Mindfulness for the professional in you

MINDFULNESS MEANS SIMPLICITY
Warren Buffett once said, “the business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective.” The key to capitalizing on that simple behavior is being mindful in decision making. Mindfulness enables us to become fully present, cultivates clarity, and increases self awareness in both life and work. Being aware of what's driving us and how we are feeling in the context of the present moment fosters insight and balanced thinking.

PRESENCE IN YOUR PROFESSION

Buffett also proclaimed, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and 5 minutes to lose it. If you think about that, you will do things differently." Whether we are talking about Wall Street or Main street, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be present. Mindfulness has enabled me to take a journey of self discovery up and down the ladder of success in life, and more specifically, in the professional world. I didn't find success in my career until I became more mindful of where I was and what I was doing to get to where I wanted to go. I know that sounds like mumbo jumbo, but think about it like this: just like investing in stocks, with calculated risk comes reward. The best way to make the right risky decision is to be mindful of what's driving that decision: greed or green?

GREEN OVER GREED

Warren Buffett is a prime example of how mindfulness in big business leads to green over greed. He not only masters business investing in conservative style, but he also leads a simple life. His leadership exemplifies this: Among the many companies he owns, he communicates with his CEO's once a year to lay down two rules: 1) Don't lose any of your shareholder's money and 2) Don't forget rule #1. In every business decision Buffett makes, he holds his shareholders in mind before anybody else. I believe that this is the main reason for his success. He doesn't take huge risks on behalf of his stockholders, "I don't look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over." Recently, a reporter asked him why he doesn't invest in high flying tech companies. He responded that no matter how profitable a company is, if he doesn't understand that specific business, he won't invest in it because that would be a disservice to his shareholders and himself. Buffett mirrors this mindful mentality in his personal life. He lives in the same small 3 bedroom house in mid-town Omaha that he bought after he got married 50 years ago.

ADVICE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL IN YOU
Buffett's sound behavior, adept decision making, and calm demeanor exemplifies the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace. I believe these skills will help any profession breed success. Below, I've highlighted some key points that I've learned through practicing mindfulness in my professional life. These techniques enable me to gain the clarity I need to make more informed business decisions.

• Understand your co-workers, management, employees, etc. When we connect with the people we work with more efficiently, we become more in tune with ourselves and thus more productive in the workplace.
• Listen/respond effectively to complex situations. Try not to let your emotions react first to conflict. It is important to be patient and listen first, then pause to gather your thoughts in order to make a more informed decision rather then be blind and impulsive.
• Don't let public opinion guide you. We are conditioned in the business world to follow the trend and satisfy the demands of the corporate world by making sure everybody is happy. That doesn't necessarily work when it comes to finding success. Be creative and don't ever be afraid to buck the trend. Human potential is limited when we don't think outside the box.
• Balance your personal life with your professional life. It is important to try and separate work from play. Its never a good thing to bring home the stress of work into the home. We must strive to alleviate stress from the work place by keeping focus on the things that make us happy in our personal lives.
• Keep it simple, stupid. Thinking big doesn't necessarily require intricate thought processes to build the foundation of an idea or solution. Always take things one step at a time- it helps produce pure thoughts and insights and helps to avoid complexity altogether. Keeping it simple more often then enables us to be happier at work and thus make more efficient, informed decisions.

One last thing: Do things when opportunities come into the present moment, for you may not have the luxury of capitalizing on the insight down the road. Its fine to go through dry spells in the business world, but when you become aware of an idea that yields genuine opportunity, seize the moment because its yours.

Helpful references:
The Tao of Warren Buffett by Mary Buffett and David Clark

by Raju Kansagra

e: rkansagra@goibelieve.com