More than 200 people flocked to the UK’s first ‘Mindfulness at Work’ conference in Cambridge on 10 February.
Speakers included Gladeana McMahon on mindfulness-based cognitive coaching, Margaret Chapman on emotional intelligence, Graham Lee on mindfulness and leadership, Professor Mark Williams from the Oxford Centre for Mindfulness and Michael Chaskalson on the growth
of mindfulness.
Chaskalson said that when he first started out, there were only 60 scientific papers on mindfulness; now there are 30-40 coming out each month.
He noted that mindfulness can enhance simple levels of rationality, capacity for focus and attention, can elevate people’s personal presence, build their capacity to manage complexity, their levels of emotional intelligence, improve their relationships, reduce stress and absenteeism and increase their resilience.
He continued: “I believe that mindfulness can be a panacea for what bothers you. I truly believe if you’re better at working with your mental state, things will go better for you. Mindfulness is fundamental mental hygiene.
“Those organisations that offer mindfulness, all other things being equal, will do better than those who don’t.”
Graham Lee said Jim Collins’ Level 5 Leadership (humility and will) along with emotional intelligence, were the two leadership approaches most commonly mentioned by the CEOs he talked to.
“Mindfulness stands on these two pivotal ideas in leadership – humility and emotional intelligence. Interior leadership is different from exterior leadership,” he revealed.
He pointed out that mindfulness is also a core part of Boyatzis’ resonant leadership, and within his own model of authentic leadership.
“We all learn by adapting, being shaped by environment, and then we have to step away and consider what we know, and develop a sense of identity. The more we can flow between differentiation and adaptation, the more in harmony we will be with our internal states and the wider context, and with others.
“Mindfulness is key. I start coaching sessions with mindfulness to create a space for interrogating, exploring and acknowledging, being aware of the focus of attention and labelling feelings, teasing out mental states of self and others.”
He said mindfulness also links with other approaches, such as James Scouller’s Three Levels of Leadership.
Liz Hall will present on mindfulness and coaching at Coaching at Work’s conference on 11 July