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The mindfulness initiatives in organizations are met with both excitement and resistance to creating programs in the workplace. There are three ways program facilitators can overcome the three biggest challenges to implementing mindfulness at work. These approaches can include formal and informal strategies to initiate programs. To build momentum and keep an audience engaged includes introducing various mindfulness techniques. Also, internal facilitation and program coordinator required leadersh…

By Karlyn McKell, guest contributor

Creating a culture of mindfulness at work is essential to connecting with your team. As a manager, keeping track of how different times of the year can impact happiness and productivity is one good way to stay on the same page as your team members. 

Five percent of the population will experience seasonal affective disorder, and doctors are still trying to figure out the cause. While typically thought of as a wintertime ailment caused by too much time spent i…

By Fleet Maull, guest contributor

We often associate being an adult with burdens and unwelcome responsibility.  Perhaps some part of us longs for a Peter Pan life, where we imagine we would be happier if we never had to grow up and deal with the challenges of living life as an adult.  Most of us know only too well that a Peter Pan life strategy is actually a prescription for suffering. Nonetheless, truly embracing true adulthood is another matter.  Transactional Analysis offers a very helpful f…

By Dorsey Standish, guest contributor

As Chief Mindfulness Officer of Mastermind, a brain health consulting firm, I bring research-backed mindfulness and emotional intelligence training to corporations across the state of Texas. I have worked with thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds, and I’ve noticed a common theme amongst my clients: struggling to balance work and personal life.

For many busy professionals, the phrase "work-life balance" can seem like an oxymoron. In today’s world o…

View our Free Guide - What is MBSR?

By Christa Hogan, guest contributor

Mindfulness is on everyone’s radar these days — and on every magazine cover in the checkout line. The explosive growth of the mindfulness movement in America has inevitably triggered a backlash. Many are criticizing the movement and expressing concerns about its increasing popularity in Western culture:

Are mindfulness programs in public schools merely Buddhist Trojan horses? Does it threaten the separation of church …

View our Free Guide - What is MBSR?

By Candy Gunther Brown

Most workplace mindfulness programs are positioned as “secular” aids to increase focus, happiness, and productivity. However, some employees may object to participating because they view mindfulness as religious, and specifically Buddhist. Whether or not employers agree with this understanding, they are legally and ethically required to respect it.

Why might some employees object that mindfulness is “religious”?

The term “mindful…

By Scott Shute, guest contributor

LinkedIn’s vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. You might be surprised that one of the biggest skills needed to achieve that vision is compassion, and especially compassion in leadership.

At LinkedIn we believe that compassion is not just a better way to live, it’s a better way to build a team, it’s a better way to build and grow a business.

We recently sponsored The Compassion Award and the Compassion in Leadersh…

Leaders significantly benefit from interoception, the practice of body-sensing. It is used to foster a better understanding of how listening to the messages and subtle cues of the body, increases our capacity for creativity, connection, and empathy. Interoception is a useful tool that helps individuals learn how to act and respond to the world. The increase in empathy and connectedness also allows humans to strengthen their response in difficult situations, and promote healing from past trauma, …

By Wendy Saunders, guest contributor

Nonprofit leaders want to make a difference in the world, and, in many cases, are willing to make less money and get fewer perks than they would receive in the private sector. They often work long hours, carry excessive workloads, and endeavor to meet community needs with limited staffing and other resources.  (For a deeper examination, check out “The Plight of the Overworked Nonprofit Employee” in The Atlantic).  

Nonprofit leaders also often work closely …

By Ronald Purser, guest contributor

Mindfulness helps people face pain with equanimity. But it also conditions us to think about stress in unhelpful ways. First, it says we face an epidemic, which is simply an inevitable part of modern life. Second, since stress is endemic, it is up to us all to get it under control and adapt to these conditions as best we can. It sounds like an empowering tool, but it ignores any source of pain outside our heads, such as the capitalist system, which exerts so …