Corporate Mindfulness: How to Increase Focus and Improve Communication with Remote Teams.

Mindfulness gives us the opportunity to be present to ourselves, in a kind and non-judgemental way.

In the corporate industry leaders need to be mindful and accountable in order to make the most sustainable decisions for their business resilience.

Leaders who integrate mindfulness in their framework can actively engage their teams, improve problem-solving and optimise decision-making.

In the past year, we have been witnessing significant and impactful changes that reflect our challenges, both in the workplace and in our private lives.
Employers and employees can feel overwhelmed in a more competitive market, due to work digitalisation and remote work.
Mindfulness can significantly improve work-life balance.

Anxiety affects our performance.  

Research at Harvard University has shown that we get distracted 47% of the time, therefore, we need effective techniques to boost our performance while taking care of our wellbeing, improving stress management. Our attention is directly connected to our work satisfication.
This research highlited the impact that our attention has on self-motivation; when we are attentive, focused and we feel involved, we are happier.
Well-being is a vital aspect of our performance management.
Employees who feel motivated contribute to creating a stronger brand.
Research at Oxford University proved that happy workers are 13% more productive.

Mindfulness provides long-term results and teaches us techniques to separate external stimulus from our response.
Once we learn how to be less reactive, we can manage our emotions more efficiently and speed up our recovery process, transforming our mistakes in resources.

Mindfulness is the art of practising kindness and compassion towards ourselves in order to strengthen our relationships with other people, in the workplace and at home. 

During various surveys employees were required to rate their level of happiness – they confirmed that their level of  happiness decreased when they were distracted, and they were not focused – These results prove how unhealthy distraction can influence our well-being and mindset.
The ability to intentionally focus is something that needs training. Science has found that we have more control over our mind than we previously believed, therefore we can learn to train our attention and prevent distraction at any age.
The ability to consciously direct our attention to breathing is essential for our well-being and also promotes a relaxing response of the autonomic nervous system. 

How can we train our focus and, at the same time, improve our communication, working remotely?

First of all, when we work from home, it is necessary to set boundaries, preferably indicate a clear start and end time and prepare a suitable environment that helps us to keep the working environment as distinct as possible from the private one.

Establish the intention to start the day by taking care of your body and mind through the practice of mindfulness or a conscious walk outdoors if possible.
It is important to take breaks, at least 2 or 3 times within a half day of work, in order to maintain concentration and cultivate well-being. For this purpose we can use the applications on the smartphone that help us to remember, to be present to ourselves. During these breaks it is important to engage in activities that help to calm both the mind and body. We can practice awareness of sounds.

Mindfulness Exercise:

Use sounds to focus your attention in a gentle way.

a.  Let’s take a moment to tune in with any sounds thay may surround us and use them to practise our awareness, and support our attention. Every time our mind gets distracted we bring it back to the sound we chose for at least a minute.

b. Embrace all sounds that are present in your background, without focusing on any particular sound. Allow the sounds to reach you, by moving your attention from one sound to another.
As we notice sounds may change but our awareness is always open to receive these experiences and return to them in case some thoughts lead us to
distraction.

Another essential aspect of our well-being is connected to communication. Even though our work tasks are managed remotely, we can always communicate in a more polite and gentle way by promoting active listening and inclusion.
It’s perfectly understandable to get distracted during our virtual meetings, especially considering that our teams are working remotely. We can  practise active listening, strive to listen without delivering prepared answers. Offering all our attention to our colleagues, employers and clients makes them feel important and appreciated.
One of our main needs us as human beings is to feel valued.
Feeling appreciated or noticing something positive in other people energises our interactions, which nourishes our relationships.
When we are willing to see the best in other people, that reflects in how they perceive us and stimulates them to see the best in us.

Conclusion

Every time we acknowledge other people’s challenges and vulnerabilities we share with them our empathy. We remind them and ourselves that we can connect with this sense of shared humanity, practising kindness and compassion.

 

It was an inspiring and nourishing experience to co-write this article with Chiara Tedeschi.

– Cristina Russo

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