Mindfulness is an idea that has spread rapidly throughout the business world, regardless of industry. At Technalink, we’ve seen firsthand the benefit that mindfulness brings to any office. Why has mindfulness become a welcome strategy for leadership and professionals? It has a direct impact on your professional performance.
No longer is professional mindfulness a “fringe” belief. Huge brands like Google, General Mills, and even the Seattle Seahawks have put an emphasis on mindfulness and meditation for their teams. Start-up brands are incorporating group meditation classes, and it’s becoming a more widely accepted idea for professionals who have seen firsthand what mindfulness can do.
First and foremost, mindfulness is a contagious idea. This means that once one person begins bringing a mindful mindset to the office, others are going to notice, and many will want to embrace it as well. Few other professional development strategies catch on so quickly and so willingly.
Mindfulness also helps employees to maintain healthy focus while also making them more accepting of criticism. A Harvard study focused on the part of the brain responsible for self-regulation, which is called the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, found that meditation had a direct effect on strengthening these self-regulation skills. In the study, it was found that those who practice mindfulness were better able to stay on tasks longer, scroll less, and had improved memory regarding any tasks they’ve performed.
Criticism can be difficult to accept for most, but without it, professional growth becomes much more challenging. A person cannot gauge their own professional performance accurately with only their own first-person perspective. Criticism allows you to learn what you can improve upon, and it should be taken as a gift rather than as an offense. However, it’s only natural to feel somewhat defensive when another person tells you what you could be doing better. Mindfulness teaches you how to be in the moment, and how to accept criticism as a way to progress.
The OM Factor, now on audiobook, focuses on the tools you need to lead a more mindful life both professionally and personally. The tools contained in The OM Factor can be applied to anyone of any industry, and they have the same contagious effect as any workplace meditation program.
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