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INtheFLOW, Taking Mindfulness to Work - the power of noticing the small stuff, by Debbie Goodman-Bhyat
DEBBIE Goodman-Bhyat, a successful Cape-based small business owner, discovered the value of ‘Mindfulness’ both for her personal and her business life.
The technique, based on ‘sati’ in the Buddhist tradition, was popularised in the West as a therapeutic, faith-independent technique by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It involves paying greater attention to one’s life experiences and - aside from its therapeutic benefits - Mindfulness enables a deeper appreciation of life and enhances happiness.
This short book is an account of why and how Goodman-Bhyat introduced her clever, homemade version of a Mindfulness programme into her company. The programme has now been running daily for more than three years. This is, in essence, a corporate culture programme and the first I have come across that has been implemented and is still robust years later. Most corporate culture programmes start off with gusto and rapidly fade.
There are probably two reasons why this programme has not. The first is that it clearly enhances the lives and working lives of the participants, and then is maintained by a simple process.
Goodman-Bhyat calls this programme ‘INtheFLOW’. It is a simple and practical way of applying life-enhancing principles in a ‘Mindful’ way to produce a salubrious corporate culture.
“I needed to develop some kind of daily ritual which would hopefully become a ‘habit’, and which would enable the transition I was trying to make. And this ‘ritual’ would need to be something other than formal meditation practice,” she explains.
The programme guides the staff so they notice, appreciate and are alert to life enriching experiences, even if only briefly.
There are six practices to the process. Each working day (and other days if staff please), they are reminded to focus on these six practices and encouraged to write them down to increase impact.
Six prompts for ordinary yet special moments
INtheFLOW consists of six ‘prompts’ that awaken one to the ordinary – yet special – moments of our lives, by paying attention, on purpose, to these moments. The six prompts are: 1. Yesterday’s Best Thing; 2. Grateful For; 3. Looking Forward To; 4. Conscious Kindness; 5. Compliment Sincerely; and 6. Greet Warmly.
The first is ‘Yesterday’s Best Thing’. This is recalling the events of the last 24 hours and reviewing them for their best moments. These may well be small experiences that are often overlooked and unacknowledged. Without deliberate effort, what was special is so easily passed over and unnoticed. This has the potential of turning an average or bad day into one with redeeming features.
The second principle is ‘Grateful For’. There is overwhelming evidence for the happiness enhancing effects of gratitude and it is only through being Mindful of what one is grateful for, that this benefit can be experienced. It includes gratitude for a favour, having an excellent dentist, or a specific opportunity. Too often only the high-profile is appreciated, not the mundane. What is not appreciated can never spur a ‘thank you’.
“Taking a little extra time to act on this by acknowledging someone else, you create a circle of lovely energy and a consciousness of well-being. All of which starts with just a few seconds of awareness,” Goodman-Bhyat points out.
The third principle is ‘Looking Forward To’. No matter how ordinary one’s day, having something to look forward to enhances feelings correlated to greater success. It is even more important when one is going through a rough patch. This too can be the unremarkable such as taking a walk around your block when you get home, a bath with candles, making a special dinner, or calling a friend.
The fourth principle is ‘Conscious Kindness’ - doing a thoughtful, kind thing for another person with no thought of reciprocity. These opportunities do not appear on their own regularly enough: they need to be consciously discovered and seized. These acts of kindness can be as small as a larger-than-necessary tip, or something that requires more thought.
The fifth principle is to ‘Compliment Sincerely’. It rarely involves doing more than noticing what is compliment-worthy, and expressing this awareness sincerely. The compliment will certainly enhance the day of the person receiving it, and yours too.
The last principle is to ‘Greet Warmly’. We often feel too busy, distracted and tired to say hello and offer a smile. Greeting requires being mindful of the presence of the other, acknowledging this with the act of greeting warmly; the benefit is the emotional connection on both sides.
“What you pay attention to really matters. It affects your mood and your state of being, and defines your reality,” Goodman-Bhyat reminds us.
Many high-profile companies have added mindfulness training in various forms to their staff offerings. (See the review on Mindful Work, by David Gelles.)
READ: BOOK REVIEW: Meditation in the workplace
They have seen the benefits of higher accuracy, fewer accidents, increased wellbeing, EQ and compassion. Goodman-Bhyat’s company experienced revenue growth of over 20% in the first year of practising INtheFLOW, in addition to these benefits.
No programme is ever sustained for very long unless it is both simple, supported an not too intrusive on work time. Goodman-Bhyat’s company has the has six INtheFLOW principles on a laminated sheet, so they can be easily recalled and addressed.
All staff share their ‘Yesterday’s Best Thing’ with the group secretary from wherever they are, and that is shared daily with all. This daily discipline enhances group cohesion through updating everyone on everyone else’s ‘Yesterday’s Best Thing’.
This is a programme well worth your consideration. Your staff will benefit, and so will the company.
Readability: Light +---- Serious
Insights: High --+-- Low
Practical: High +---- Low
* Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of Strategy that Works. Views expressed are his own.
