From the course: Mindfulness Practices

Mindful practice in teams

From the course: Mindfulness Practices

Mindful practice in teams

- Most of us think of mindfulness as a personal practice. We do it to be more centered, to be more effective as professionals. However, many large organizations are training their employees in mindfulness so they can create cultures that unlock those benefits. One of those organizations is Aetna. Their CEO, Mark Bertoloni, has created a mindfulness center at their headquarters. 6,000 employees have now gone through mindfulness training. Aetna's results show pretty sizable reductions in employee stress levels, reduction in absenteeism, and much lower costs of healthcare. Now, imagine what it would be like if your team and coworkers were more focused in team meetings; more trusting, empathetic, and collaborative with one another; more courageous in expressing their unique points of view, having difficult conversations and holding each other accountable; more centered in times of change and ambiguity; and more able to engage productively with each other during times of crisis. When we bring mindfulness to our teams and organizations, the impact of it can be multiplied because we're creating a culture together. We know as human beings, our emotions, attitude, and behavior are contagious. That's because we have mirror neurons in our brains. Mirror neurons are our way of unconsciously mimicking each other, just like when one person yawns, others in the room unconsciously do the same. So my friends, consider introducing these mindfulness practice to your team and organization. There are several ways to do that. If your team generally comes to work at the same time or if you have a morning meeting, consider doing a morning mindfulness practice together. This will help you set yourselves up for a creative and productive day. In many manufacturing plants, retail, and warehouse settings, employees stretch together to emphasize a safety culture. Create a mindfulness culture. Consider starting each meeting with a centering moment of silence and a deep breath for people to gather their thoughts and share one positive outcome they're looking for from the meeting. Ask your team to pick mindfulness practices that are relevant to the challenges that the team is facing. You can try going through a practice together and then share any insights you got from the practice. It will create greater team trust and alignment. I hope you will have the courage and curiosity to experiment bringing mindfulness to others in your teams, workplace, and even in your community. I truly believe we have tremendous power as professionals to make an impact on the people around us. Here's your chance. Take it.

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