If you Google “mindful CEOs,” you will see an array of high-powered CEOs leading Fortune 500 and smaller companies that use mindfulness to guide them and their organizations. For instance, Ray Dalio, Marc Benioff, and Andrew Cherng all have a regular mindfulness practice that helps them perform at their best.

Corporate mindfulness coach and consultant Elizabeth Prather thinks the business world is ready for, and needs to implement, mindfulness. “From figures like Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey and mega-corporations like Google and Nike, more high-level names and renowned companies are raving about the positive impact mindfulness has on business.”

It is important to remember that:

• the mindful CEO is guided by mindfulness principles,
• the mindful CEO is not perfect, residing in Presence 24/7, or void of material possessions, and
• mindful leadership is a choice and must be chosen over and over again.

To improve both your leadership skills and your bottom line, it is worth consulting a mindfulness professional on how to use mindfulness tools as an entrepreneur.

As a professional, it can be difficult to find time to practice in a busy, distracting world. But I think this is also an opportunity if you are in a position to influence corporate culture.

Recently a participant in one of our Living in the Gap programs, Nate Melchior, asked me how to get this amazing work into his company, Dunton Commercial. He was the number-two person and a principal in the company.

We designed an eight-week corporate mindfulness program, and I told him if he could get the CEO to attend, I would make time to personally deliver it. The CEO agreed, but he was a skeptical participant for the first several sessions.

And then something switched. He became engaged, curious, and more positive in the sessions. In fact, he later enthusiastically signed up for our Mindful Leadership Program.

Comments from the staff were phenomenal, not just about what mindfulness added to their lives, which was a reduction of stress and an increase in appreciation, among other benefits, but also about management caring about them as people.

Afterward, Nate said,

“The program taught our company some initial skills and guidelines for living a more mindful, present, intentional life. This included practicing Yoga and meditation, having book discussions, and building a morning routine as a foundation for our mindful practice. In just eight weeks, we saw immense benefits in stress relief, productivity, focus, and the overall happiness across the company. It has brought us all closer personally and improved the culture across the organization.”

Nate persuaded another firm, Sullivan Hayes Corporation, to join their eight-week program. Brian Shorter, the company’s managing partner, also appreciated the experience, and his company is joining Dunton Commercial’s follow-up program as well. Brian said,

“Eric was generous to introduce our company to an eight-week Living in the Gap workshop. We had about half of our team take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to learn. Not only did this program open our eyes to the benefits of living in a more intentional way; it brought our extended team together in ways I couldn’t have ever imagined. The ripple effect throughout our organization was tremendous. I am confident the dividends of the program will be lifelong.”

Long story short, their mindful leadership consultation paid off. At the conclusion of their programs, they decided to continue on their own and created their own internal group that meets regularly to practice meditation, read inspiring books, and get to know each other personally.

The simple fact is that most of us know our coworkers’ names and some niceties, but we don’t really know each other or our struggles, celebrations, and families. Mindfulness is a huge opportunity to change corporate culture, which is essential to your business’s success.

I wrote a book, Profit with Presence: The 12 Pillars of Mindful Leadership, which goes in to further detail about this topic and more.

Although the world is currently abuzz with the term “mindfulness,” some believe mindfulness is a fringe activity to be practiced before or after the workday, if at all. Too few business professionals take the time needed to be present and aware throughout the workday, which is counterproductive. Mindfulness is not only a path to personal success, but a sound business strategy.  

My hope is to positively impact the world through infusing more mindfulness into business -- and it starts with each of us individually. Together, we can create a future where mindfulness is deeply embedded in our work culture, leading to greater well-being, productivity, and meaningful success for all.

- Dr Eric Holsapple