An unexpected competitive advantage

As we fly through the year, and the pace just continues to speed up, it’s probably useful to pause and consider an unexpected source of  competitive advantage  – mindfulness.  No longer the domain of hippies and alternate lifestyle gurus, the cognitive benefits of mindfulness –  awareness of perceptions and potential biases, and the capacity to see situations and systems clearly – are now recognized within  global business such Google, Goldman Sachs and BlackRock as vital skills with  Harvard describing mindfulness as  a leadership “must have”.

A recent large scale study noted that mindfulness within organisations can support resilience because it:

• equips individuals with self-awareness that helps them to understand resilience and actively participate in its development
• enables people to recognise the signs of stress and respond more effectively
• develops discernment between activities that nurture or deplete internal resources
• recognises the power of thoughts and finds ways of skilfully working with them
• supports a culture where relationships are valued.

Given the above, it would seem that in today’s stressful,  always on,  competitive environment, everyone could benefit from  taking a moment, slowing down and being mindful.

Interested? Give it a try with  Five Steps to Mindfulness or use one of the great apps such as Headspace or Buddhify.  Or get on board with  a great  Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme run in our home town of Durban .

Not entirely convinced? Research says that mindfulness also increases creativity within organisations  and helps with problem solving. You’ve got nothing to lose except your anxiety.