Over recent years there has been an increase in interest from executives and human resource departments in mindfulness. Most mindfulness professionals attribute this rapid rise in interest to the fact that through MRI’s, brain scans, and rigorously controlled meditation studies we have better science available to us which clearly demonstrates the benefits of mindfulness. From our perspective, the rise in interest is also a response to the fact that we are completely overwhelmed by our limitless access to information and non-stop expectations of connectivity.

1. Over recent years there has been an increase in interest from
executives and human resource departments in mindfulness.
Most mindfulness professionals attribute this rapid rise in
interest to the fact that through MRIs, brain scans and
rigorously controlled meditation studies, we have better science
available to us which clearly demonstrates the benefits of
mindfulness. From our perspective, the rise in interest is also a
response to the fact that we are completely overwhelmed by
our limitless access to information and non-stop expectations of
connectivity.
Mindfulness
for Business
By Corena Chase
JMReid Group Faculty

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Why is everyone talking about this
mindfulness thing these days?
Over the past few years there has been a significant increase in interest from
executives and Learning and Development departments in Mindfulness. In my
work as an executive coach and leadership development facilitator, I have
been awed by the extent to which people are asking for more content, help
and understanding of how to be more present in their work and lives.
Most professionals in the Mindfulness field attribute this rapid rise in interest to the fact that
through MRIs, brain scans and rigorously controlled meditation studies, we have better
science and data available to us which clearly demonstrates the benefits of mindfulness.
Based on what I’m witnessing, I would have to conclude that in addition to the compelling
science, the rising interest in mindfulness practices are a response to the fact that we are
completely overwhelmed by our limitless access to information and non-stop expectations of
connectivity.Here’s what I see happening across multiple industries, in a variety of roles at every level. We go
into our days with our set plans, tasks and goals. Within an hour, we find ourselves completely
taken off course by competing needs and interests, usually arriving in the form of emails and texts
from bosses, co-workers and clients. We find ourselves managing priorities and new information,
re-acting instead of acting, hitting reply instead of compose. Even though we are expending
energy, we are not getting done the things we most want to accomplish. We are struggling to feel
in charge of where our focus is or even knowing where our focus should be.
By mid-day we feel scattered and off-balance. We find ourselves increasingly irritable and unable
to respond to pressure in the ways we’d like. When we get home, the emails and texts keep
coming; we are sort of at home, sort of at work and definitely not recharging.

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Okay, so what exactly is this
mindfulness thing?
Mindfulness is the state of being conscious and aware of
the present moment. It is intentional, non-judgmental
awareness of our thoughts in the current moment. The
benefit of this awareness is that it enables us to see the
space between stimulus and response. In that space, we
get to recognize that our thoughts are indeed merely
thoughts, and we get to make a choice about how we then
respond, engage, behave. In that space, our decision
making and emotional regulation happen. Our ability to
maintain and regain our focus, and to respond to and
manage stressors and threats, is referred to as cognitive
control.
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Research shows us that there is a higher correlation between success and cognitive control than there is with
IQ or with family income. This is incredibly important to consider when we think about our development. Our
ability to manage and regulate ourselves is a critical factor in what can make us successful. Among other
benefits, a mindfulness practice is an opportunity to build and strengthen our cognitive control. We are a
culture that has recognized the importance of working out our bodies, but we have some work to do in
recognizing the importance of working out our minds.

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I’m not sure I get what a mindfulness
practice might actually look like.
A mindfulness practice might be as simple as sitting in
your office chair for one minute, focusing on what your
feet feel like on the floor and what your hands feel like
resting on your legs. It could be closing your eyes for 30
seconds and taking three long, slow breaths. It could be
taking a walk with focused awareness of the movement
of your legs and feet.
Researcher Ellen Langer says mindfulness can come
from the practice of “actively noticing new things,”
which in itself forces you into the present. The point is
to bring you back to yourself and make you fully awake
to what is in front of you. It’s to become aware of the
thoughts in your head that create your reality so that
you can be more deliberate about how you construct
and respond to those thoughts. So that you can
recognize which thoughts are serving you and which
ones are holding you back. It’s tuning into what is
actually happening right now rather than being
distracted by what might, could or has happened
before. We may want to focus on what might happen as
part of a critical thinking process, but we don’t want to
be distracted or held back by it.
If we are going to unearth new possibility and potential,
if we are going to have agency and provide direction
within the increasing and constant rate of change our
environment is in, then we must be able to choose how
we are in relationship to that environment.
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We must be able to choose where to set boundaries, when to connect and disconnect, how to react and
when not to react. Mindfulness helps us to see where and how often those choices exist.

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Why have I always thought mindfulness and
meditation are the same thing?
Mindfulness is about paying attention to what is happening in the present, so meditation that focuses on the
breath is the most reliable mindfulness pathway. The in and out of our breath is a reality we can always come
back to and that is always happening right now. There are a huge variety of meditation practices. Recent
studies claim that as little as eight minutes a day can have a meaningful impact on our ability to refocus and
recover from stress. There are one-minute meditations, meditations that last several days, silent meditations
and chanting meditations. For centuries, the more extensive and rigorous meditation practices have provided
many people a pathway to explore their spirituality.
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Meditation is an understandably challenging practice when we are feeling like we don’t have enough time
to meet the demands of the day. Beginners are often encouraged to try from five to twenty minutes a day.
Sitting down to do what feels like nothing but breathe for any length of time feels downright crazy when
we are already strapped for time. It’s a huge challenge for me personally, but I continue to make room for
it because I find that it truly pays off in both short and long term ways. After I meditate, I feel that I have
new resources to call on, I am a more capable version of myself. Things that were registering as challenges
suddenly don’t seem like such a big deal and the stress inducing to-do list feels utterly do-able. A variety of
studies show that meditation does impact the brain, improving areas associated with focus, self-regulation
and stress response. Regular meditators exhibit less impulsive thinking and more resilience in recovering
from stressors. I have also noticed that when I am on a good streak of several meditation days, I feel my
patience and my generosity (especially with myself) expand.

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What does generosity with yourself
have to do with anything?
Contrary to what many believe, it’s not just the focus on your breathing and absence of thought that have a
positive effect. It’s the gently nudging yourself back to focusing on your breathing when you notice you’ve
trailed off into thought. Your mind is going to wander, every time. It’s what the mind does. Each time you
intentionally and kindly bring your thoughts back to your breath, you are practicing a return to focus and
attention to right now. That return from the distracting thought is the practice. If you have to nudge yourself
back a hundred times in ten minutes, it is not a failure, you just practiced returning to right now a hundred
times.
Right now is where your life is happening. It’s where you have the opportunity to positively or negatively
impact the people in front of you. The reason it’s important to gently nudge yourself back each of those times,
without judgment, is because you are also practicing kindness, patience. It is difficult to be fully present when
we are busy punishing ourselves.
Forgiving ourselves for being lousy meditators is a great start in building our capacity to be kind to ourselves,
which is the only way we have the capacity to be kind to others. In an overwhelmed, fast-paced, technology-
driven world, the capacity for kindness cannot be overestimated. How we are treated at work hugely impacts
both our willingness and our ability to be effective. For leaders who model the behavior that defines a culture,
the ability to be deliberate and in control of that behavior, is crucial.
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So, as an executive coach with lots of tools to
offer, you really think mindfulness makes a
difference?
Our constant connection to technology, calendars and people who demand our energy is making us
increasingly disconnected from the present and from ourselves. We simply cannot be the best versions of
ourselves, we cannot react with the full capacity of our emotional intelligence or perform with the full
capacity of our intellect, when we feel pushed and pulled in multiple directions. A mindfulness practice can
reduce that feeling of disconnect and overwhelm by quite literally helping you drop into the present, notice
what’s happening and open up the choices that are before you. My clients are looking for more time, better
focus and prioritization, more capacity to be inspiring leaders and more resilience to keep up with the
increasing demands of our world. There are many tools and strategies to call on, but I believe that at the core
of it all is mindfulness, the ability to be present. To choose the right tools and enact the best strategies, we
have to be fully aware of what any given moment truly calls for. We can function as our best, most resilient
and reasonable selves in any circumstance if we are willing to slow down, pay attention, look inwards and
connect with who our best self is.
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About the Author
Corena Chase designs and delivers customized courses to facilitate
organizational change and learning, and to help senior and developing
leaders maximize their ability to influence and inspire colleagues and
clients. As a facilitator, she focuses on creating awareness, challenge and
support through experiential learning among peers. As an executive coach,
she tailors tools to individual strengths and needs. Corena works in an
array of industries including financial services, professional services and
entertainment. Her clients include some of Fortune Magazine’s 100 most
admired companies, who are committed to creating innovative
opportunities to help their employees thrive.
Corena can be reached at cchase@jmreidgroup.com