Mindfulness Archives - Page 9 of 10

Empathy at Work Drive Your Business Forward

Compassion, Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology / My Holland

What Is Empathy? Empathy is the capacity to recognise and understand the emotions of other people. It’s about putting yourself in another person’s shoes, understanding his/her perspective and reality. You’ve heard about this often enough during call center and customer service trainings where the trainers tell you to “put yourself in the customer’s shoes to better understand what’s going on in the customer’s heart and mind.” You might think that empathy is spontaneous. It’s not. There’s a little science to it. What happens is …when you hear a compelling story or see a scene or a situation that hits your soft spot, our body releases Cortisol which helps us to concentrate on the subject matter. Simultaneously, the body also releases Oxytoxin. This is sometimes called the “Trust Hormone” or the “Bonding Hormone.”. It’s what makes us care about the subject matter and increases our empathy. Recent research which had men undergo an aerosol shot of Oxytoxin found that this group had exhibited emotional empathy in higher levels. All of us have these, but depending on genetics, our mood at the moment and how we relate to the other person, levels of our individual empathy varies. Why Empathy Is Important In Businesses The ability to connect with and relate to people, (in particular, prospects and regular customers of a business) is true empathy. It’s a force that can move the business forward because empathy makes you think beyond yourself and your own concerns. The minute you begin seeing and understanding that side of the business, you’ll realise there’s a lot to discover and appreciate. This inevitably leads tocreativity and innovation and happy customers. To start applying empathy at the workplace more effectively, especially among employees who interact with customers, you as a manager might want to have them consider the following guides: Get rid of your own perspective. Instead look at things from the other person’s viewpoint. As soon as you do this, you’ll get to realize these guys aren’t being wicked or unkind or difficult and unreasonable. They’re just responding to the situation with the information they’ve got. This happens all the time with customer complaints. Listen and listen well. Listen with your ears (what is the other person saying? what kind of tone is he using?) Listen with your instincts (Is he communicating all the important issues? Is there something he’s not telling you?). Listen with your heart (how do you think he/she feels?). Acknowledge the other person’s perspective. Once you recognize why the other person believes what she believes, then acknowledge it. This doesn’t equate to you agreeing but it’s an acceptance of other peoples opinions and they may have solid reasons to have those opinions. Be flexible. When interacting with your company’s customers, be prepared to change directions as the other person’s thoughts and feelings might also change. Getting yourself and your team to develop an empathy approach at the workplace may just be the most relevant decision you can make to improving your business. When you start understanding others, they’d want to understand you too and that’s how effective collaborative work goes.

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Loving what you do… small steps

Compassion, Mindfulness, Productivity, Wellbeing / My Holland

Can you picture Tiger Woods driving a heavy truck hauling cargo from the piers to their destination in the city’s warehouses? How about Meryl Streep? Do you see her counting dollar bills as a bank teller? Neither, I’ll bet, can you visualise Steven Spielberg as a used-car salesman convincing a prospect to buy that Toyota Camry. Along with a lot of other people, these three personalities : an excellent young , meticulous golfer, an accomplished, multi-awarded actress and a highly successful film director with the wild imagination of a 12 year old, all love what they do. They enjoy every aspect of the careers they’ve chosen to pursue and excel in, and presumably wouldn’t trade it for anything else. Fate has been good and generous to them – loving what they do and getting paid handsomely for it. The celebrity status, the fame and glamour that come with it are gravy for a remarkably delicious steak! Wouldn’t it be grand if we can all just do what we enjoy doing and get a hefty paycheck at the end of each month? Is there actual truth to what most commencement speakers tell a graduating class, “Do what you love. The money will follow,” ? Surely, it’s inspirational, but there aren’t any guarantees. You could pretty well go broke doing what you truly care about. The experts say desire is all important when you’re treading into the unknown. When you simply want to follow your passion and do what you enjoy doing, or at least pursue something that’ll lead you to what you love in order to do your best work, a certain degree of uncertainty revolves around it. Success isn’t a sure thing. It’s a make or break thing. Your strong desire though will push you to be more creative, more resourceful and help you go for the whole nine yards. So, what if I have the desire but am sure it won’t lead to anywhere that’ll bring in the money, should I still go for it? In a research study, “The Power of Small Wins” which ran in Harvard Business Review a few years back, it showed that people who progress everyday toward something they love, feel tremendously satisfied and fulfilled. And so to answer the question … Yes, go for it! But let’s qualify that. If chasing this thing you’re crazy about won’t enable you to bring food on the table or, it would keep you away from a college degree, then hold back. Don’t make any big bets on your desire. This does not mean though that you cannot work on your passion a little at a time, or start building blocks. Spending 15 minutes or half an hour a day on it will keep the embers burning. And you really should. Why? Because you could be wrong! Assuming doing what you love won’t bring in the greenbacks could ruin your whole life. So, take those small steps towards what you love doing. Who knows? You just might discover that this passion of yours is a treasure chest waiting to be opened.

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Do you procrastinate? Why Do We Procrastinate?

Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness / My Holland

Whether we’d like to admit or not, a lot of us have been guilty of procrastination at one time or another. Somehow, we’ve gotten into this bad habit of putting off till tomorrow what we could have done today. It’s crazy! It’s weird! We know it’s not good! It hurts us and others! So, why do we do it? Why do we put off writing that report that’s needed for the committee meeting, or, why do we keep postponing that critical sit-down with a client who’s lodged a complaint about the poor service she’d experienced with our company? Here’s Why Julie Morgenstern, a New York Productivity consultant and author of “Time Management From The Inside Out” says it’s because we’re overwhelmed. The recent recession had led to work teams being trimmed down in most companies and the workload shifted to other teams. In addition, top management demands and expects these employees to be harder working, more innovative, creative and more efficient. This, Julie continues, often leads to a standstill. Meanwhile these workers turn to other avenues for distraction. There’s the technology of the e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. Replying to a trivial e-mail or attending to some other little thing provides them a sense of accomplishment, a sort of a quick win. Joseph R. Ferrari, a psychology professor at De Paul University and author of “Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done” says procrastinators are overly concerned with what other people think of them, so that in essence, they’d rather be thought of as lacking in effort than lacking the ability to accomplish things. They’ve got this funny idea that if they never finish, they don’t get to be judged. Procrastination usually happens in connection with long-term projects. Somehow one convinces himself that putting off a part of a long process is simply a deviation and in itself isn’t significant, but then this behavior gets to be the rule rather than the exception and the work never really gets done! What To Do If you want to change and get rid of this habit, these experts suggest you identifythe specific areas where you tend to procrastinate. Is it in writing reports? Trade development? A management task? Once you’ve identified the area, write down the steps you’ll need to take to get the job done. If it’s a long-term project, break it down to small easier-to-complete tasks. Then reward yourself (a good dinner or a movie) as you finish off these small steps one at a time. Not sure what the next steps are? Don’t be shy. Ask for help. These management techniques have been known to work for most procrastinators, unless you happen to be the chronic type, in which case it’ll be smart to seek some professional psychological advice.

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Gratitude in the workplace

Compassion, Emotional Intelligence, Engagement, Leadership, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Productivity / My Holland

Gratitude in the workplace Everybody wants to feel appreciated. Gratitude is a crucial engagement factor in the workplace and often the biggest motivator, ahead of money. So how can you get this right as an employer and employee and what difference can it make? When ‘thanks’ in the workplace becomes solely the wage pack at the end of the month, employees can begin to feel undervalued and demotivated on a day-to-day basis. According to the John Templeton Foundation study of 2,000 respondents, people are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than any other place. In turn, they did not rank their jobs as something they feel grateful for. Having said that, 93% of respondents agreed that a grateful employers makes a much more successful person to work for. Hearing praise makes somebody feel better. Positive psychology confirms that giving and receiving gratitude helps boost our self-worth, as well as our productivity. One study in Harvard Medical School by Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) divided university fundraisers in two groups. Half were awarded gratitude and thanked for their efforts from the director, while the other half were not. Those who received gratitude produced more funds through fundraising than those who did not. A thank you costs nothing Gratitude does not involve the transaction of money, in the same way as a pay check does. Science Director Emiliana Simon-Thomas from the Greater Good Science Center conducted research that found that on days when someone gives or receives gratitude (or has experiences of gratitude), they feel happier. This is a cheap and effective way to improve workplace morale and productivity. Prolonged gratitude Dr Simon-Thomas also found that the people who prolonged their gratitude experiences were happier in their job, less stressed and reported better health. How to start giving and receiving more gratitude at work Gratitude works best from the ‘top down,’ in other words from hearing thanks from the boss. Those in a position of power have a greater impact in shifting workplace attitudes. A thank you needs to be clear, consistent and authentic Gratitude can be expressed in a number of ways, from throwing an office party or staff treat/gift, to complimenting the work somebody has done or built into performance reviews and appraisal meetings. Don’t take anybody for granted and remember those who, generally, do their job without looking for thanks. Sometimes these people tend to be at the bottom of the workplace pyramid and do jobs such as cleaning, filing or making a cup of tea. Make them feel valued. Quality, not quantity is key. If you say thank you, in a throwaway style, several times a day, it is less meaningful than a well thought-out expression of thanks that is justified and authentic. Cultivate a culture of gratitude in the workplace over time, so when an unsettled period arises or conflict, employees feel part of a team. Psychologist Robert Emmons says this process “builds up a psychological immune system.” Gratitude is a key word in the world of positive psychology and this article shows how developing it in the workplace will breed a culture of employees who feel valued and have higher self-esteem, therefore, work more efficiently and feel empowered by their jobs.

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True connections at work

Engagement, Mindfulness, Positive Psychology, Productivity / My Holland

Well-connected people with strong social relationships are healthier and happier. Close ties with family and friends provides us with support, self-worth and add meaning to our lives. Networking can help us feel as though we belong to something significant. So why then, does social media and an age of feeling constantly connected to hundreds of friends, sometimes leave us feeling lonely and isolated? The Internet era means that we can message friends in real time, see photos of a relative across the globe on Instagram and read your sister’s reaction to her favourite TV programme on Twitter, despite a physical distance between you. But technology doesn’t include the physical contact that benefits our well-being. While social media provides us with a network of social connections which has been shown to decrease mental illness as we get older, it is the quality of the social connections that are important. Humans are social beings, and this involves physical contact such as hugging, and seeing facial expressions face-to-face. Chris Peterson, one of the founders of positive psychology said “other people matter” but does the count of Facebook ‘friends’ or Twitter ‘followers’ equate to happiness? Take the example of Instagram star Essena O’Neill. The Australian had over 600k Instagram followers and carved her career via the social media site. She posted regular pictures for her followers to comment on. Recently she decided to quit social media and revealed some of the deceit and fakeness attached to her online world. Her social media connections were not friends and the world and career she had built was not making her happy. Taking action to strengthen our relationships and build meaningful connections is essential for happiness. Ways in which to work on the quality of your relationships, and not just the quantity include: Two-way support – giving and receiving Shared activities Openly talking about feelings Shared experiences – the good, the bad and the ugly While messaging online, sending a text message or talking over the phone means we can interact easily with friends and family, the quality of the interaction is important and investing in your relationships will help improve your health and wellbeing. Emails are often referred to as ‘single strand’ interactions, while face-to-face relationship involves a more complex interaction and body chemistry. Ways to boost this include a meal or drink with a friend, going to the cinema, shopping or a holiday to visit a friend who lives further away. Building more connections can include joining a networking group for your career, volunteering with a group, a new hobby or taking part in a protest. According the recent Emotional Needs Audit of the UK, by the Human Givens Institute, 24.1% of people did not feel emotionally connected to others, 34.8% did not feel connected to the wider community. Loneliness can make you unhappy, unhealthy and shorten your life, so take the time to invest in the people that are important to you.

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Mindfulness

Empathy at Work Drive Your Business Forward

Loving what you do… small steps

Do you procrastinate? Why Do We Procrastinate?

Gratitude in the workplace

True connections at work

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