Decision making is one of the most important and challenging tasks for business leaders. After all, each choice can have a significant impact on financial results, on the organization’s image and on the well-being of employees. Faced with this responsibility, it is essential that managers seek to develop skills that help them make more rational and conscious decisions, and this is where the concept of mindful leadership comes in. In today’s article, we’ll understand everything about this set of best practices and their applications! Come with us!
Understand what mindful leadership is and how it works
In short, we can understand mindful leadership as a methodology that combines mindfulness practices with conscious leadership. The idea is for leaders to cultivate a more present and resilient attitude towards their actions and choices, reducing the stress and anxiety that, in another scenario, could jeopardize this decision-making process.
And, in this context, meditation emerges as one of the main mindful leadership practices that bring good results for leaders who wish to cultivate mindfulness. That’s because the technique of meditation is to focus your attention on a specific object—like your breath—and observe the thoughts that arise without getting attached to them or judging them.
A seemingly simple practice, it is true, but it helps managers to develop a fuller awareness of their thoughts and emotions, which can be very useful in decision-making. After all, we are all human beings and, therefore, there are cases in which we make decisions based on emotions or impulses that are not rational — a posture that is generally manageable in personal life, but can cause permanent damage in a corporate environment, for example.
Self-knowledge is also a part of this process.
Another practice that can be useful for leaders to develop a more conscious attitude is self-awareness, which is nothing more than the ability to understand yourself better, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, your values, your motivations and your emotions. This can help leaders make decisions that are more in line with their values and the company’s purpose, reducing the risk of impulsive or mistaken attitudes.
Not to mention, of course, that self-awareness also helps people better understand how their personalities and leadership style can affect all of this decision-making. Just think that, in a real situation, a very controlling and anxious leader will certainly have more difficulty making quick and assertive decisions, while a more flexible and open leader may find it easier to deal with uncertainties and ambiguities.
In other words: by cultivating a more conscious attitude and developing mindful leadership and self-awareness practices, leaders can make decisions in line with the corporate culture, reducing the risk of errors or losses for the company. In addition, these practices can also help leaders to better relate to their employees, cultivating a culture of trust, respect and collaboration.
And remember: mindful leadership goes far beyond theory!
For those who are not used to mindful leadership techniques, it is easy to make the mistake of thinking that the results of their implementation remain only in the subjective sphere. However, in addition to the benefits that this methodology can bring to decision-making and organizational culture, there are also statistical data that prove its effectiveness.
And a good example is the study carried out by the Harvard Business Review that showed that companies that invest in mindfulness have an increase of up to 10% in employee satisfaction. This is because the set of good practices associated with mindfulness helps employees deal better with stress and anxiety, cultivating a more present and conscious attitude at work.
Additionally, another study published in the Journal of Management reveals that employees who practice mindfulness can increase their ability to make effective decisions by more than 10%. And it’s easy to understand why: mindfulness practice reduces the impact of negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety. Not to mention that this also increases the ability to concentrate and focus, fundamental pillars for more effective decision-making.
It does not stop there. There are also other positive aspects that can be achieved with mindful leadership. For example, the practice of mindfulness can increase the resilience of employees, helping them to better deal with changes and adverse situations. This can be especially important in a scenario of constant change, as we are currently experiencing.
In addition, the practice of mindfulness can also help reduce conflicts and improve communication between employees. That’s because the present and aware attitude cultivated by mindfulness can help people to be more empathetic and understanding with each other – the perfect recipe for managers and leaders who want a functional, dynamic and productive operation.
Just don’t forget that these techniques, like mindfulness and mindful leadership, are not magic solutions to all organizational problems. There needs to be a consistent investment in training and practices that allow employees to really develop their mindfulness skills, as we will see below!
Discover some successful cases of the mindful leadership methodology
There’s little point in talking about the benefits of mindful leadership if we don’t start with practical examples, right? For this reason, it is worth highlighting the case of Google, a technology giant that has been offering its employees mindfulness training programs since 2007. There, the belief is that mindfulness helps to improve the concentration and decision-making of its employees, in addition to to reduce stress and anxiety.
Another company that has adopted mindful leadership into its organizational culture is cosmetics manufacturer L’Oréal. In 2016, the company launched a mindfulness training program for its executives in France. The program was developed in partnership with the Center for Meditation and Neuroscience at the University of Massachusetts Medical and included meditation practices, coaching sessions and training in mindful communication skills. According to the company, the program helped executives to deal better with stressful situations and to increase their leadership capacity.
It is a case similar to that of General Mills, an American food company that, in 2006, created a mindfulness training program for its employees. The idea was to improve attention, focus and decision-making among leaders and managers. Since then, General Mills has reaped positive results, such as reducing employee stress and anxiety and increasing productivity.
Interesting, isn’t it? Especially if we consider that the three examples we cited refer to companies that operate in completely different segments of the market — a strong indicator that good mindful leadership practices work and are applicable in any business scenario.
Count on Novidá to optimize your operation!
In addition to mindfulness practice, implementing a functional culture of mindful leadership requires a series of changes in the way companies manage their teams and their productivity. It is important that these corporations have productivity control and people allocation solutions that can contribute to the creation of a healthier and more balanced work environment, allowing employees to focus on their activities without being overloaded with excessive tasks or unrealistic deadlines. — and this is where Novidá comes into play!
With our complete solutions for controlling activities and allocating people, implementing a functional culture of mindful leadership is much simpler, since companies can have a clearer view of their employees’ activities, ensuring that everyone is working on relevant tasks and within reasonable deadlines. In addition, with the support of our people allocation technologies, it is possible to manage team capacity more efficiently, avoiding work overload and increasing productivity.
By implementing Novidá, managers can help their employees achieve the best versions of themselves! Get to know our website and find out how we can help your company reach new levels of productivity and profitability with the very best in management solutions and technologies!
