There are many benefits to living in a free society with a free market. Every year, a flood of new products and services reach that market. We get to experiment, try new things, and share our feedback with others; but as a result, we are surrounded by so many toys and tools that they can become the focus, rather than what really matters to our success. It even can be hard to keep in mind what success actually means.
The paradox is that even as we acquire the resources to take amazing steps forward, our organizations become so perennially distracted and unfocused that they can fail to recognize the opportunities and obstacles at hand.
A mindful company will recognize that it takes constant work to replace mindless urgency with mindful clarity. There aren’t many such firms yet…and that’s why becoming one holds such immense promise.
Please take the six principles below with a grain of salt. They represent a starting point, and nothing more. You should question them, just as you should question everything else that competes for your time, attention, and focus.
The Mindful Company: Principles to Consider
1. Avoid blinders.
If you adopt the idea of a mindful company, please don’t be bound by any one set of principles, including the ones outlined here. Otherwise, you’ll risk blinding yourself to the truth of your organization, industry, and environment.
2. Maintain single-minded focus.
Create a culture that values and rewards focus on what is happening right here, right now. Whatever the task, your firm should help employees focus 100% of their attention and energies on it. This principle encompasses many implications. It may lead to shorter meetings and more frequent breaks, allowing employees to attend to other obligations—also with 100% of their focus. It will likely demand a higher quality of work and a more rigorous thought process. If you go into a meeting with a stack of reports you barely understand, that won’t cut it in a mindful corporate culture; such behavior reveals that you’re harnessing 10% of your energy, not 100%. If you’re in the room physically, you need to be in the room mentally.
3. Be accurate.
Toss corporate bluster out the window. “We’re the best!” has no place in a discussion that reveals your team to be third in sales, fourth in service, and tenth in R&D. Accuracy means confronting the truth, remaining determined to obtain the actual facts, and being able to accept even information that threatens the very foundations of what you are trying to achieve.
4. Be tolerant.
Don’t force others—even your employees or subordinates—to adopt your views. Respect the right of others to be different, and to choose what to believe and how to decide. If you fear this might lead to chaos and disorganization, think again. By fostering a diverse set of opinions and including a diverse set of skills, you are likely to reduce risk and produce far better decisions.
5. Minimize suffering.
Literally make life easier for the customers, employees, partners, and other people your organization touches. Doing so leads people to make a stronger commitment to the relationship they have with your organization—and that increases the chances that your efforts will prove both sustainable and profitable.
6. Communicate openly and truthfully.
Remember, the truth will come out. In a 24/7 interconnected world, any attempts to obscure or distort the truth will come back to bite you. Instead, be a leader in the practice of open, honest, and clear communications.
Credits
I dedicate this book to everyone who has commented on one of my articles, and especially to those special people who have commented repeatedly in a thoughtful and compassionate manner. You have inspired me more than you know.
Alexander von Ness of NessGraphica designed my book cover, literally out of the goodness of his heart. He embodies the spirit I describe within.
Cathryn Lykes served as my copy editor and proofreader. I’m her loyal customer, for good reasons. You can find her here .
My ghostwriting clients are confidential, but they are a constant source of inspiration to me. I may have the best job in the world— smart and creative people call me up and tell me their best ideas, which I then help them share with the world.
Dr. Carmen Simon and I have now collaborated on several projects, and she always teaches me something new and useful. She is the source of the Ten Ways to be Memorable image (and ideas) I included in How to Tell a Story People Will Remember. I highly recommend her book, Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions.
Daniel Roth of LinkedIn made it possible for me to share my ramblings with a global audience, and in the process, I learned what mattered most to me. Why he did this, I may never know...but I’m very grateful.
To keep this book simple, I have credited all other sources within the text itself.
Unless otherwise noted, I created all of the images myself.
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