When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Corporate executives who turn around and adopt meditation are not an affectation or just a fad. It’s a game-changer for how decision-making, managing stress, and overall leadership outcomes are approached by business leaders everywhere. In an age of increasing demands and ever greater complexity, where business challenges grow exponentially sharper, more senior executives are turning to meditation to train their minds with heightened levels of focus —and thereby improve emotional intelligence—almost edgeless qualities in today’s relentless marketplace.
From the outside, fitting meditation into a fast-paced workday can be quite intimidating as well but that’s just not true. Then it will be easier for most busy executives and professionals — even you! Instead, however, hopefully, it is just their practice of meditation: a practical guide.
Consistency is the golden rule to creating any new habit. Start with 5-10 minutes of meditation a day — ideally at the same time each day. The day might also offer you a better time to meditate at the start of your morning. Start slowly and build up over time as you learn to become more comfortable.
There are many variations of meditation, and what you find works for yourself may not necessarily work in the same way that it does with someone else. Some popular options include:
Concentration Meditation: it involves focusing your mind on one particular thing, such as an object, or being passively mindful of thoughts and breath.
Transcendental Meditation (TM): Practice silent repetition of a secret personal mantra.
Loving-kindness meditation: Developing caring feelings toward oneself, and others.
Body scan meditation: sequentially relaxing different areas of the body.
Try different methods and see what works best or feels the most natural for you.
There are plenty of meditation apps and online platforms that walk you through sessions. Some popular choices are Headspace, Calm and Insight Timer. Both of these apps provide guided mediations at different time intervals, which are perfect for anyone (with any amount of free time) who wants to get into a mediation practice.
You do not need to have a meditation room, but having an area that is specifically designated for your daily practice can serve as a reminder of routine triggers set in your mind. Even if it is in a quiet corner at your office or somewhere close to where you live and may also be that favorite chair. So, depending on what is a distraction for you and when your house is best set up to be quiet (assuming that happens at all in-house with kids….), the key here is having an assigned place where you feel comfortable.
Outside a structured meditation or intentional breath practice, keep your eyes out for moments to bring the focus back home. This might be a deep breath or two before entering a meeting, it could be practicing mindful eating during lunch, or taking 15 minutes for an intentional and exploratory walk.
Yes no doubt meditation is a skill and it takes time to master. There will be some days that you have an easier time. It all comes down to how you commit, with patience and without judging yourself. On days when your mind is extremely active, just the act of sitting down to meditate can be enough.
One might say that many senior executives find meditation with others to be helpful and rewarding. Start a meditation group with your colleagues at work, and go to the local practice classes. Meditation retreats are incredibly powerful ways to light a fire beneath your Zafu and will give an immersive experience.
Many business executives also experience an array of benefits, and as a result, find they are better leaders and perform substantially better on the job. Here are some of the common perceived benefits:
Greater Attention and Focus
Among the widely reported benefits of executives who meditate regularly is sharpened focus. In the era of infinite digital distractions, the ability to focus on one task or problem at a time is ever more precious. Meditating leaders are able to spend more time actively engaged in meetings, read and understand complex material faster, and approach tough projects with a clear mind.
Greater Emotional Intelligence
Everyone knows that Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is something significant to the effectiveness of a leader. Examples include self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation all of which have been seen to be increased from popular meditation practices.
Enhanced Strategic Thinking
Meditation and Business StrategyBenefits of meditation for business owners Meditation is also used by many executives to make better decisions because otherwise, you are stuck with a brain that can never feel the “big picture” of what else might be possible.
Higher Stress Tolerance and Resilience
The long-term success of entrepreneurs relies on their ability to regulate stress amidst high-pressure business environments. Research has found that executives with a regular meditation practice are more effective at responding constructively to crises and generally feeling less overwhelmed by life’s challenges.
Better Creativity and Innovation
In today’s age of innovation, where boldness is often the key to competitive advantage; many high-profile CEOs have also found meditation as a useful tool in facilitating creative thinking. The meditative state of mind and unorthodox way of thinking can unlock new ideas that have the potential to solve age-old puzzles.
To step up, read more and learn about Desk Yoga.
