It was recently reported that around 300 British politicians – 120 MPs and 180 peers have been trained in mindfulness, along with around 800 staff in the Palace of Westminster. For as traditional – some might say stuffy – an environment as Parliament this is an astonishing number.
And yet it makes perfect sense. Parliament is often seen as a stressful and demanding workplace, where people are dealing with untold and often unforeseen pressures. Surely it is important for people at the helm of our politics to take the time to take care of themselves, so they can be at their best? MPs report that mindfulness practice has led to better listening, a better quality of debate and better productivity (sadly not all MPs have had the Mindfulness training!).
I, myself experienced this shift towards a greater appetite for mindfulness when I was invited to present the practice to a group of 25 directors from different investment banks earlier this year (while they were mindfully munching on sushi in a restaurant!). It is hard to imagine a more stressful and high-octane environment than investment banking, so it is very encouraging that they are looking at this practice as a possible solution to burn-out and challenging working environments.
After being asked by an increasing number of clients during the pandemic – both organisations and coaching clients – to support them with well-being and resilience, I chose to build on the module on mindfulness I took during my MA in Coaching, and trained as an accredited mindfulness practitioner with Mindfulness Now.
So what exactly is mindfulness? As a practice it goes back several thousand years. It is associated with the Buddha, but also has its roots in Hindu, Chinese and Taoist traditions. The sense that a deep meditative practice and a focus on the present, both in a physical and mental sense, can ultimately lead to a state of enlightenment resonates very deeply in Eastern culture, and has been transposed to the West.
As the world opened up to travel in the twentieth century and Eastern teachers began to connect with Westerners, the practice of meditation started to become familiar and popularized. Often, the practice was considered to be marginal, and associated with hippies, with the Beatles popularizing it in the public consciousness.
There is then quite a leap to today, when mindfulness appears to be the zeitgeist (albeit one over 5000 years old), especially in organisations. We can see it when leaders are increasingly integrating mindful practice into their daily practice, when the shelves at Waterstones now have their own mindfulness section, and when even a spoof Ladybird book on mindfulness is published, destined to be a stocking-filler.
The change has come about largely through the scientific and psychological research communities, and through the conduit initially of psychotherapy. Ellen Langer and Jon Kabat-Zinn were at the forefront of research and practice, the former in particular taking a very secular approach to what had hitherto been a spiritual practice. More recently, writers such as Daniel Goleman and Nancy Kline have contributed to the development of the practice at an organisational level.
This coincides with some universal issues being faced by organisations, especially the move to a 24/7 global business culture, where expectations of immediate and rapid service has increased levels of stress and noise within people’s work. The rapid rise of technology in communications means that people are continually being bombarded with communications that need to be actioned: from email to SMS messages, from tweets to Facebook. The time-poor nature of our workplaces, where human interaction is considered a luxury, and a barrier to ‘work’ being done. The growing need of people, particularly those in the so-called Generations Y and Z, to find meaning and value in the world and in their work. The growth of mindfulness as a practice mirrors the growth of other practices, such as yoga – increasingly visible in the workplace,
There has been a divergence in Eastern and Western approaches to mindfulness, as some pioneers in the West have adopted a more secular approach that all but removes the spiritual roots from its practice. Langer, for instance, says that supporting people is the key purpose of being mindful. The objective is to focus on areas where there is a clear end benefit to individuals, and by extension organisations, such as a focus on novelty, curiosity, creativity in new situations.
Carmody describes her approach as ‘a training that is dynamic, and values perspective taking as a better way of understanding the world’ (Carmod, p.53). She makes no real reference to the Eastern more contemplative tradition, but her approach is more grounded in Social-Psychological theory, taking as a starting-point ways to address what she described as mindlessness.
Kabat-Zinn, in contrast, retains a strong focus on the spiritual side of mindfulness. His work is informed by Hatha yoga, and uses breath as an integral tool. The focus is on paying attention to the present moment. Kabatt-Zinn speaks of the seven steps to mindfulness: non-striving, non-judging, patience, a beginner’s mind, trust, acceptance, and letting-go.
However, it may be challenging for some leaders to adapt to a more mindful approach. Coming from a fast-paced professional environment, it may seem to them to be too substantial a leap to make to access a quieter, more meditative space. It may even seem threatening and so emotionally charged that they cannot easily sink into a place of deep contemplation. The profound practical benefits however in terms of positive outcomes for the organisation should be enough evidence to persuade even the most sceptical leaders at least to have a look at Mindfulness.
As a coach and facilitator, I try to make a point of integrating Mindfulness at least in some way in the work I do with clients, and I have always had positive and favourable comments about this.
‘It makes me a better MP’: British politicians get lesson in meditation’ The Guardian, 13 September 2023 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/sep/13/it-makes-me-a-better-mp-british-politicians-are-in-love-with-meditation
Boyce, B. (ed.) (2011) The Mindfulness Revolution, Shambala
Carmody J. – Eastern and Western Approaches to Mindfulness: Similarities, Differences and Clinical Implications – in A., Ngnoumen, C. T. and Langer, E. J. (eds) (2014) ‘Front Matter’, in The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Mindfulness, John Wiley & Sons
Goleman D, (2013) Focus, Bloomsbury
Hazeley J. and Morris J, (2015) The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness, Michael Joseph
Kabat-Zing J., (2004) Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness Meditation for Everyday Life, Piatkus
Kline, N. (1999) Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind, Ward Lock
Headspace – Mindfulness app and Netflix series
Nick Jerome is a tutor and executive coach with In Professional Development, leading on Leadership and Management, Sales Leadership and Coaching programmes. He has an MBA, an MA in Coaching and is accredited as a Mindfulness Teacher with Mindfulness Now.