a nice-to-have - it makes a difference in performance.

Assuming we have a desire to develop our capacity for mindfulness, what can we actually do? We know from our practice and that of our colleagues that there are many paths to mindfulness, from purely cognitive “training” to Buddhist meditation practices to corporate programs such as working with a coach. We recommend a combination of reflection, practice and supportive relationships. Adjusting one’s thought patterns is usually necessary, since most of us have developed automatic, habitual cognitive processes that do not serve us well. This means that most of us have to engage in a process of intentional change….

It takes a lot of self-control to manage the inevitable stress and power dynamics inherent in leadership. If you do not have time for yourself, to reflect, to find peace, you will become lost. And if you do not have time for yourself, you will not be good for anyone else. Reflection is one way to build a path of renewal into your life. This includes finding opportunities to stay calm and centered. When you are resonant within yourself, you can create resonance with others. It is not possible to become mindful if we do not allow our mind, body, heart, and spirit to speak to us, and it is very hard to hear those quiet voices in the noisy, busy world we live in.

excerpted from
Resonant Leader
Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee
Harvard Business School Press - 2005

Many of us may remember the first time we rode a bicycle. For me, I was around 4 years old and my dad would take me out in the back alleyway of our home and show me how to peddle, steer and apply the brakes. Since I had training wheels, I could feel a kind of confidence in my efforts, pretending to have balance and feeling my way. Eventually, my dad removed the training wheels. He would run behind me holding the seat, keeping me steady and urging me on - slightly letting go, only to grab hold once again as I tipped to the right or left.

One morning after breakfast we went out to practice riding once again. We started at the top of the hill, my dad holding onto the seat and guiding me as we picked up speed. I’ll never forget saying to my dad “Boy, we’re really going fast this time!” Not hearing a response, I turned to him. There he was, way back at the other end of the alley, watching me triumphantly. I realize today that it wasn’t really my dad that had let go on that morning in the alleyway behind our home - I had.

I had let go for the very first time. Let go of my fear of falling, my desire to ride a bike, my need for training wheels. I had let go of my hesitations and trusted myself to be fully with the moment. For the first time in my life I had totally relied on myself - my natural sense of flexibility, alertness, and grace – I had learned Balance.

This simple act of riding a bike for the first time has remained fresh in my mind through the years for it perfectly illustrates how we can learn balance at work - in deed in our lives. Our effort to get somewhere whether in our careers, our lives or in simply riding a bike depends on first being somewhere: “letting go” of our hopes, fears, desires, habits, routines and trusting ourselves fully in the present moment. Trust that we can ride a bike without training wheels; trust that we can build a career without hope and fear; trust that we can live a life without resentment and complaint. We can “let go” and trust ourselves and in turn, we discover balance in simply being present: an alertness that is resourceful, flexible and relaxed. By “letting go” of our hesitations and discovering balance we learn one of life’s great lessons: In order for us to get somewhere we have to be somewhere first.

excerpted from
Awake at Work
By Michael Carroll
Shambhala Publications, 2004

It seems likely that the outcomes of mindfulness can help improve and enrich a law student or lawyer's performance on virtually any task, from learning and manipulating rules, to drafting documents and litigating cases. In addition... mindfulness sometimes deepens and clarifies a person's awareness. Jerry Conover, of counsel to Faegre and Bensom in Denver, says that it affects his overall state of mind, giving him a "balancing and bottoming perspective that is unshakeable." Steven Schwartz, head of a public interest disability law firm based in Northhampton, Massachusetts, says it helps him think creatively. Sometimes when he is meditating, without trying for anything, solutions to practical problems in the office occur to him; on some days, the outline of an entire brief will come to him, and, he says "it is sublimely, precisely correct." In addition, the practice helps him connect with the feelings of compassion for his clients. "It is singularly why", Schwartz says, "I've been able to do the same work for twenty-seven years without being overwhelmed by the pain and my feelings for these devalued people." It has also deepened his understanding of the motives of people involved in his case and keeps him motivated for "the long haul". The peaceful presence of a lawyer who practices mindfulness mediation is likely to affect the client too.

excerpted from
Harvard Negotiaiton Law Review
Spring 2002

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man’s whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.

Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else. No one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly, one must pile experience upon experience. And once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not always bear it in mind.

When one understands this settling into single-mindedness well, his affairs will thin out. Loyalty is also contained within this single-mindedness.

Mindfulness or sitting meditation is a friendly gesture towards ourselves where we take time to simply be and the mindfulness developed in the practice naturally unfolds on the job guiding us to Be Authentic, precise and decent. Sitting down and being still is at the heart of being awake at work. Yet, such meditation can not be rushed or forced, so we need not hurry; we can be flexible with ourselves and our life circumstances as we learn this practice.

To learn more: http://www.awakeatwork.net/about/med.html

50% of middle managers describe themselves as “highly dissatisfied” with their employers; 33% of middle managers describe their workplace as “mismanaged”.

1 out 4 top execs experiences a severe bout with suicidal depression.

81% of those suffering from depression also have disordered sleep patterns.

(Fox & Langer, 2000) found that the more mindful one is in engaging a subject, the more it is liked.

Mindfulness based cognitive therapy has been shown to significantly reduce depression relapses: 66% relapse rate in the control group to 37% relapse rate in the treatment group.

Researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology documented that regular practice of meditation is associated with increased thickness in brain tissue related to sensory, auditory, visual and internal perception, such as heart rate or breathing. The researchers also found that regular meditation practice may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex.

Mindfulness disciplines are now used in more than 200 medical centers throughout the US successfully treating pain, cardiovascular disease and the effects of cancer therapy.