THE LACK OF INTEREST MOST BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE IN MINDFULNESS OR MEDITATION, IS GENERATIONAL

Being an “old fart”, it’s hard to admit it but most men of a certain age (among whom I am one) are largely ignorant of, and not inclined to learn about, either mindfulness or the practice of meditation. Among leaders in the business world, the same can sadly be said of most women.

I (and others) have exhausted most rational arguments pointing out the short-sightedness of the above-stated fact but they seem, for the most part, to fall on deaf ears. (coincidentally, short-sightedness and deaf ears are physical shortcomings that are suffered by many people “of a certain age”).

I happen to be an “action speaks louder than words” kind of a guy, and can unequivocally attest to that, when it comes to mindfulness and meditation (both of which are important components of wellbeing), current action-- especially in the business world-- is somewhere in the neighborhood of lacking, to non-existent.

Because most firms or businesses are still run by older men, as well as the few women who have risen to an executive level, the issue of workplace wellbeing (particularly, education and access to opportunity related to mindfulness and/or meditation), has been given little more than lip-service.

Such is the apparent inclination of the current generation of business leaders. Despite that disheartening fact, I continue to advocate for action and a change of attitude-- but expect little to come of it, on an institutional level. The apparent aversion or indifference of most current business leaders to the wellbeing of working individuals is, honestly, head-scratching and somewhat deflating.

If I didn’t know better, I would think that worker wellbeing is something that is simply anathema to capitalism. As anyone with even a modicum of curiosity or intelligence knows, however, that is not the case. The notion of wellbeing works hand-in-glove with the basic principles of capitalism.

I’m not an economist, and I don’t pretend to be, but it seems to me that one of the core principles of economic theory would involve the measurement of worker productivity, and productivity is obviously a by-product of one’s happiness. Happiness, of course, can be measured in part by our financial status, but it is not the sole measure by which one’s happiness can be quantified.

Don’t take my word for it-- consider also the findings of the World Happiness Report which is published annually by a partnership between the Gallup World Poll, the University of Oxford and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

The first Report was published over 10 years ago-- in April of 2012-- as a foundational text entitled Well-being and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm. There is a lot of substance in each report, and anyone interested in learning more should take the time to read the various reports, themselves.

Since the late 20th century (well before the first publication of the World Happiness Report), there has also been a growing interest among economists in the economics of happiness. Again, anyone interested can read more in the economic papers that have been published-- they’re identified in the summary at the end of the Wikipedia piece about the “Economics of Happiness”.

In addition to that economic interest, another recent school of psychology (known as Positive Psychology) has done a lot of work in the area of happiness and the workplace.

Given the above, it should come as no surprise that there is a Wikipedia page dedicated exclusively to “Happiness at Work”, from which the following text is quoted:

“Despite a large body of positive psychological research into the relationship between happiness and productivity [See, reference to Positive Psychology, above] happiness at ??work has traditionally been seen as a potential by-product of positive outcomes at work, rather than a pathway to business success. Happiness in the workplace [was] usually dependent on the work environment

During the past two decades [however], maintaining a level of happiness at work has become more significant and relevant, due to the intensification of work caused by economic uncertainty and increase in competition.

Nowadays, happiness is viewed by a growing number of scholars and senior executives as one of the major sources of positive outcomes ion the workplace. In fact, companies with higher than average employee happiness exhibit better financial performance, and customer satisfaction. It is thus beneficial for companies to create and maintain positive work environments, as well as leadership that will contribute to the happiness of their employees.

Happiness is not fundamentally rooted in obtaining sensual pleasures and money, [although] those factors can influence the well-being of an individual at the workplace. However, extensive research has revealed that freedom and autonomy at a workplace have the most effect on the employee’s level of happiness, and other important factors are gaining knowledge and the ability to influence the self’s working hours.”

And so, we come full circle to the relationship between happiness and productivity-- pardon my simplistic point of view, but I don’t believe it’s rocket science. If our business leaders are really concerned about the economic condition of their firms or businesses, they should also be concerned about worker productivity.

And if business leaders were genuinely concerned about worker productivity, they would also be concerned about worker happiness-- which is directly related to worker wellbeing. As one popular song aptly points out, “the ankle bone’s connected to the leg bone”.

Unfortunately, most business leaders begin and end their analysis with a scrutiny of worker productivity. They have little or no interest in either worker happiness or worker wellbeing and as a result, they have little or no interest in mindfulness, meditation or any of the other elements of either happiness or wellbeing.

And so, the generational cycle of “more of the same” kind of management, continues-- that’s the way conformity works. It’s also (I believe) why the resistance to practices like mindfulness and meditation is so prevalent among firm and business leaders.

One can only hope that the next generation of business leaders will be more attuned to the economics of? happiness and the critical importance of worker wellbeing-- all facets of it.

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