Are you practising your values or just professing them?
“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” – Brene Brown
There is a lot of buzz in workplaces about mindfulness – and certainly the need is there and the time is right, as reports show we are in an attention crises. Research indicates we are distracted 47% of the time; but are workplaces really heeding the warnings of this disconnected, fast and furious frenzy that we are living in? Are managers really building these principles into the working day; or is it that it’s too hard, takes too long and is uncomfortable?
So you’ve done a workshop on mindfulness – ask yourself: Are teams empowered to truly include mindfulness practices into their working day? Do they feel they have the “thumbs up” to run with it? Or was the workshop on mindfulness provided just as a fast and easy box to tick?
After the workshop think about how your workplace is embedding a culture of mindfulness – ask yourself these six questions:
a) As a manager how do I demonstrate mindfulness to my team on a daily basis?
b) Are mindfulness tools used in all meetings?
c) Is there space designated for a sitting practice in the workplace?
d) When the inevitable hits the fan at work, what tools are my team using to regroup and problem solve to address the challenges they are facing?
e) Do people feel it is okay to take time out for a sitting practice, go for a mindful walk or journal during work to help them to rest and re-centre?
f) What additional resources are available to reinforce ongoing learning and practice?
When managers incorporate these practices into the day to day life of their team, and in fact their own life, we give our team permission to practice these as well. And the result? We all reap the benefits of improved focus and attention. With this attention people have the space to respond rather than react, and with that teams can really sing. But to get these results fun, fast and easy just won’t cut it.
So really consider – Is your workplace choosing to tick a mindfulness box by choosing fun, fast and easy? Or are you practising your values, rather than just professing them, by modelling these practices and really embedding them in your team culture?