Meditation in Leadership and Productivity

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Contrary to some common misconceptions, meditation is an age-long practice of self-care, calmness, focusing your mind on the things that matter, and it is a practice, which many business leaders do in today’s hectic workspace. Scheduling some moment of meditation into your work hour is a good way to improve your decision-making skills, reduce stress, enhance your creativity as well as boosting your emotional resilience, leadership skills and overall productivity.

In the US, for instance, more and more people have woken up to the amazing reality behind the soothing and calming effect of meditation. For this reason, a lot of meditation studios and apps are popping up every day, and this even makes some famous and popular businesses and companies such as Google, American Express, McKesson offers some forms of meditation training programs to boost the leadership skills of their senior executive officials.

A report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Healthy shows that many workers now have more job-related stress than it was the case centuries ago, and this hectic work culture have been spotted to have a close link with the negative health of workers as well as a poor level of productivity. For this reason, one of the best ways to reduce work-related stress as well as dropping hasty and ill-fated decisions and policy in companies and organizations is through the inclusion of a moment where workers can pause and catch their breath through a moment of mindfulness and meditation.

Prominent leaders who meditate

Various research has proven that some minutes of mindfulness meditation are a good way to attain a better sense of rational thinking, especially in the business and cooperative world. For this reason, a lot of leaders and top business officials enjoy meditation as a cheat sheet for making important decisions.

Other studies have also shown that leaders who commit to meditation at work are found to have employees who are happy with a high sense of morale towards their job. Generally, meditation has also been found to be a sure route towards attaining a high level of productivity by leaders who commit to meditation as part of their job schedule.

Below are some prominent achievers and business leaders who have publicly attested to the role of meditation in their achievements as well as the leadership skills they exhibit.

Oprah Winfrey

According to Oprah Winfrey, Chairwoman and CEO, Harpo Production, Inc. who is a renowned billionaire, “meditation is a way of getting closer to God.” She adds that meditation is among the most significant practices she has practiced as she finds her way to a billion-dollar worth of achievements and success.

Arianna Huffington

Another prominent leader who has been practicing meditation even as a teenager is Arianna Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post. As a vocal advocate, Arianna Huffington admits that meditation has played a major role in her success and achievements.

Russell Simmons

According to Simmons, founder of GlobalGrind.com and Cofounder, Def Jam Records, “nothing has been so important and helpful in his career as the moments he dedicates to meditation”

Jeff Weiner

To Weiner, a former Yahoo executive and LinkedIn CEO, meditation is a great tool I have used all my life, and it offers me the opportunity to think. According to Jeff Weiner, “practicing meditation helps me to practice compassion and empathy, and doing so has a positive impact on my productivity”

Padmasree Warrior

Named by Forbes as one of the top 100 most influential and powerful women in the world, Padmasree Warrior who is the Chief Technology and Strategy Officer of Cisco Systems admit that attaining her level is a feat that comes with tons of stress, but she manages to overcome such stress with about 20 minutes of absolute meditation every evening.

The list of leaders who meditate is almost endless, and it is on this note that Larry Brilliant, a former director of Google.org, stressed the importance of peace of mind in his 2013 commencement address at the Harvard School of Public Health. In his speech, Brilliant wished graduates lives filled with equanimity, which is a state of mental calmness and composure.

Benefits of meditation to leadership and productivity

A lot of world leaders have attested to the fact that meditation has been a part of their success story in their various leadership positions. This they achieved in the following ways;

A better level of focus and clarity

Top on the list is the ability to have a better level of focus, and the opportunity to control the thoughts running through your mind.

A high level of awareness of your environment

A better level of awareness with a clearer perspective of everything going on around you is another juicy perks of meditation.

Increase self-awareness

As a leader, knowing your areas of strength and weakness is a key way to succeed. With meditation, you can learn to understand yourself as well as learning ways in which you can become a source of inspiration to your followers.

Stress buster

Meditation is a good way to ward off stress and tiredness for a rejuvenated feeling of calmness, and better control of your activities. It is usually an amazing experience to see how fast and better you can work after a moment of meditation

Become a better listener

With a high level of awareness of yourself as well as your environment, less stress and a better sense of clarity and focus, you can listen and understand your fellow workers better. With this, you can easily under their plight as well as easily process answers to their questions and concerns.

Wrap Up

Meditation has continued to be a long-standing and very effective therapy to help leaders become better individuals within their sphere of influence.

Taking time to practice a moment of meditation can help reduce stress and mental pressure. You can restart your work schedule with a feeling of rejuvenation and calmness.

Haven’t been making time for meditation in your daily activities? If yes, you can start here for a guided training on the art of meditation.