Photo by ergonofis on Unsplash
I recently joined a free webinar, “The Power Of Mindfulness In Business Decision-Making” organised by Karma Marketing, where an invitation was sent my way via their newsletter. Karma Marketing is a community initiative by WAVEMAKERS, a boutique marketing agency that is based in Kuala Lumpur and Bali.
Their curated events are led by their sage network and feature knowledge and skill sharing sessions. The term ‘union’ is inspired by the teachings of yoga and in the context of Karma Marketing, it means integrating the organisation’s values with its work life purpose.
Their aim is to bring together like-minded marketers and individuals to contemplate the intersection between personal development and professional alignment. The free webinar offered a few insights where I learned:
⚡How Becoming More Aware Of Thoughts & Emotions Can Influence Decision-Making at Work
⚡The Essence of Mindfulness & How this Practice Can Help Manage Stress & Anxiety
⚡Business Challenges & Setbacks That Mindfulness Can Help Solve
The webinar was presented by Karma Marketing’s Sage network of mindful leaders:
Sharing is caring, so I’ll share what I’ve learned from this insightful webinar (which I think can be applied by anyone working in any industry):
How Becoming More Aware Of Thoughts & Emotions Can Influence Decision-Making at Work
“I noticed a lot of time that people jumped to the “How” and because they think “Oh, I can’t see how to do it” or that it might be hard that they’d give up on the path that they’d have pursued longer had they focus on the “Why” and “Who” first. Get really clear about those,” said Eli Harrell, Valhalla Co-Founder, when asked what his basic decision-making process and awareness like.
Ayu Cornellia, Founder of Cornellia Co, also chimed in, saying, “I agree with Eli too regarding the 5Ws; which is a very basic recipe when it comes to clear communication. That said, I have several tips that I’d like to share. First of all, regarding mindfulness: I do deep breathing to heighten my awareness on what kind of tasks that I’ll be doing on that day, and of course meditation whenever I can.
“Next, I’ll do some research, reading, writing, or anything in regards to the issues that need solving, while being mindful of the sources that I selected as reference, and making sure that all of your sources that you’d chosen have values; depending on our needs and preferences.
“Be mindful of the mistakes that you made as well, because that could be one of the things you can learn from so that you’d be able to avoid it in the future as well as to improve ourselves. Build your growth mindset. And finally, trust the process,” she ended on a positive note. In Ayu’s case, it’s all very structured: it starts with yourself, and it carries on to how you’re deliberating your decision-making.
As for Rosalind Das, Founder of Digital Tribe, she would normally start with the “Why” before moving on to “Who” and “Why.” She further explained, “To me, making decisions can be time-consuming and tedious. So I’ll list down all of the things that needed to be prioritised first.
“Solving problems in business is easier on a personal level, but when it comes to the team, you’ll need to be super careful and mindful with the way you communicate with them; taking into consideration what they think and feel about the matters at hand.
“As a leader, I’ll listen to their input and how we all can come up with the best solution for everyone. For example, recently I had a very top client who can bring us lots of money. But the client is very difficult to handle and fussy; to the point where even having a normal conversation can drain your energy instantly.
“And it wasn’t just me; I could sense that my entire team’s energy was also drained out by this client even after the initial meeting. Of course, I felt unsettled by it all and uncomfortable to take on the project, but it was a very meaningful project for our company at the time.
“That’s when we actually sat down together and just bounced thoughts off each other until we all agreed that this will be a very taxing thing to experience along the way; what with all of the other ongoing projects that we’re already juggling with. How did we come to this conclusion?
“Because the client was asking for impossible stuff where we couldn’t deliver it based on the short timeline given. In essence, it was a very hard decision that we had to make. However, it has taught us how to grow even better; not just professionally but on a personal level like team bonding and trust,” she said.
The guest speakers were all very clear about their values, whether as an individual or as a business. Sticking to your gun is important as it comes from your own beliefs and what’s important to you, and ultimately it will affect whatever decision you’re going to make both for yourself and your company. There’s a lot of insightful step-by-step processes shared for the first topic.
The Essence of Mindfulness & How this Practice Can Help Manage Stress & Anxiety
“When it comes to mindfulness, let’s look at the way we manage ourselves as well as others. We want to understand how mindfulness can help us cope with stress and anxiety in the context of our work life; where we have different experiences, thought processes, projects, issues, deadlines, goals,” said Rachel, the host.
There’s a lot of expectations whether they’re for yourself or your clients, and even your employees too (if you’re a business owner or team leader). Managing people is so much more than giving them pay checks; it also entails their livelihoods and personal issues like stress. With everything everywhere all at once (sorry, can’t help it!), how can anyone cope and stay sane?
For those in management especially, you can’t simply come into work appearing all stressed out and moody. If you have even the slightest of insecurity and uncertainty, sooner or later it will get passed to the team; eventually ruining whatever project everyone’s been working on in the long run.
“The link between mindfulness and how it can help one manages stress actually lies in your adaptability and agility. I have personally experienced moments where I’d have to be adaptable and agile in order to overcome business-related issues. So when I apply mindfulness in such situations, I did feel more calmed down in the midst of chaos,” explained Ayu, when asked to describe a moment where she felt stressed, how it affected her leadership skills, and how she coped with it.
“I really like the saying, ‘everything happens for a reason. Personally, I believe that every problems that we’re facing will eventually have a positive impact. You may not see it at the moment, but sometime in the future, you’ll gain the wisdom as to why such and such happened, and how you can learn from them.
“Even if I’m expecting something good to turn out but bad things happen instead, I still believe that there will be a silver lining to it sooner or later. so yes, in essence, mindfulness is quite powerful in influencing one’s brain to view things from different perspectives; and help to control your emotions as well,” she said.
On the same topic, Rosalind thought that one must always try to be in control of the situation, or else they will risk coming undone. “If I’m not in control of the situation, I’d start to become very stressed and it shows. The coping mechanism that works for me is performing deep breathing, staying still, and journaling about my feelings. I’d ask myself, what are the triggers as to why I am feeling this way?
“Journalling has helped me a lot to calm myself down. Once I did all of these, I’d also leave enough time to ground myself and finding my centre. Thankfully, I’ll usually come out in a totally different mood after. I gained better clarity on the entire situation and am able to solve the issues.
“When you’re in a similar predicament, ask how you can make the issue better not just for you, but for everyone involved? At the end of the day, every single mishap that had happened can be handled, as long as I pinpoint the triggers. Perhaps you can excuse yourself by asking for a five-minute alone time to gather your thoughts and calm your emotions,” she suggested.
Meanwhile, Eli responded, “I believe every leader faces some levels of stress throughout their work days, and if not managed properly, it can affect the way they lead. As for me, I cope by knowing the things that I can do to change. Think of it like having a toolkit that works for you. And I think that overtime, we all need to figure out which ones from the toolkit that works best for a particular situation at different times.
“Maybe there will be days where sitting and doing journalling would be the best option for you, and there’s days where they may not be much of a help. Same with guided meditations; maybe it helps on some days and not. Basically, there’s a variety of things that you can do. Or if nothing works (for me), I’d get out of the house or office to get some dose of sunshine or talk to someone who you can safely confide in.
“When things get so bad that you’re stuck in your own head, it’s good to have a second or third opinion. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to this topic. So figure out the things that work best for you. Recognise the overall impact to your entire life. It took me a long time to figure things out, so take your time and see what best fits you.
“If you ever find yourself in a bad state of mind while at work, find out ways to overcome it immediately. There’s a moment where I had to lead a meeting, but didn’t feel like it. So instead of jumping straight into the meeting, I took a moment to meditate; I really needed it. If I don’t do that, I might be bringing a negative energy to everyone. The overall situation wouldn’t be uplifting otherwise,” he explained.
Commitment is the keyword here when it comes to feeling and being well. commit to doing something, anything, that will help you cope with day-to-day stress at work. Try to take action regardless of how awful you’re feeling.
Business Challenges & Setbacks That Mindfulness Can Help Solve
Moving on to the final topic, Rachel gave the guest speakers a scenario where they’re asked how to best address the following situation: “One of your employees has been unresponsive, distant, and underperforming. They open up to you regarding how they’re feeling unmotivated and even considering to resign. They may have mentioned being burned out and that they’re no longer certain about why they are in the company. How do you go about managing the situation with mindfulness?”
Rosalind replied by saying that demotivation is a natural human reaction towards something. She shared her recent experience about her virtual assistant, who has been working with her for the past five years. Rosalind noticed that her assistant, who used to be an exemplary worker, had gradually declined in her performance.
“I told her, let’s have a chat about what’s bothering you. She agreed and confessed how she’s burnt out, feeling that everything has become a boring routine, and that she doesn’t feel like a part of the team anymore. So I suggested for her to take a break and recharge herself. At the time, I also realised that she had zero coping mechanism.
“So I advised her to become more aware of her feelings so she could be better equipped in dealing with such situations. I also reminded her that not everything is about work. We then started to make a few changes here and there when it comes to her work responsibilities. Eventually, she became even more positive and receptive, following my advice.”
In essence, Rosalind’s solution was to have a personal conversation with her employee and encourage her to communicate her needs as honest as possible. And based from her needs, Rosalind gave her a break which turned out to be fruitful for the team.
For Ayu, she’d approach the situation with a cool and calmed manner, being focused, taking deep breaths, and make time for a discussion surrounding the employee’s performance and find out the root cause through these one on one session. “I also think it’s important that we notice our own thoughts and emotions while dealing with such a situation.
“I also believe that we shouldn’t get too attached with the condition at our workplace. This will make it easier for both parties to let go of each other in a professional way. I’d thank them for their support during their time as an employee, and I’d also try not to hold them back. I told them to keep in touch because it’s not the end of the world, you know, things like that,” she said. Eli also concurred with what Ayu had just said, which is to let go of any attachment; ending the roundtable discussion.
Here’s the full recording if you’d like to listen more and learn extra tips that we haven’t mentioned in the article:
Mindfulness is a practise that entails being in the present moment and mindful of one’s thoughts, feelings, and environment. It can be a useful tool in commercial decision-making since it allows people to make more informed and deliberate choices.
Individuals are encouraged to focus on the job at hand and remain completely present when practising mindfulness in corporate decision-making. Slowing down and taking the time to evaluate all sides of a decision, including potential implications and ethical issues, can help with this.
Individuals may be better able to manage stress and ambiguity in high-pressure business circumstances if they practise mindfulness in corporate decision-making. They may also be more inclined to make decisions that are consistent with their values and long-term aspirations, rather than merely reacting to short-term demands.
Meditation, deep breathing exercises, and journaling are just a few of the strategies that can be utilised to practise mindfulness in corporate decision-making. Furthermore, many firms are now providing mindfulness training programmes to their staff in order to improve their general well-being and productivity.
Overall, introducing mindfulness into business decision-making can result in more thoughtful and intentional choices, enhanced decision-making abilities, and increased well-being and resilience in the workplace.
