Emotional intelligence: Why mindfulness at work matters

Mindfulness is a practice I’m glad to see finally being accepted in the business world. For some time its only champions were hippies and new-age gurus that businesses were only too happy to dismiss out of hand. But now the benefits of mindfulness have scientific support, it has entered the mainstream. For those undergoing team leader training with ICML, mindfulness is something they should be willing to try and see the results for themselves.

So, what is mindfulness, what are the benefits and how can you employ them in your business?

A primer on mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the current moment and paying attention to your experiences as they happen. It’s seeing your emotions and thoughts as temporary events that come into your mind and watching them at a distance.

I find it an invaluable activity for learning to keep my focus and concentrating on the task at hand. It works wonders for stress too; there’s nothing better than the feeling of being able to escape from the whirlwind of emotions that can come when you’re under the pump.

Mindfulness can keep your mind sharp and your emotional responses in check

It’s not only good for those things, however. It’s also a key element for better emotional intelligence. For example, it can help you with these two elements:

Self awareness

This might just be the key benefit mindfulness brings. Becoming more self aware allows you to see how you react to people and situations, giving you a chance to change if you don’t like what you see.

When you watch the sea of emotions and thoughts instead of identifying with them and being wrapped up, you may become aware of patterns in the way you think and feel. Crucially, these are patterns that your colleagues may have seen as well – when you do to, you may be able to better understand where they’re coming from when you disagree.

Empathy

Being mindful gives you the ability to take a more empathetic perspective with your team members. Because you’re paying attention in the present, you’re better able to observe how others around you are feeling. I’ve found this to be a boon for my communication skills – it’s so much easier to communicate clearly when you’re paying attention to the other person and having empathy for their position.

To learn more about mindfulness and management training in Melbourne, get in touch with a member of the ICML team today.