M@W: Yes, people should become like monk!

Not in terms of appearances, but in terms of powerful focus, profound thinking, inner tranquility, self-regulation, emotional resilience, rich relationships and deep joy.

M@W: No doubt that people with such qualities are rare and we begin to think that these qualities are utopian.

But you would be surprised to know that precise techniques and tools exist – just follow the steps and build these competencies. The aim is not to reach 100% perfection in these qualities, but we can surely make a big shift from where we stand.

M@W: You need not trust me. Leading institutions (including MIT, Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge) have already established it as a proven science with robust research. Just go through this article in American Psychological Association (Click Here) and then tell me what do you think.

M@W: Effective may be an understatement – these techniques can unlock our potential to be creative, innovative and profound. Besides, these are proven to be twice effective (compared to traditional means) on combating the biggest killer – Stress. These enhance our emotional resilience and also strengthen our relationships. Not only that, there are studies showing very positive impact on our heart health and blood pressure. I can just go on and on, but must stop before you again start disbelieving me.

M@W: Mindfulness is a mind and attention training tool, aimed at bringing your attention to where it belongs – in the current activity; and then to sustain it there for an extended duration. Research shows that doing this in a systematic manner not only brings greater effectiveness in our work (acting as an antidote to harmful distractions), but also develops multiple powerful traits, as we discussed earlier – accelerating our success, happiness, and well-being.

M@W: Let me put you on another reading mission. Here is the link to an article which gives a glimpse of the impact of mindfulness-based tools on workplace and leadership (Click Here). Believe me, it’s just a spoon out of the ocean.

Have a look and let me know what you think. You didn’t come back last time.

M@W: Let me give you just one example. Google not only adopted mindfulness but also developed an internal course (now hived off as Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute) and drove it rigorously through a dedicated team. You name any Fortune 500 organization, and you will realize that most of them have adopted mindfulness tools in some way or other.

By the way, look for Aetna (here is the URL). I think they are the only organization, which has openly published specific details on impact of mindfulness in their organization.

M@W: Quite contrary actually. These tools strengthen our most important asset – our attention. People will be able to utilize their drive, ambition and assertion (not aggression) in a much sharper and appropriate way, rather than being stressed out with ambition and getting emotionally turbulent with aggression. Higher awareness makes us more strong mentally and psychologically, not weak or docile.

M@W: You may begin with effectiveness, stress resilience and emotional intelligence – the most popular applications of mindfulness. But you can also look at other behavioural aspects as well, like collaboration, trust and empathy. You can use it for making leadership profound and also for cultural transformation. Again, the list is endless.

M@W: Sure you can do that. It’s good to get basic orientation on the subject.

But to ensure that benefits go deep and sustain for long, you should follow a structured process. I would suggest three steps – (1) Identify and diagnose the core behavioural / cultural transformation you want to drive (2) Orient people with the science and tools of mindfulness (3) Build an ecosystem to help them continue to use it.

M@W: It’s not as overwhelming, but yes, if we want to ensure sustainable impact, we would better go deep into each step.

M@W: Hahaha, not at all! You can absolutely drive it with internal resources.

You will just need to identify the right resources and make sure people commit time and efforts to make it a success.

Even if you engage an external consultancy, you will need to set internal processes and identify champions to carry it forward and sustain the impact.

M@W: I will surely tell you that we are the best

Jokes apart, let’s be absolutely objective about it. There is one foremost quality, which you must not compromise at any cost – The consulting expert must have been practicing mindfulness for at least 10 or more years (5 years at least, if you have no other choice). Unless the person has deepened mindfulness in own life, it’s not possible to help others initiate it.

Besides, a relevant corporate background helps in understanding the organizational dynamics better. Look for an intent to go deeper and extra mile – Mindfulness cannot be dealt with in a superficial and transactional manner.

Additionally, find more about their earlier work. If it reflects depth, variety, and impact, you might be looking in the right direction. Needless to say, you will be checking out the experience of their earlier customers.

M@W: (a) Most important factor is the leadership involvement. It’s always helpful to orient them with Mindfulness first.

(b) It is more impactful to identify specific need/priority that you want to address with mindfulness, rather than doing general mindfulness workshops.

(c) Ensure a robust follow-up plan, otherwise, you know what happens with so many interventions – in a week’s time, people are back on old habits and behaviours.

M@W: We help organizations to address specific cultural or behavioural challenges / priorities (e.g. leadership, effectiveness, stress, resilience, innovation, diversity, etc), with mindfulness based tools.

We follow a structured process of

(a) Assessment- Diagnosis of core challenge and plan of action

(b) Action- Intervention roll-out

(c) Adoption- Follow-up Internalization framework for continuity of implementation and impact.

And now, I will tell you to look at the website for more details.

M@W: How did I break your skepticism

See, it’s very simple. You speak the language of science, help them experience the state of mind and then give them absolutely practical tools. We follow a three-pronged approach –

(a) Science - We only talk the language of psychology, neurology and research – obviously simplified for laymen – so no ambiguity or spriritual stuff

(b) WIIFM - We focus on how this will help their own core objectives – Success, Happiness, Relationships & Health – What’s in it for me

(c) Practical – At the end of workshop, people should have practical tools and techniques, which they can use the very next hour – no superficial Gyan!

M@W: See buddy. Once you realize that there is a tool which can substantially enrich our work life and personal well-being, with minimum consistent efforts – then you naturally want to share it with as many people as you can.

We are driven by the prospect that our workplaces can indeed be the source of fulfilment, joy and connections (not of stress, morning blues and conflicts).

M@W: We publish insights and industry studies to create greater awareness. We also conduct open programs on leadership. We partner with industry associations, like FICCI, to catalyse these efforts. We are also partnering up with academic and research institutions to bring out more India centric studies.

We also contribute our bit to society. We bring mindfulness to three focus groups, which possibly need it the most – underprivileged section, government schools and public institutions.

M@W: Great. We love questions and stimulating discussions. Anytime, you have any question, just write to us or you can also schedule a quick call with our expert – who will be happy to clarify any doubts.

And rest assured – there are no strings attached. We are crazy people who love to talk about mindfulness!