Mindfulness at Work For Dummies

Shamash Alidina is a professional mindfulness trainer, teacher, and lecturer. He has over 10 years' experience teaching mindfulness in schools and university courses. Juliet Adams designs and delivers professional mindfulness at work training, and co-delivers WorkplaceMT trainer development in the UK and Netherlands.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Part I: Getting Started with Mindfulness at Work 5Chapter 1: Exploring Mindfulness in the Workplace 7Becoming More Mindful at Work 7Clarifying what mindfulness is 8Taking a look at the background 8Recognising what mindfulness isn’t 11Finding Out Why Your Brain Needs Mindfulness 14Evolving from lizard to spaceman 15Discovering your brain’s hidden rules 16Recognising that you are what you think 17Exploring your brain at work 19Starting Your Mindful Journey 23Being mindful at work yourself 24Overcoming common challenges 25Creating a mindful workplace 26Living the dream: Mindfulness at work 27Chapter 2: Exploring the Benefits of Mindfulness in the Workplace 29Discovering the Benefits for Employees 29Increased mental resilience 29Improved relationships 32Honed mental clarity and focus 34Mindful leadership 36Looking at the Organisational Benefits of Mindfulness 38Happier, more engaged employees 39Greater creativity 41Increased productivity 43Improved decision making 45Reducing staff turnover 47Chapter 3: Applying Mindfulness in the Workplace 49Gaining Perspective in the Modern-Day Workplace 49Engaging with a VUCA world 50Applying mindfulness in changing times 51Employing mindfulness for new ways of working 53Building resilience 54Adjusting Your Mental Mindset 56Focusing on the present moment 57Treating thoughts as mental processes 58Approaching rather than avoiding difficulties 60Rewiring Your Brain 62Getting to grips with the science of mindfulness 62Resculpting your brain to make you more productive at work 63Using mindfulness to increase your present-moment circuitry 64Developing Mindfulness at Work 65Examining intentions and attitudes 66Remembering that practice makes perfect 69Experimenting with mindfulness in the workplace lab 70Acting ethically for the organisation and its people 71Living life mindfully 72Part II: Working with Mindfulness 75Chapter 4: Practising Mindfulness Day to Day 77Starting the Day Mindfully 78Making time for mindfulness 79Integrating mindfulness into your morning routine 81Travelling Mindfully 82Driving with intent 83Thinking about trains, planes and mindfulness 84Walking mindfully 87Taking Mindful Pauses 88Pausing at your desk 89Enjoying water cooler moments 90Waking up and smelling the coffee 90Ending Your Day Mindfully 91Managing energy and sleep 91Following a mindful evening routine 92Using mindful exercises 93Appreciating the good 94Chapter 5: Boosting your Mental Resilience 97Recognising the Need for Resilience at Work 98The modern day stress epidemic 98Understanding fight or flight 99Mindful Working to Enhance Resilience 100Managing multiple, conflicting demands 100Grouping tasks 104Dealing with distractions 104Mindfully managing your emotions 105Trying the ‘Managing emotions mindfully’ exercise 107Dealing with difficult people 108Mindful Ways to Maintain Peak Performance 110Maintaining peak performance 110Using mindfulness to enhance productivity 112Being in the moment 112Being Kind to Yourself 113Discovering the Neuroscience of Kindness and compassion 115Rewiring your brain 116Last, but by no means least 116Chapter 6: Discovering Mindfulness At Work Training 117Introducing MAWT 117Getting ready 118Identifying the outcomes you desire 118Considering alternatives to self-study 119MAWT Part 1: Core Training 119Preparing for MAWT 120Week 1: Understanding mindfulness at work 122Week 2: Working with the body in mind 132Chapter 7: Applying Mindfulness At Work Training 143Continuing Your Mindfulness at Work Training (MAWT) 143Week 3: Mindful communication at work 144Week 4: Mindfully working with difficult people and strong emotions 151Week 5: Mindful working in times of change 159Post-Course Summary 166Chapter 8: Practising Mindfulness in the Digital Age 169Choosing When to Use Technology 169Recognising the pros and cons of technology 170Rebalancing your use of technology 170Communicating Mindfully 174Emailing mindfully 176Phoning mindfully 178Using a smart phone mindfully 179Engaging with social media mindfully 181Writing mindfully 181Using Technology Mindfully 183Focusing on one task 183Discovering technology that enhances focus 184Part III: Mindfulness for Organisations 187Chapter 9: Improving Team Performance with Mindfulness 189Identifying and Harnessing Team Dynamics 189Understanding team dynamics 190Managing team dynamics mindfully 192Improving Team Performance 194Recognising what’s important 194Introducing Mindfulness to Your Team 197Keeping your eye on the goal 198Staying focused using mindfulness 199Enhancing Internal and External Business Relationships 199Becoming mindfully ready for anything 200Being in the meeting 201Boosting Team Morale 202Improving morale with mindfulness 203Focusing team effort with mindfulness 204Improving team relationships with mindfulness 205Chapter 10: Using Mindfulness to Assist Different Business Functions 207Mindfulness for Human Resources 207Managing downsizing and redundancies mindfully 208Dealing with discipline and grievances mindfully 210Increasing employee engagement 211Applying some techniques 211Mindfulness for Occupational Health 213Improving staff well-being with mindfulness 214Tackling stress with mindfulness 214Reducing sickness absence with mindfulness 215Mindfulness for Learning and Organisational Development 216Improving learning with mindfulness 216Introducing mindful practices into the workplace 219Mindfulness for Service Delivery and Customer Service 219Maintaining customer focus 220Dealing with customer feedback mindfully 221Communicating mindfully with customers 222Mindfulness for Marketing and PR 222Communicating powerfully 223Keeping in tune with consumer and cultural trends 223Improving responsiveness 224Chapter 11: Integrating Mindfulness with Coaching 225Discovering Mindful Coaching 225Seeing mindfulness as a coaching toolbox 227Applying mindfulness in coaching 229Introducing Practical Ways to Integrate Mindfulness into Coaching 230Increasing insight and clarity 231Overcoming self-doubt 233Coaching Team Members in Being Mindful 235Integrating mindfulness into your team coaching 236Overcoming barriers to mindfulness 237Rolling Out Mindfulness through Coaching 238Dealing with individuals 238Working with teams 240Involving the whole organisation 240Chapter 12: Commissioning Mindfulness Training in the Workplace 243Bringing Mindfulness Training to Work 243Starting with the end in mind 243Choosing from the menu of possibilities 244Building in evaluation 246Considering options for introductions and pilots 247Taking care of the practicalities 248Working in partnership and managing expectations 250Identifying follow-up strategies 250Making Sense of the Different Approaches to Teaching Workplace Mindfulness 251Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 251Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) 252Mindfulness At Work Training (MAWT) 254Search Inside Yourself (SIY) 254Hiring an Experienced Mindfulness Practitioner 255Checking out credentials 255Clarifying organisational experience 257Judging compatibility 257Agreeing on what’s possible 258Hiring a Mindfulness Coach 258Identifying the benefits of mindfulness coaching 258Choosing the right coach 259Mindfulness Pilot Checklist 259Part IV: Leading with Mindfulness 261Chapter 13: Thriving on the Challenges of Leadership 263Thriving Rather Than Surviving 265Three ways to lead and thrive 266Being a More Mindful Leader 267Authentic leadership 267Resonant leadership 269Mindful leadership 270Practising Mindful Leadership 270Creating a positive and inspiring workplace culture 274Coping with Stress and Pressure by Building Resilience 275Maintaining peak performance 276Implementing mindful strategies for rejuvenation 276Chapter 14: Leading without Boundaries 279Creating the Space to Lead 279Seeing the bigger picture 280Making time to be yourself 282Being good to yourself 284Managing your time and energy 284Enhancing Leadership Creativity 287Thinking without boundaries 287Tapping into your intuition 289Managing Complexity with Simplicity 289Recognising that the past is history and tomorrow is a mystery 290Working mindfully with your brain 291Maintaining clarity and focus 293Chapter 15: Leading People, Change and Strategy 295Leading Mindfully when Change is the Norm 295Meeting modern-day challenges with mindful solutions 296Developing new change strategies 296Embedding change individually and organisationally 297Creating Strategies that Allow the Organisation to Flourish 299Identifying organisational culture 299Creating a collective vision for the future 301Developing strategies mindfully 303Embedding new values and behaviours 305Creating a More Mindful Organisation 307Remembering that looking beyond the bottom line is good for the bottom line 307The Return On Investment (ROI) of mindfulness 308Mindfully improving employee engagement and retention 310Part V: The Part of Tens 313Chapter 16: Ten Ways to Be More Mindful at Work 315Be Consciously Present 315Use Short Mindful Exercises at Work 316Be a Single-Tasker 316Use Mindful Reminders 317Slow Down To Speed Up 318Make Stress Your Friend 319Feel Gratitude 319Cultivate Humility 320Accept What You Can’t Change 321Adopt a Growth Mindset 322Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Improve Your Brain with Mindfulness 325Increase the Strength of Your Brain 326Alter the Structure of Your Brain 326Improve Your Ability to Learn 327Gain More Cognitive Control 327Improve Your Health and Well-Being without Going to the Gym! 328Live Life with Less Fear 329Make Yourself Happier 330Regulate Your Emotions More Effectively 331Improve Your Life without Even Trying 331Improve Your Attention Span 332Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Mindfully Manage Work Pressures 333Mindfully Coping with Inappropriate Work Demands 333Mindfully Dealing with a Lack of Control over Your Work 334Mindfully Managing a Lack of, or Inappropriate, Support 335Mindfully Managing Difficult Working Relationships 336Mindfully Gaining Clarity about Your Job Role 337Mindfully Navigating the Bumpy Road of Frequent Organisational Change 337Mindfully Dealing with Difficult One-to-One Meetings 338Mindfully Coping with the Threat of Redundancy 339Mindfully Coping with Redundancy Survivor Syndrome 339Using Mindfulness to Reduce Stress 340Chapter 19: Ten Ways to be Mindful in a Minute 341Start Your Day with an Energising, Mindful Shower 341Begin with a Mindful Moment 342Enjoy a Mindful Coffee 343Use your Phone to Become More Mindful 344Eat Lunch Mindfully 344Be Mindful of Sounds 345Appreciate the Good 346Notice the Interplay between Your Thoughts, Emotions and Physiology 347Become More Body Aware 347Move Mindfully 347Chapter 20: About Ten Resources for Further Study 349Whizzing through Websites 349Mindfulnet.org 349Mindful.org 350ShamashAlidina.com 350Benefitting from Books 350MBSR 351MBCT 351Other books worth a read 351Practising with Audios 352Reading Up on the Research 352Accessing Apps 353Locating Training Providers 354Mindfulness at Work Training 354The Mindfulness Exchange 354Mindfulness Works 354Identifying Universities and Management Schools Utilising Mindfulness 355Reflecting on Retreats 355Training to be a Mindfulness Teacher 356Part VI: The Appendixes 357Appendix A: Answers to Learning Check Questions 359Week 1 Learning Check 359Week 2 Learning Check 360Appendix B: Summary of Research 361Index 365