Many industries are currently undergoing massive change. They are adapting organizationally, introducing modern technologies and developing new business models. This is accompanied by a fundamentally changed working environment and a rethinking of corporate culture.
Managers find themselves at the nexus of this transformation — affected by change and at the same time asked to play a crucial role as role models and multipliers. That burden is further impacted by constantly accumulating tasks, expectations, and responsibilities. Women in management positions in particular feel constantly stressed and exhausted.
One way to combat this is through mindfulness, the effectiveness of which has long been proven in many ways. It has particularly positive effects on health and general well-being. Conscious breathing exercises and micro-breaks, mindfulness-based interventions and guided meditations are considered helpful in strengthening self-regulation and dealing with changes or stress more calmly. At the same time, such methods improve memory performance, creativity, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
Strengthening mental health
“Companies should take advantage of these effects to strengthen the mental health of their employees. After all, people who feel comfortable at their workplace are happier, call in sick less often, and feel more connected to their employer,” says Sarah Lange, manager in the people and culture department at IT and management consultancy MHP.
Together with her team, Lange supports customers with a whole range of strategies for bringing more mindfulness into everyday working life — and putting the topic at the top of the agenda for transformation projects.
Lange researched what happens when mindfulness is practiced for her dissertation at the Chair of Human Resources Development and Change Management. One result: Managers who are mindful in their dealings with themselves and their employees have a regulated stress level, which in turn leads to more focus, better decisions, and fewer mistakes. They also act less destructively and at the same time more transformationally.
A transformational leadership style is characterized in part by managers functioning as role models. By inspiring their team, motivating them intrinsically, promoting individual strengths, and placing great value on communication and interpersonal relationships, transformational leaders increase their reports’ willingness to perform and learn, while strengthening cohesion and loyalty to the company.
“Leadership style and behavior can make a real difference in times when many change projects fail or are not sustainable,” says Lange. This is because managers are significantly involved in shaping change and are called on to find balance between pressure and support during turbulent phases.
First in person, then via app
Mindfulness can help you find that balance. This means consciously directing your attention to the present moment, perceiving and reflecting on your own behavior and that of others. This goes hand in hand with an attitude of openness, acceptance, patience, and compassion. But how do you get there as a manager? For example, with mindful leadership training.
Classic components of these trainings are elements from solution-oriented systemic coaching. They often deal with specific situations in the work environment:
- How do you regulate your emotions in conflict?
- How do you keep a cool head under pressure?
- How do you recognize overload signals in yourself and your team?
- How do you deal with fear of change?
In her consulting practice, Lange says she has found that such training not only improves the leadership behavior of the participants enormously, but also changes their state of mind. As a result, the team also feels more comfortable and relaxed. The results from the face-to-face training are reinforced when mindfulness exercises are continued via an app.
In addition to mindfulness-based training and coaching approaches, special training programs are suitable for promoting a healthy approach to permanent change and a sense of self-efficacy. The foundation of such measures is often working with values and focusing on the meaningfulness of the change, the influence and sphere of influence of each individual person, and strengthening the sense of togetherness through the joint development of visions of transformation.
In transformation coaching, organizations should find out what their values and goals are and what they need to achieve them. The vision developed is rolled out top-down by management to the various management levels and then to the individual teams. In this way, everyone is included in the joint work on target images and transformation strategies. Attention should always be paid to psychological safety, the feeling of competence in the team, careful interaction with one another through mindful communication, and a benevolent mindset. This is followed by implementation throughout the company.
Establishing new rituals
But it can also be done more subliminally: Mental body scans help you feel more strongly and get in touch with yourself again. Attention is drawn to a positive feeling from a particular moment, which is then described in more detail: Where exactly is the feeling? If it were a color or a sound, what would it look or sound like?
Simply by focusing on physical sensations, thoughts, and feelings, mindfulness is created. Such strategies and prompts can also be used to manifest goals and create images in the mind, as well as to work through negative feelings. Afterwards, a defusion exercise from acceptance and commitment therapy helps to let go of these feelings again.
Another way to integrate mindfulness into everyday work is to form communities in which the topic of mindful communication is discussed and practiced. This creates a pleasant and protected space in which people can exchange ideas openly and personally. This exchange alone ensures that mindfulness is accepted and thus destigmatized.
“I recommend implementing new rituals in and around meetings, such as check-ins and check-outs with picture cards, energy barometers, short meditations, and the ‘quiet hour,’” says Lange. “Especially in conflict situations, managers can work with systemic questions to bring about a change of perspective and use benevolent hypotheses to generate empathy for one another.” With this bouquet of tools, mindfulness really does become a success factor.
Read More from This Article: Making mindfulness a leadership success factor
Source: News