Philosophies to abandon in the workplace (2nd article)

This is the 2nd article in a series regarding philosophies to abandon in the workplace. The 1st article was about abandoning the philosophy of “Going the extra mile” and can be found here. I would love to hear some more feedback on the previous article.

Today I want to suggest that we do away with the mind-set of “Multitasking”. In fact I believe that it is not something we should boldly display on our CV’s and should not see it as a skill anymore. However we can’t yet individually let go of multitasking if the employers are demanding it. So this article aims to give some food for thought to the organisations that currently look for and expect multitasking from their employees.

I am not suggesting that we don’t fully utilise the most efficient system on the earth being our human bodies and minds. This system already has millions of parallel and integrated tasks happening simultaneously at any given moment. What I am suggesting is that organisations should think twice about instilling a culture of expecting their employees to be doing many things at once. Sometimes we will find that organisations have rolled two or three job functions into one, particularly where an employee demonstrates commitment and “multi-tasking” ability. Sometimes it is simply that the volume of tasks and outputs expected cannot be achieved if you are not juggling many balls. Wow !!!, I have seen some people juggle so many balls. They are machines, right? But what are the consequence of this becoming a culture? Is this sustainable? Do these machines eventually break down? How does leadership view the others that are not machines, perhaps only juggling two balls? How do the employees view each other .. the machines, those that are not machines and the broken machines?

More and more I am seeing small little rays of light where organisations are becoming curious about Mindfulness Based Leadership. There are many wonderful articles you can read about the tremendous neurological benefits of mindfulness practices such as this one. However in the context of this article I wanted to simplify the concepts. In a way mindfulness is the opposite of multi-tasking. We all have heard the recommendations where by focusing completely on the present moment allows you to fully commit to the task at hand, whether that is brushing your teeth or making yourself a sandwich. But why should we do this. Let’s consider two basic benefits of mindfulness in our daily lives:

The first being the quality and meaningfulness of the output. It is obvious that if you completely focus all your attention on just the one activity or contemplation, the result is likely to be far more useful and rewarding than if you were trying to focus on many things at once or if your mind was racing thinking about the next list of balls that needed to be juggled. In fact the result may even be completely different as you may tap into creativity that was not available when you were trying to be a machine.

Secondly, when you focus all your attention on the task in front of you or the experience of the moment, you learn to let go of everything else: all the to-do lists, all the regrets related to the previous moments and all the anticipation or dread about the future moments. This brings about wonderful relief for your entire body and mind. Relief that if received often, can free you from stress and ultimately illness. Relief that eventually translates into joy that is not dependent on external factors. This state of letting go of everything else except for the present moment takes time and practice and sometimes we never fully get there. But even if we quieten the noise by just 50% we are doing ourselves and those we interact with a great service.

A practical example outside of the workplace is going for a walk. Our goal or desired outcome is likely to be physically healthier and to relieve ourselves from stress. However, most people will go for a walk with their minds still racing, full of worries and maybe even wanting the walk to be over with so that they can get going with all the stuff that needs to be done. So perhaps you received the benefit of the physical exercise, however most of this would potentially be neutralised by the overactive mind. Whereas if you went for walk and reminded yourself to be fully present, your experience would be 100% different. By simply listening to your breath and noticing the finer details along the way, such as the trees you pass or perhaps the sound of the birds, you will slowly quieten the mind and receive the gift of a holistic healing experience.

Let’s take this discussion back to the work place. Imagine a scenario where you have a one-on-one session with one of your team members. For them this could be about something very important but perhaps it is stressful for them, if you are their boss. They may need your support for an idea or an ear for a concern. If you are sitting there with half an ear because you are the machine that is juggling many balls … they will feel it …. they will walk away feeling deflated. You perhaps won’t notice their disappointment because you were multi-tasking. Maybe you even pat yourself on the back because you felt like you managed to juggle another ball successfully. But did you?

Another, more simple example, is the passing of colleagues in the passage on the way to a meeting. One scenario is you have a million thoughts about the meeting you are heading to and perhaps even the one after that. You hardly see the people you pass. Some smile and greet and perhaps you don’t reciprocate … unintentionally of course because you are an advanced juggler that can even walk briskly with all the balls in the air. You may not have noticed that the new employee that perhaps looks up to you, is still processing why you looked straight at them and ignored their smile. The alternative is that you say to yourself that there is nothing more you can do to prepare for the meeting and you purposefully stay fully present on your way to the meeting room, focusing on your breathing and taking in all the smiles and greetings along the way. You arrive more relaxed and therefore are more productive in the meeting ... provided you don’t try and multi-task in the meeting. In addition the in-the-moment encounters on your way will have a ripple effect within the organisation. Imagine for a moment the impact if the entire organisation was fully present for all inter-personal encounters.

Multi-tasking versus Mindfulness. You decide!!!

So what do we need to do?

My recommendation is that organisations begin with simply contemplating where they are within the Multi-tasking to Mindfulness continuum. In particular where are the CEO and the executive on this continuum? From there start to formulate a meaningful strategy to introduce a culture of mindfulness. This may mean starting with some Mindfulness Education for the leadership team. Also, start looking for some quick wins such as eliminating the words from the formal structures and processes such as job specs. Make a start! You will be surprised how quickly the culture shifts as everyone will feel the difference and it will be wonderful.