Benefits of meditation for executives

A person meditating

What is meditation? It can be defined as a form of mindfulness to enable a higher state of awareness. Meditation has been shown to have a wide number of benefits on our well-being. Thus, its popularity is growing among CEOs and other senior executives.

Meditation helps in reflecting and learning from the past

One of the first benefits of meditation for executives is that it gives them an opportunity to reflect on things and learn from the past. It's vital to distinguish rumination from reflection as they are two entirely different concepts. Rumination entails re-playing the same scenario in your head repeatedly. That can lead to the feeling of guilt, despair, regret, and anxiety, none of which is helpful. On the other hand, reflection has a deeper purpose. It allows you to perceive past events with objective clarity.

Once you know which topic you want to reflect on, it's essential to explore it with openness and curiosity. Such a mindset will allow you to grow as an executive and reap the benefits of reflective meditation. If you approach the topic without judgment, you will stop feeling like a helpless victim imprisoned by emotions and behavioral thought patterns. You will get the opportunity to observe your decisions, events, and your life with an accepting attitude. Moreover, you will move beyond the feeling of resentment, blame, or defensiveness.

Uncovering insights

As a result of deeper pondering over the past events, you will gain insight and understand the situation in its entirety, pinpointing problem areas, and finding solutions or ways to avoid the problem areas next time. These insights will let you make positive and lasting changes.

Meditation will also help in generating deeper insights regarding yourself. A significant advantage of gaining these insights is that they will enable you to set your ego aside. A few deep breaths before a meeting or any other interaction will help calm your thoughts and enable you to enter the conversation wholistically. With some practice, you can even reflect on what is happening at that moment itself for you to ‘think about your thinking while thinking’! Focus on your breathing and check if you are taking things too personally and lack objectivity in the moment. The ability to free yourself from the shackles of your ego in a business environment is a critical skill for an excellent leader. 

Creating a new path that is devoid of past inflictions

It's human nature to take easier paths. This is reflected in repeating similar patterns and doing things in the same, repetitive way. Sometimes, this happens spontaneously, even if we didn't mean to repeat actions and decisions.

Practicing meditation can help enhance creativity and develop new paths, solutions, or ideas devoid of past inflictions. Meditative and relaxed states of mind create a fertile soil for the inception of fantastic insights and breakthroughs. When we step aside from the situation and allow our minds to stop focusing on the issue that has been bothering us, we allow our brains to think of something new. That is when the eureka moments happen. And that is the result of divergent thinking that meditation facilitates.

Meditation increases the serotonin in the brain

It is evidenced that meditation increases the levels of 5-HIAA acid in the brain. This acid has a direct connection to serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’. Moreover, practicing mindfulness every day reduces stress and lowers cortisol production and other hormones connected to stress. As a result, meditation can help reduce stress, put a stop to ruminative thinking, and calm anxiety. These benefits are essential for executives who have to face stressful situations on a daily basis.

Due to its effect on cortisol and serotonin production, medication can also help prevent depression and avoid delving into sadness. Focusing on breathing for only ten minutes a day will relax your mind and soothe your emotions. This activity stimulates the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, harnesses amygdala activity, and lowers the activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Helps in positive thoughts

Meditation helps recharge our minds and channels our thought in the right direction. It allows us to focus on things that we can actually control. It prevents the induction of anxiety due to constant worrying about controlling everything around us. Meditation gives a way to redirect our thoughts and save the energy that we would otherwise waste trying to ‘control the uncontrollable’. 

Furthermore, not only does meditation reduce the number of thoughts that flood our minds, it also cleanses the negative and energy-consuming thoughts. Ultimately, we become capable of consciously creating positive thoughts about ourselves, others, work, etc.

Grows resilience from challenges or setbacks

The ability to stop rumination allows us to eliminate fear and improve our focus. That helps us to boost productivity even under stress, rather than to descend into panic and distress.

Being resilient means being able to recover from challenges and setbacks. And meditation helps executives to develop traits that will lead them to improve resilience. This will have a positive impact on their leadership, productivity, and engagement with people.

Increase well being

A basic motive for most people who practice meditation is for increasing their overall well-being. Among other things, meditation can help with insomnia, increase attention span, increase the feeling of positivity, increase energy levels, improve memory and focus, and more.

While there are other relaxation methods after a busy day for a business leader, meditation goes a step further by helping take your mind off of the problems and get you rejuvenated. 

Clears the clutter of thoughts and traffic noise in the head

When we feel overwhelmed with the deluge of thoughts flooding our heads, it's necessary to stop, take a deep breath, and let go of these thoughts. Meditation gives us an easy method to quiet our minds and find clarity. It also allows us to acknowledge where we are in reality and empowers us with an opportunity to reframe and restart. In case we feel burdened by the barrage of thoughts and obstacles on the path of our goals, then meditation will clear that path and fortify the road towards where we want to go.

Embrace mediation to reap its benefits

For busy executives, there are many benefits of adding meditation to your daily routine. You will have a hard time experiencing the benefits if you perceive meditation as just another chore that you are time-constrained to do. Remember, the way to meditate is to seamlessly include it in your daily routine and let meditation happen on its own and enable what it's intended to do. Start meditating and enjoy all the positive changes in your professional and personal life. 

Self-awareness for executives

 

Being an executive is incredibly challenging and demanding. It is a difficult line of work that comes with many responsibilities, not only towards the company, employees, and clients; but also towards yourself. With that in mind, it is crucial to work on your self-awareness.

The key aspect of self-awareness is to question yourself, reflect on your persona, and improve through behavior transformation. Here are some of the key points to consider:

Are you asking yourself the right questions?

Every executive needs to make sure that they are the best version of themselves. So, it is vital to ask yourself the right questions and find out the truth.

What are your values and are you standing up for them?

As an executive, you need to be a prime example for everyone around to know how you stand up for your values.

What is your natural style of leading?

Are you functioning as a manager or a true leader? Do you adapt your leadership style based on the situation and behavioral style of those around you? Every situation is unique and there can be no general approach. At the same time, you need to be aware of your natural leadership style and leverage it to build cross-functional relationships and presenting your point of view.

Are you giving enough recognition to your team members?

A good executive needs to keep track of super performers. You need to give proper recognition when it's due and avoid claiming credit that you don't deserve. Moreover, do not withhold information from others to gain an undue advantage.

Are you mindful when passing judgment?

One of the common pitfalls is to fail to know when, why, and how to pass judgment. Rating others and imposing your standards too often is a double-edged sword. While you need to be a firm and righteous leader, you also need to know when to step back and let some things go. Else, you will put too much pressure on your employees.

Are you using negative qualifiers and making destructive comments?

We often use negative qualifiers and destructive comments in conversations without realizing it. Overusing words like ‘no’, ‘but’, or ‘however’ may send a wrong message, showing you as a person who proves everyone wrong all the time. Also, it would be best to refrain from using needless sarcasm or cutting remarks. People often use them as a way to sound witty, funny, or showing how smart you are compared to them.

Are you taking responsibility for your actions?

Playing the blame game, making excuses, and the inability to express regret for your own shortcomings are all signs of an ineffective executive. Deflecting the blame from yourself or punishing those who want to help will cause mistrust and lower the overall opinion that employees have of you.

Are you standing behind your employees in their initiatives and projects?

A true leader supports their employees for all of their short and long-term projects like forming new partnerships, employee management, relocation, and many others. For instance, the process of commercial relocations is complicated and it’s vital that you guide your employees with a steady hand.

How are you addressing conflicts?

It’s vital to nurture teamwork and help people align. You need to take appropriate steps to prevent conflicts or address conflicts promptly when they occur. An executive needs to know who the bullies in their team are and make them accountable for their actions and behaviors.

Are you a problem-solver or a risk-taker?

Every company has its ups and downs. An executive needs to be a problem-solver and a risk-taker at the same time. The key is in the balance between addressing critical issues and taking calculated risks.

Are you listening to other people’s point-of-view?

While it is important that all executives delegate tasks effectively and drive their team to achieve goals, they must listen to other peoples' points of view before giving theirs.

How are others perceiving you?

Every executive needs to be confident and assertive. It’s important to look at yourself through their eyes and notice how they think about your leadership value and impact.

Are you removing the hidden biases?

Executives need to reflect on their behavior and question themselves. As an effective executive you need to get rid of your biases as they could cause a pitfall.

Are you improving yourself through forces that inspire and motivate you?

The only way to progress and stay on top of the game as an executive is to seek excellence in your domain. Know who are the top professionals in your domain or industry and learn from them. Welcome diversity of thought and collaborate with those around you. Achieving objectives is important, but it is even more critical to build dignified relations in your community.

Moreover, learn to know the difference between reality and hype. Do not let short-term objectives and recent success cloud your judgment. You need to actively seek solutions to overcome challenges.

Learn from your past, focus on the present, and lead into the future!

The next big thing in self-improvement is BEHAVIOR transformation

It’s a common misconception that altering your behavior implies the betrayal of integrity and authenticity. In reality, these changes to your behavioral patterns are a way to improve how you engage with others. Adapting your behavior such that it suits the situations at hand helps people understand what you are conveying. For doing that, it is crucial to understand how your behavior or personality helps or hinders your progress. And thus, behavior change/ transformation is the next level in self-improvement.

Growing your awareness of how your style differs from others will dramatically enhance your conversation skills. It is particularly true with whom you have trouble interacting. Learning how to adapt your behavior to the particular person so as to minimize the risk of them having an issue with you is the ultimate goal. Consequently, the quality of your relationships, both at work and in life, will transform. And that is the beginning of a long-term, sustained behavior change and transformation.

Nevertheless, changing your behavior will not be an easy endeavor. Anyone who has tried to break a bad habit, such as smoking, knows how hard it is. It requires a lot of commitment and persistence. Therefore, it's necessary to empower yourself with the right knowledge, time, effort, and self-discipline.

The beginning

Regardless of the goal that you wish to accomplish, you must know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. You will realize that you need to try out a few different techniques until you find the right one for you. It will typically include a series of trial and error. This is the stage when many become discouraged and give up on their goal. It is vital to keep yourself motivated for identifying the most appropriate techniques that enable the change in you. 

The elements of change

As we all know, inducing behavioral changes is not easy. Over many years, psychologists have developed various techniques that therapists, teachers, and physicians use to help people change their behavior. Researchers have also worked on theories attempting to explain how changes happen. In order to achieve your goals, you need to understand the elements of change, the stages of change, and learn how you can go through all those stages effectively.

Here are the three critical elements of behavior change:

• Readiness to change: Evaluate the ability to make a lasting change using the knowledge and resources at your disposal. 
• Barriers to change: Identify anything that is blocking your change.
• Likelihood of relapse: Identify what triggers cause the relapse to former/ prior behavior.

The stages of change

The Stages of Change, aka the Transtheoretical Model, was introduced in the late 1970s. This model has been found to be highly effective in understanding how people go through changes.

It deems that relapse is inevitable and describes the change as a gradual process. It begins with people's resistance to change. Eventually, people adopt a natural approach for changing their behavior and become committed. It shows that change is a process that consists of a sequence of small steps leading towards the goal.

Pre-contemplation

People in this stage are not truly considering the change. It’s a state of mind that we describe as being ‘in denial’. In this stage, people often claim that their behavior is not a problem, or they don't understand how their behavior is detrimental. If you are currently in this stage, think about what would need to happen so that you consider your behavior problematic.

Contemplation

This is the stage when people actually begin to realize the need for change and understand the benefits of the change. Simultaneously, they start to realize the costs of the change. As a result, instead of focusing on the physical, emotional, or mental gains that the change will bring about, people feel like they are giving something up. Unfortunately, many never move past this phase. If you are in this stage, figure out what could help you make the change. Understand why you want to change and try to identify anything that may be preventing you from making the change happen.

Preparation

The preparation stage often involves making more minor changes as a way to prepare for the big leap. During this phase, it is essential to create a support system that will provide encouragement. Hiring a coach can prove to extremely helpful during this phase.

Action

This is when concrete efforts towards achieving the goal happen. If you have dedicated enough time to the previous stages, you have a better chance of success. For example, people who decide to get their body in shape and jump immediately into doing physical activities or a work-out will often tend to give up after a few weeks. However, if they have given enough time during the pre-contemplation, contemplation, and preparation stages and keep finding the motivation to stay physically active, the chances are they will keep up with their efforts. These stages will help them in not losing momentum. It’s important to ensure that you reinforce your new behavior with positive rewards for every step you take. Celebrating the small wins helps in positively encouraging you to repeat the newly adapted behavior. 

Maintenance

The maintenance stage implies avoiding old behaviors and maintaining the new ones. At this stage, it would be best if you try to avoid temptation. Identify the situations when you have managed to prevent relapse successfully and reward yourself for that. And if you do relapse, don't beat yourself up. It's just a part of the overall process.

Relapse

If and when you relapse, you will likely feel disappointed and frustrated. Don't let this ruin your confidence. Instead, understand what triggered the relapse and try to avoid it going forward. Remember that your mistakes are an excellent source of insight. In this case, it would help if you started back from the preparation stage. It may be a good idea to go over your resources and techniques and reaffirm your motivation. To help you in the near-term, prepare a plan on how you will avoid possible future temptation and the risk of a relapse.

Conclusion

Any type of change is difficult and especially behavior change is a massive step. It looks like a state change from ice to water or water to steam. For our personal improvement, it is good to know that difficulties and challenges build our resilience. We become stronger by overcoming each challenge in our journey of personal development. Keeping an optimistic outlook for a more positive outcome even when things are less than perfect is what enables this transformation. This process is highly effective for making changes in our communication and interactions with others. Identifying and understanding the problematic behaviors is the start of the journey towards changing those behaviors and helps in sustaining the newly adopted behavior when interacting with other people. Moreover, identifying behaviors that cause your negative mood shifts and becoming aware of your destructive thought processes can enhance your awareness of your thought patterns and auto-conditioned response. Using this awareness and the above change process can help in reprogramming your inner script. This could significantly improve the quality of your life. The process is arduous, but the rewards are worth the struggle. Finally, it’s your decision whether to change or remain the same.

“When the pain of staying the same becomes more than the pain of going through the change, then you are truly ready to take the leap for behavior transformation”.

Building your Emotional Intelligence to ensure success and happiness

Building your Emotional Intelligence to ensure success and happiness

For professionals, cognitive intelligence comes naturally as it’s the driver of their functional excellence. Most professionals score high on IQ - Intelligence Quotient. As professionals gradually move up the ladder and take senior/ management roles, building emotional intelligence becomes essential. Emotional Intelligence - measured as EQ becomes a key differentiating factor for their future growth.

You may realize that with IQ being at the same level, growing your Emotional Intelligence enables you to become an effective manager, leader, and a better human being. This ensures work-life success and enhances your happiness.

Aspects of Emotional Intelligence:

Self-awareness and Self-actualization: perceiving your current strengths and weakness, learning to improve, and striving to achieve your objectives.

Assertiveness: confidently expressing your thoughts and views while being aware of the potential for causing a conflict or opposition.

Social-awareness and Interpersonal skills: being sensitive to other person’s situation, collaborating, and developing strong relationships.

Impulse Control: delaying or holding-off the temptation to speak or act, and patiently sorting out the most appropriate response.

Practical Thinking: assessing and checking the reality of the current situation while avoiding to be biased by any false imagination.

Problem Solving: connecting with the subjective and objective elements while solving problems and effectively making choices & taking decisions

Flexibility: assessing new conditions, being open to dynamically adapt to them, and accordingly adjusting your behavior.

Resilience: maintaining a positive attitude in hard times, and enduring challenges effectively with an optimistic view for a better outcome.

In certain situations, if you can’t control your emotions then there is risk that you could cause a negative effect on the outcome. When we let our emotions run out of control, they cause us to do and say some terrible things. Uncontrolled emotions in some settings change the perception of those involved. In a sensitive circumstance if you’ve had an emotional outburst, it might lead to disturbance and a distancing in your relationship with those affected.

They might say:

“I can’t remember what s/he did, but I remember how angry s/he got.”

“I can’t remember what s/he said, but I remember how hurt s/he made me feel.”

Choosing how you respond to a situation, problem, or challenge is more important than the actual occurring phenomenon!

Commit to a life of constant growth and become the master of your own destiny.

You don’t have to stride on this path all alone. You could choose to engage a coach who will walk with you on this journey.