Workplace Stress Management in Boston & New York

Boost Your Brain Power – Lessons from Oprah

Jacqueline — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:55:03 +0000

Last week we heard how Phil Jackson, legendary NBA basketball coach, used mindfulness techniques to help his players maximize their talents and work together to be a championship team.

This week we'll hear how Oprah, arguably one of the most influential woman in the world, uses mindfulness to increase her company's energy, focus and productivity. Oprah is a great business woman and was the world's first African American billionaire, and also a great philanthropist.

Oprah practices meditation twice a day and encourages her employees to stop what they are doing for 20 minutes two times per day.

She explains how it began, "I brought transcendental meditation teachers into Harpo Studios to teach me and my team how to meditate. Seven of us. Seven led to 70… to 270… Now everybody in the company meditates at 9 o'clock in the morning and 4:30 in the afternoon. No matter what's going on, we stop, we meditate."

Oprah believes meditation helps her employees have more energy, intensity and focus.

Here's how she describes the practical benefits for her employees and her company, "The results have been awesome. Better sleep. Improved relationships with spouses, children, coworkers. Some people who once suffered migraines don't anymore. Greater productivity and creativity all around.

Being still with ourselves, coming back to a center and recognizing that something is more important than you, more important than the work you're doing, brings a kind of energy, an intensity of energy and intention that we've never had before… I am 1,000 percent better when I do that."

How does mindfulness increase your energy, productivity and intention? Share your answer below.

If you are interested in an effective way to learn mindfulness techniques and meditation, read my new book Conscious Success: The 5 Step Process To Dissolve Stress, Increase Productivity and Find Your Flow at Work.

Then, join us in June for a special webcast series to ask questions and receive more instruction. This webcast series is complimentary with your book purchase. Your confirmation number is your ticket, submit the number here.

All my best,

Jacqueline

Boost Your Brain Power–More Lessons From Phil Jackson

Jacqueline — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:21:51 +0000

Last week we heard how Phil Jackson, legendary NBA basketball coach, used mindfulness techniques early in his life to be a smarter baseball and basketball player.

This week we'll hear how he used mindfulness techniques to be a great leader and coach. Sure, some have argued that he had such great talent in Michael Jordan that winning three titles in a row was easy. However, Phil was convinced the Bulls couldn't be great if they depended upon only one man to win games.

He dedicated the first couple years of coaching the Bulls to creating a selfless team–not a team with 'me first' mentality in their players. This was a team that worked closely together and was focused on only one goal–victory. He used a triangle offense that kept the players thinking and moving in unison, enabling them to be acutely aware of everything that was happening on the court.

He taught his team mindfulness techniques such as breathing, visualization and meditation which enabled them to be completely focused and to act with speed and accuracy. It made them much smarter players. Phil says,

"Awareness is everything. The secret is not thinking. That doesn't mean being stupid. It means quieting the endless jabbering of thoughts so that your body can do instinctively what it's been trained to do without the mind getting in the way."

He thinks for many people, the hyper-active critical mind is the biggest enemy to success.

Phil also realized how easy it is in competitive sports for anger to get the best of any player. He said, "Anger was the restless demon that seized the group mind and kept the players from being fully awake."

He infused his team with a 'warrior' mentality he learned from the Lakota and from Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyum Trungpa's book Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior. Here's what Trungpa says in that book, "The challenge of warriorship is to step out of the cocoon, to step out into space, by being brave and at the same time gentle."

Jackson worked with his team throughout his years as a coach to help them become more skilled at realizing when anger was building so they could step away rather than do something they would regret later.

Here are some additional quotes from Phil Jackson's book Sacred Hoops that sum up his feelings about how mindfulness creates smarter players:

"When players practice what is known as mindfulness–simply paying attention to what's actually happening–not only do they play better and win more, they also become more attuned with each other."

"The real reason the Bulls won three straight NBA championships from 1991 to '93 was that we plugged in to the power of oneness instead of the power of one man, and transcended the divisive forces of the ego that have crippled far more gifted teams."

"Success comes from being awake, aware, and in tune with others."

"Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game–and life–will take care of itself."

How does keeping a clear mind and open heart make you smarter?

Share your answer here

Boost Your Brain Power–Lessons From Phil Jackson

Jacqueline — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:08:24 +0000

Last week we heard how Google offers classes on mindfulness and meditation to help their employees be more creative, productive and effective in their jobs.

This week we'll hear how Phil Jackson, legendary NBA basketball coach who lead both the Bulls and Lakers to championship titles, used mindfulness techniques early in his life to be a smarter baseball and basketball player. The practice of these techniques in early years surely paved the way to rise through the player/coach ranks and hold the record of the most NBA titles of any coach (11 in total).

During the rehabilitation of a shoulder injury, while wondering whether he would ever pitch in another American Legion baseball game, he learned techniques to quiet his thoughts. He went on to pitch his best game ever upon his return. Here's what he learned:

"This was my introduction to the hidden power of the mind and what I could accomplish if I could turn down the chattering in my head and simply trust my body's innate wisdom."

During his time playing for the Knicks he sustained an injury which limited his physical ability. During his rehabilitation he began observing his thoughts to figure out what made his mind tick.

When he returned to play the next year, he understood he needed to use his mind more effectively to offset his loss of flexibility and speed. He said, when defending the Celtic's Don Nelson, "To beat him, I had to pick the move apart in my head, step by step, then try to remain clearheaded so that when he finally made his move I would recognize the moment and do what I had to do. It worked."

Next week, we'll hear more from Phil Jackson about how mindfulness techniques helped him become a great coach and leader.

How does quieting your mind help you perform better in your job?

Post your answer below.

Boost Your Brain Power – Lessons From Google

Jacqueline — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:00:30 +0000

Last week we heard how a professional football player calms his mind during loud and chaotic games, so he can think quickly and play intelligently.

This week we'll learn from Google Inc. Google offers classes on mindfulness and meditation to help their employees be more creative, productive and effective in their jobs.

Here's what Chade-Meng Tan of Google has to say:

"Meditation definitely enables Google employees to be more productive. There are a number of levels at which this works. On one level, meditation helps people calm their bodies and minds, thereby reducing the effects of stress and promoting well being and sustainability. Meditation also improves attention and creativity.

We can train our minds to be calm and clear on demand, and that creates the condition for the type of emotional intelligence that helps people work with emotions skillfully and also build very productive relationships.

People who meditate tend to become far more effective as leaders because of the cognitive and emotional skills they develop."

As adults, we it is common to think we're done developing cognitive and emotional skills, however that's far from the truth. We have the opportunity each and every day to develop new skills, expand our brain capacity and improve the way we interact with others.

How do breathing, mindfulness or meditation make you smarter?

Boost Your Brain Power–Lessons From the Field

Jacqueline — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:00:48 +0000

In the last post we heard how a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, former CEO, and board member of some of the largest companies uses mindfulness techniques to access more brain power and be a more effective leader.

This week we are shifting gears to hear how a professional football player use techniques to remain focused so he can think clearly and perform optimally in a game.

Kevin Boothe, a 300-pound veteran lineman for the NY Giants practices yoga each week. Here's what he said about how the breathing he learned in his yoga classes has helped him. Here is an excerpt from an interview published in Yoga Journal magazine:

Yoga Journal: "What benefits of yoga were you surprised to discover?"

Kevin Boothe: "It's funny: The breathing plays a big part for me. In a football game, there can be maybe 70 plays, and each of them is complete chaos. Between them, you have 25 seconds to regroup. [Yoga teacher] and yoga helped me to learn to gather my thoughts and quickly clear my head–to find calm between the chaos."

If a football player can use his breath to gather his thoughts and find calm in the midst of chaos, imagine how taking a few deep breaths at different points of your day can clear your head and help you make the best decisions.

I'd enjoy reading your comments about this article on this blog.

All my best,

Jacqueline

Boost Your Brain Power – Bill George

Jacqueline — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 06:50:29 +0000

Bill George is a prime example of a powerful business leader who uses mindfulness to reduce stress and increase his leadership effectiveness.

He is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and former CEO of Medtronic during the 10 years it had the fastest growth of any NYSE company. In addition he has shaped the direction (by serving on the board) of some of the largest companies including: Novartis, Target, ExxonMobil and Goldman Sachs. He speaks, writes and teaches about mindful leadership. Here's what he has to say:

"Mindfulness enables leaders to be fully present, aware of themselves and their impact on other people, and sensitive to their reactions to stressful situations.

Leaders who are mindful tend to be more effective in understanding and relating to others, and motivating them toward shared goals.

I have meditated regularly for more than thirty years, not as a religious or spiritual practice, but as a personal discipline to relieve stress.

Meditation has been the single most important thing I have done to improve my leadership.

It has helped me become more self-aware and more compassionate toward myself and others. It has also enabled me to remain calm and clear-thinking in the face of pressure and uncertainty.

Meditation enables people to be more aware of their circumstances, less reactive to stress, more compassionate, and better equipped to approach challenging issues in a calm, thoughtful manner. In addition to meditation, many people increase their mindfulness through prayer, introspective discussions, yoga, therapy, and reflective exercises.

New neurological research on the impact of meditation on the brain demonstrates that it can reshape the part of the brain that impacts emotional intelligence, much more so than can be done for the hard-wired elements of the brain that determine IQ."

Click the image to purchase your copy

If you are interested in an easy way to incorporate mindfulness into your work and life, read my new book
Conscious Success: The 5 Step Process To Dissolve Stress, Increase Productivity and Find Your Flow at Work.

Then, join us in June for our webcast series to ask questions and receive more instruction. This webcast series is complimentary with your book purchase. Your confirmation number is your ticket, submit the number here.

Boost Your Brain Power

Jacqueline — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:00:20 +0000

You can significantly boost your brain power by training your brain to think less. That's right, thinking less actually helps you come up with better ideas. It's counter intuitive, but true.

When thinking about a problem you use only 2-4% of your brain power because you only access your conscious mind. When you are able to clear your head, you can access the remaining 96-98% of your brain power–your subconscious mind. That's why you get your best ideas while exercising, showering, or brushing your teeth. When you stop trying to come up with the solution, it often becomes clear.

The difficult part is clearing your mind. The techniques offered in this newsletter, in my book, and in our programs are all designed to help you to clear your head. They are often referred to as ways to develop mindfulness.

Some of the most influential and successful business people, politicians, and athletes use mindfulness techniques. I will share their stories with you over the course of the next two months. Each week you will learn about an accomplished person who uses conscious techniques to boost brain power and effectiveness.

As food for thought for this week, here's an example of how mindfulness helped a young athlete:

A boys 8th grade basketball team was in the playoffs last month. With each game, the pressure mounted. The boys wanted to win. The entire team played well, however the games were close. Either team could win.

In the last minute of the first game, a boy was on the free throw line–throughout the season, his free throw shooting average was probably 60%. He began dribbling as he normally would, but then stopped, closed his eyes, held the ball, and took a deep breath. He then dribbled a few more times and took the shot. The ball swished through the hoop. After that he made all of his free throw attempts. His team won. This shooting helped his team to win the next game and go on to win the championship game.

He learned to stop worrying about missing and instead clear his mind so he could make the shots. When he cleared his mind, he was able to accomplish what he knew was possible.

You have this ability to excel. Taking that deep breath before responding, making a speech, or writing that e-mail message enables you to create room in your mind to find the right words, speak with conviction and inspire others to achieve greatness.

I invite you to comment on this post.

All my best,

Jacqueline

4 Keys To Easily Accomplish More

Jacqueline — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:37:28 +0000

When we think of accomplishing more, we usually focus on adding more to our to do list. This can be overwhelming and unproductive.

Instead, think about how you manage your attention. Do you let it get caught up in every issue? Or, do you selectively focus your attention on tasks and projects that will help you meet your goals? Do you actively reduce distraction?

I heard Tim Ferris, nominated as one of Fast Company's "Most Innovative Business People of 2007" and Forbes Magazine's "Names You Need to Know in 2011," and the author of two books, speak about how to get more done in less time.

He talks about segmenting and managing your attention. He believes when you have both work and non-work interests, and when your attention is segmented between the two, you accomplish more in each area.

In this article we will discuss different ways to manage your attention so you can both accomplish more and increase your enjoyment of life. Working harder and longer does not necessarily make you more productive. Thinking about work issues at the expense of being present in meetings and enjoying your personal time can decrease your effectiveness.

We will discuss some steps to managing your attention so you get the most done, feel less overwhelmed and enjoy both your work and personal time more.

Here are the 4 Keys to accomplishing more:

Become aware of your attention
Notice when your attention is strongest
Determine where you want to place your attention
Fully be with what you are doing

Key #1
The first key is: Become aware of your attention.

Begin to notice where your attention goes during the day. Notice when your attention is on something productive and when it isn't. Take note of those things that seem to steal your attention and are not productive. When you find your attention on an unproductive item, stop and refocus on something that is productive.

Key #2
The second key is: Notice when your attention is strongest.

What time of day is your attention strongest? For some, it's early in the morning. For others it is later in the day.

Carve out the hour that your attention is strongest and try to use that time to accomplish important tasks. Meetings and other events certainly get in the way of this, but see whether you can set aside the time when your attention is at its peak a few days a week. If you are an early bird, arrive at the office a little earlier to get your important work done. If you are a night owl, spend a little time at night. If late morning or late afternoon is your best time, try to block that time on your calendar to accomplish at least one important item.

Each time you finish an important item on your list, you feel a sense of accomplishment, relief and more purpose in your work. You feel a little less overwhelmed and your mind is freed up to focus on your meetings and important conversations.

Key #3
The third key is: Determine where you want to place your attention.

If you let it happen, your attention can spring between hundreds or thousands of different items during the day. There is so much going on and so many people wanting your attention, that entire days can be eaten up leaving you feeling overwhelmed and not having accomplished your goals.

One of the single most powerful things you can to is to take back control over where you place your attention. Think of your attention as your own resource, something to protect and not spend frivolously.

The first item to do at the start of each work day is to decide where you will place your attention that day. What are the 1-2 critical things you want or need to get done? When will you try to do them? How will you focus your attention on them to get them done?

Then ask this most powerful question:
To what are you NOT going to give your attention today?

Once you've done this, you know you will accomplish your goals and have energy left over to attend to things that naturally come up during the day. It's impossible to eliminate all distractions, but having awareness of how you want to spend your attention enables you to accomplish more and have more energy for the important things.

When you manage your attention, you feel better about your work and not so overwhelmed. Your attention is your energy. When you spend it foolishly, you're left with low energy and low productivity. When you take care about where you focus your attention, you take control of your life.

Key #4
The fourth key is: Fully be with what you are doing.

We've all had it happen… that nasty e-mail message ruined the weekend. You read it and there's nothing you can do to resolve the situation except stew on it for the weekend. Instead of enjoying your time with family and friends, you spend the weekend living the situation brought up by that e-mail message.

A Harvard psychologist, Dr. Daniel Gilbert, studied a quarter of a million people around the world measuring 3 things: what they were doing, what they were thinking about, and how happy they were.

Turns out you are most happy when your attention is on what you are doing–even if it isn't something you would deem 'fun'. You are happier driving to work, focused on the drive, than you are on a great vacation thinking about a problem.

Whether your mind is wandering is a better predictor of happiness than what you are doing.

Dr. Gilbert said, "I find it kind of weird now to look down the crowded street and realize that half the people aren't really there."

Try not to look at e-mail when there's nothing you can do about a situation that could arise. Bring you attention back to whatever you're doing by saying silently to yourself, "thinking" whenever you notice you are thinking about something else. You can also describe your emotion by silently saying what it is. For example, "worrying", "angry" or "agitated". A study at UCLA found that when you label your thought or emotion, the strength of the thought or emotion diminishes and you are more easily able to bring your thoughts back to what you are doing.

You will be happier when you are absorbed in what you are doing. That's why athletic people love to compete or workout. They find such relief in focusing on the athletic endeavor, rather than their thoughts.

Do something that inspires you and helps you quiet your thoughts. Embrace your inner athlete, artist, musician, gardener, yogi, and increase your happiness by focusing completely on that activity.

All my best,
Jacqueline

Out of His Mind

Jacqueline — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:42:32 +0000

This is a terrific article written by a colleague of mine, Cheryl Jones of SimplyTheBestResults.com. Enjoy…

Out of His Mind
As a leader of any team, it is in the best interest of the organization that you step outside of what is expected and take action that may cause people to ask, “Is he out of his mind?” In that instant, the answer to the question is, Yes! For when you step outside of the accepted norm of ‘business as usual,’ you are bound to draw negative attention, but there is often a positive trade off. You set yourself and your team up for a new and different outcome.

Taking calculated risks in favor of reaching your goal usually pays off. The key is to stand firm in your decision to be different, even in the face of questioning and adversity. Like in the movie, Moneyball, Billy Beane the general manger of the Oakland Athletics baseball team (played by Brad Pitt) realized that their team’s method of recruitment was archaic. The system they and the industry had used for decades was ineffective in helping A’s assemble a team that had the potential to reach the World Series.

Under the guidance of a statistical genius, Billy chooses to recruit players using an unorthodox system of focusing on individual statistics and averages rather than on players who “had it all.” The A’s talent scouts and coaches poop-pooped the idea and thought Billy was crazy. Many expected that he would lose his job and be laughed out of the league from the expected epic failure, but that was not the case. A year or so after losing three key players, the team tied the 1918 record for 20 consecutive wins in less than one month and they finished first in the American League West. Although the team never won a World Series, their performance was nothing short of spectacular.

So, if you always do what you have always done; why would you expect a different result? What system, process or people in your business needs to be re-evaluated?
We all have outdated ways of doing things that keep giving us the same old result we’ve always gotten. Isn’t it about time for you to be out of your mind?

###

Cheryl C. Jones, Simply The Best Results

Cheryl is a speaker, facilitator and change agent to businesses ready to step in to a bigger ball game. She specializes in helping businesses discover and attain their potential. You can contact her at Cheryl@Simplythebestresults.comor 210-545-2378. Her website is www.simplythebestresults.com. Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this article in its entirety, inclusive of the by-line.

Cheryl Jones, owner of Simply The Best Results, specializes in crafting businesses into communities that profit through team building, communication and customer service. Her programs take employees from blame to collaboration, coercion to communication, and pettiness to profit. Cheryl is available to speak to or consult with organizations that are interested in building a work community that profits. She can be reached at 210-545-2378 or via email at http://Cheryl@simplythebestresults.com

Companies That Promote Meditation

Jacqueline — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:16:18 +0000

Here's an article about 10 companies such as Apple, Nike and AOL Time Warner who encourage their employees to meditate. These companies know that meditation helps employees reduce stress, refocus and increase productivity during their day.

http://onlinemba.com/blog/10-big-companies-that-promote-employee-meditation