Mindfulness in Business
Real men not only eat quiche these days, they are also trained in mindfulness. Someone commented to me recently that mindfulness training is a West Coast thing — New Wave. If that’s the case why are a number of magazines like Forbes, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review along with the major TV networks — including shows like “60 Minutes” and “ABC Evening News— covering the explosion of mindfulness training nationwide.
An article in Forbes magazine this past April pointed out that mindfulness was being used in companies like Aetna, Keurig Green Mountain, General Mills, Target (West Coast companies?) in addition to Intel and Google. The Department of Defense, police departments across the nation, judges, and some medical institutions are conducting mindfulness training programs. Yes, mindfulness training has gone mainstream.
I have no idea if the following real men and women eat quiche or not, however, I am aware that they practice or have been through mindfulness training; Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Shaq, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Ricky Williams, Michigan basketball team, Olympic gold medal winning volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah and George Stephanopoulos to name just a few practitioners. I would hardly call this New Wave.
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn , “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgmentally.” I like to add for the business world — with no agenda. Meditation is the key to mindfulness practice.
For years, the Secret Sauce of my communication training, coaching and presentation programs has been mindfulness. The foundation of my Zoka Training® communication programs is what I call ‘Engaged Mindfulness’. To be a successful communicator you must be able to both speak and listen mindfully. Top-down communication in the business world is slowly giving way to the concept of dialogue as opposed to monologue, mindfulness in business.
How often do you engage in mindful dialogue?
Take a few deep breaths and have a mindful moment when you finish this blog.
Larry
As a coach, trainer and consultant, Larry Blumsack partners with people and organizations on the move and those already there to accelerate their communication, presentation and speaking skills to be on par with their ambition. Through one-on-one coaching and group training Larry helps leaders and aspiring leaders elevate their presence and communication skills to influence more people, sell more products-services-ideas and inspire others more successfully than they ever imagined.
Larry is the bestselling author of Face-to-Face is The Ultimate Social Media and founder of Zoka Institute and Zoka Training®. Zoka Training® — Mind/Voice/Body/Mindfulness in sync — is the result of Larry’s 45 years as a coach, acting teacher, actor, voice-over artist, theater and TV director/producer, radio & TV commentator and show host, speaker, trainer, serial entrepreneur, and syndicated columnist. Larry was a founding member of the theater department at Northeastern University.
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