Mindfulness? Yes - it impacts The Bottom Line

All Of These New Ideas... Do They Impact The Bottom Line?

Mindfulness. Well-Being. Work-Life Balance. Emotional Intelligence. Workplace Wellness. Many new terms have been injected into our workplace lexicon in recent years. At first glance, it may seem that they have nothing to do with business. Are these new terms merely the most recent distractions from a society that is increasingly absorbed by navel-gazing? Do these ideas have any real influence on The Bottom Line - productivity and profit? How can all of these new ideas really impact the business world?

More and more research is proving that how we live outside of work directly impacts our productivity and relationships inside of work. 

Let's take a look:

• Dr. Travis Bradberry is an excellent example of a LinkedIn influencer who makes the clear and cogent case for breaking our bad habits as an essential aspect of increased productivity. More and more research is showing that when we manage our minds, bodies - and perhaps even spirits - in a mindful and deliberate way, we will inevitably see an impact on the relationships that we cultivate and grow in the professional arena. 
• Arianna Huffington has started to call public attention to the importance of getting enough sleep. Watch this TED Talk on the subject. She came to this revelation after she fell down in 2007 from exhaustion and broke a cheek bone. Now, a well-rested Arianna is a crusader for the health improvements that sleep offer, including markedly better cognition and memory. If you've ever lost your train of thought while speaking in a meeting, you may have had the wake-up call that more sleep needs to be a focus area for you.
• Even the traditionally buttoned-down Wall Street Journal has recently written about Deepak Chopra meeting with new MBAs to emphasize the importance of being mindful and managing one's spiritual side as an element of business success. Chopra makes the case that how we treat our inner-self will impact the way that we work and succeed.

So, with more and more prominent experts telling us that taking care of our whole self has business benefits, what are we to make of it?

Let's start explore this question by joining two men on their morning routines - Tyler and Tripp.

Tyler's Morning

Tyler returned to his dark bedroom as the sun was just coming up. His partner, Morgan, was just waking up.

"How was yoga?" Morgan asked.

"Awesome, just awesome. How did you sleep?" Tyler asked.

"Really well, thanks. I love you." Morgan said.

"I love you, too. Be back in a few," he said.

Tyler went into the den, popped in his earphones and started the 25 minutes of centering meditation that was part of his morning routine. He had learned four years ago that it really made a difference in how his day went.

Since he had hit bottom five years back, he had learned many things.

After his shower, Tyler went downstairs and found that Morgan had made some coffee and had put out his cereal and almond milk. He said thanks.

"You have that big presentation tomorrow, right?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah. I think it's going to be great. I get all of the pieces today, will spend most of the day synthesizing it. Thanks for remembering, by the way. I know you miss the workplace. Honestly, if you ever want to switch places, I'd love to be the one going back to bed...." Tyler said, smiling.

Morgan laughed and pushed Tyler's arm. The good kind of push.

They hugged, and Tyler said, "I love you."

Morgan smiled. "I know, you told me that forty minutes ago. But I never get tired of hearing it."

After Tyler got to his desk, Janey came into his office.

"Hey, Janey. Big day! Have you finished?"

"Tyler, I'm really sorry. I am very close, but something has come up...."

Tyler tilted his head slightly and furrowed his brow a bit. 

"That's not like you. What happened?" he asked.

"Honestly, my mother was admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon. She hasn't been well, and we've known... I came in to do a little work...." Janey's voice started to crack.

"Oh, Janey. I am so sorry. Leave."

"But we've been working on this for..." Now her eyes were filling with tears.

"Janey, go. I'm not the guy to give orders, as you know, but this is one. Your mother's situation needs to be your priority. I don't want to hear another word. We've got your back. Go."

"But..."

"Go."

Janey hugged him and left, no longer holding back a torrent of tears. She drove away. But she would be back. She was grateful for an exceptionally compassionate boss.

Tripp's Morning

The alarm went off. A loud, jagged sound. Tripp's heart raced, as it did when the alarm woke him up every day. He pressed snooze and got an additional nine minutes.

He hadn't slept well. He was up for part of the night thinking about tomorrow's presentation. His partner, Morgan stirred next to him.

"Hi," Morgan said.

"Hi. Few more minutes" Tripp whispered.

Tripp fell right back asleep.

Nine minutes later, the same jagged sound produced the same racing of the heart and burst of adrenaline.

"Time to make the donuts," Tripp said, struggling to smile at Morgan. 

"Ha! I loved those commercials. Well, good news for you, some are already made. I'll get them out, see you in a few minutes."

As he walked toward the bathroom, he struggled a bit. His back had been really hurting lately. The pain didn't help his mood.

As he got into the shower, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Somewhere along the line, he had lost control. When the doctor told him that he qualified into a particular weight category, it had stung. It wasn't for lack of trying, he had been on a diet for the last eight months.....

I guess aging just sucks, he thought.

After his shower, Tripp went downstairs and found that Morgan had made some coffee and had put out some donuts.

"You have that big presentation tomorrow, right?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah. I think it's going to be great. I get all of the pieces today, will spend most of the day synthesizing it. Thanks for remembering, by the way. I know you miss the workplace. Honestly, if you ever want to switch places, I'd love to be the one going back to bed, I'm tired as hell and, candidly, a bit hung over...." Tripp said, smiling. 

Morgan laughed and pushed Tripp's arm. The good kind of push.

Tripp turned to leave.

As Tripp headed to the door, Morgan said, "You're forgetting something."

Tripp did a u-turn, rolled his eyes, and walked back to Morgan with his hand out. Morgan opened the compartment for that day and poured the six pills into his hand. He poured a second cup of coffee to wash them down.

In a more hushed tone, Morgan said, "Dr. Rao called. He said the results on your test showed that your blood pressure is getting into a very serious place, his words, not mine. You really need to make time to see him."

"You know I'm slammed Morgan. I have no time. I've put in 45 hours already and it's only Thursday morning. I haven't slept well and, like I already said, I'm a bit hung over. Just stop. I'll see him when I see him."

"But..."

"Enough!"

He walked away a bit red-faced. Enough of the badgering. Doctors don't know everything, he thought.

After Tripp got to his desk, Janey came into his office.

"Hey, Janey. Big day! Have you finished?"

"Tripp, I'm really sorry. I am very close, but something has come up...."

Tripp looked at the ceiling, then at the floor. His face grew red and his jaw was clenched. He picked up a pen from his desk and threw it at the wall.

"What the #*%^ happened! You know how big a deal this is to me! Damn it!" 

"Honestly, my m......" Janey's voice started to crack.

He interrupted.

"You know what? I don't want to hear excuses. You've #*%^'ed up for the last time. Leave."

"Tripp, my mo...." Now her eyes were filling with tears.

He interrupted again, "Janey, go! I'm the guy that gives orders, as you know, and this is one. This presentation was your priority.  I don't want to hear another word. Go."

"But..."

"GO!"

Janey left, now letting loose a torrent of tears. She drove away. For the last time, she had decided.

Acknowledged Caricatures 

It is acknowledged that Tyler and Tripp are only caricatures. Not every yoga practitioner has a warm heart, and not everyone who enjoys a donut before work is a tyrant. Let's be real - such generalizations are not even close to reality. Life is vastly more complex than that.

With that said, the point of these caricatures is to amplify that the choices that we make across the full landscape of our lives help to determine the way that we will work - and how we will cultivate those relationships that can ultimately make us successful.

Whether through inspiration or desperation, most of us will eventually come to a crossroads where we have to decide if we are willing to make changes in how we manage ourselves and our lives. What changes we make at that fork in the road.... well, that can make all the difference.

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