Awareness
In this 6-part series, How to Make Your Company the Best Place to Work, #2 is awareness.
EDITOR’S NOTE – SEE PART 1 BELOW
Google is doing it. Intel is too. By this point, you have certainly heard of mindfulness in the workplace. But, what does it mean to be mindful, especially at work? To be mindful is to be conscious, awake – aware of what is happening now, in the present moment, without a knee-jerk emotional reaction (aka judgment).
Ok then, what does it mean to be aware? Awareness is knowledge, or an understanding of the whole – not just particular biases or schemas. Just like every person, every business has strengths and vulnerabilities and knowing these is imperative. Knowledge is power and awareness is at least 50% of the solution.
And, primary, even prior to awareness of your employees, is awareness of yourself. As a business leader, we understand that you are self-aware. You had to be in order to excel. So, how do you continuously put this practice into practice and remain aware of your internal biases and schemas?
There are multiple ways, but a foundational one is mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation is one of the key skills to create an integrated brain, leading to optimal functioning not only on an individual level but systematically as well. When your staff and managers are operating from this state, you will establish thriving teams that systematically innovate and collaborate with one another.
Quick Tips to increase awareness at work and overcome high turnover and achieve greater productivity and less burnout:
- Employee assessments such as StrengthsFinder
- Create opportunities where teams interact to co-create goals, objectives, and values of the company
- Regular employee engagement surveys (Here is a quick 3-minute assessment you can take to begin to get a pulse on engagement within your company.)
This Week’s Action Steps:
- How do you practice self-awareness?
- What tools are already in place that help you keep a pulse on the level of your employees’ engagement?
