Can mindfulness improve performance at work?

Have you noticed lately that mindfulness is everywhere? Our inboxes are overflowing with articles about the benefits of mindfulness at work, school and in our community.

But even though mindfulness seems to be everywhere and has been around for thousands of years, the question remains: how mindfulness helps us improve our job performance?

Many corporations are implementing mindfulness and meditation/awareness programs to help their workforce; however, many are still asking “What’s the actual benefit of mindfulness at work?” and “Can it really help associates and leaders?”

There’s a reason why companies such as General Mills, Adobe, Facebook, Google and Aetna have all implemented mindfulness programs in their companies. Northwest Arkansas entities like WhyteSpyder, NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s culinary program, Brightwater, and Wal-Mart Stores are offering mindfulness programs to their associates. Even local startups are providing 30-minute mindfulness sessions on-site to give their associates a productive break in their day.

We conducted a brief questionnaire amongst some of our clients to see how they are incorporating mindfulness into their everyday life, and they provided us with the following insights: a client practices mindfulness for two minutes at the beginning of every important team meeting, for it allows her to feel focused, clear, and poised.

Another client said that he schedules his meetings on the morning after a daily mindfulness session offered in his building, is: “After mindfulness practice, I feel like I can handle anything and I have a bring-it-on kind of attitude.”

We take the time to go to the gym to build our muscles, so why not take the time to build our concentration, focus and awareness?

Have you ever had the experience when you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off, pushing to get everything finished, and you meet someone who’s calm, collected and consistently steady? Author Daniel Goleman said that as stress spreads throughout your body and can shut down your mind’s decision-making functions (like focus, understanding, and learning), the opposite can also happen with mindfulness.

Many of us tend to have a bad response to negative feedback, especially when it is delivered inadequately. This is a time when mindfulness can become very essential. The next time you find yourself in a difficult or unpleasant situation, cultivate mindfulness with a simple exercise called S.T.O.P.P. — Stop whatever you are doing. Take a few slow and deep breaths. Observe the environment and situation that you are in. Process the information or feedback that has been presented to you. Proceed with poise.

This exercise will help create a space between stimulus and response to develop a more responsive leader versus a reactive person.

A recent study published in the Harvard Business Review indicated “mindfulness is no longer a luxury for business leaders. It’s a ‘must-have,’ and based on the latest neuroscience research exploring the effect of mindfulness meditation on the brain, neuroscientists have shown that practicing mindfulness effects brain areas related to awareness, body awareness, pain tolerance, emotion regulation, reflection, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.”

Are you curious? If you are, I encourage you to start your own mindfulness practice with a simple exercise. Set aside a few minutes each day to bring awareness to your breath, or to practice S.T.O.P.P. This is a great place to start cultivating your practice. After a few one-minute practices, you may see the effects much sooner than expected.

I hope you can see the many benefits of mindfulness and appreciate how much it can help you improve your emotional intelligence, mental clarity, and allow you to maintain your edge while you continue to climb the corporate later.
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Editor’s note: Jay Amargós is the founder and chief mindful officer at i’mindful. The opinions expressed are those of the author.