Clearwater’s quarterly Executive Breakfast in July 2018 highlighted Mindfulness to reduce the negative impact of stress and enhance resilience and awareness of self and others. With guest speaker, Mark Dannenfelser, founder of Mindfulness Center of Atlanta, the group explored the importance of the topic as it relates to themselves as leaders, to their teams, and to their organizations enmeshed in unending change. See our digital scrapbook from the breakfast here.
Following is a list of resources we shared and encourage you to check out:
- Insightful video on how stress affects us and how to calm down
- Apps to help you relax, de-stress, find a mindful moment
- Arianna Huffington’s https://www.thriveglobal.com, including an online self-assessment
- Ray Dalio, Bridgewater founder – check out his videos on youtube
- Mark Bertolini, Aetna CEO and Chariman – Mindfulness is Aetna CEO’s Prescription for Success
Comments and insights shared during the discussions:
- For a comprehensive impact on the organization and culture, how important it is to engage senior executives in the conversation. One way is to monetize the effects of stress. Another way is to create an experience so that senior executives personally experience the benefits of a mindfulness practice.
- Using the term “awareness” may meet less resistance with colleagues than “mindfulness.”
- As leaders and organizations, how critical it is to be aware of the behaviors we are rewarding – often we reward mindless productivity versus mindful interaction that ultimately can be more productive.
- How pace of work and emphasis on check-the-box activities lure us out of awareness.
- The advantage of using visuals and pauses to help us tune in to where we are in terms of stress levels (example: The Human Function Curve).
- We all talk a lot about resilience, but treat it as an end state versus a process of allowing ourselves and others time to and space to take a breath.
Due to increasing requests for support bringing this mindset and practice into the work place, Clearwater and the Mindfulness Center of Atlanta have teamed up to introduce the topic to clients and organizations in Atlanta. Feel free to contact us at 404-634-4332 or andrea@clearwater-consulting.com for more information.
And please contact us and share your comments on what is working in your organization.