Mindfulness is starting to become a buzz word in NGOs and more and more NGOs are including mindfulness in courses on leadership/management and stress management. Some organisations are exploring running mindfulness courses to increase effectiveness and improve emotional intelligence.
Mindfulness is starting to be introduced to the workplace across many sectors - from health to large international corporations. But what is particular about exploring mindfulness within the NGO sector? What is the appeal? What are the potential benefits? What are the risks of this movement?
Mindfulness, Organisational Integrity and Values
International development organisations often if not always have values around openness and transparency, accountability to donors and beneficiaries, equality regardless of race, religion, gender, creed. Mindfulness helps individuals to cultivate non-judgement. It also helps people to have more of a sense of common humanity and their impact on others. Mindfulness helps cultivate an attitude of 'approach' rather than 'avoidance' of difficulties. In a sector where difficulties and challenges are constantly being faced, an 'approach' attitude is vital. Compassion, kindness and balance are also qualities which are cultivated during mindfulness practices.
Mindfulness and Stress and burn out
'Mindfulness for NGOs is keeping aid workers sane in some of the world's worst disaster areas.' Alessandra Pigni is delivering mindfulness courses specifically for humanitarian workers who face extremely difficult working and living conditions. http://www.mindful.org/news/mindfulness-brings-relief-to-humanitarian-workers
Being able to manage stress is important in any sector - but particularly one where funding for work is tight, and absence or ineffectiveness due to stress has a significant knock on effect to the quality and quantity of support given to beneficiaries. Stress can both be avoided and managed with the help of mindfulness.
Mindfulness and organisational development
Mindfulness encourages us to be aware of our 'intention'. What is it that is driving us? This is a key question for organisations when forming vision, missions and strategic planning processes. Arguably mindfulness is already implicit in various tools and frameworks used in organisational development. 'Theory U' for example (developed by Otto Scharmer and others) seems to be grounded in mindfulness principles such as: 'letting go' of expectations; non-attachment to 'the way things should be'; connecting with and exploring people's deeper motivations and attitudes.
Mindfulness and capacity building
Learning requires us to pay attention. Mindfulness has been shown to improve concentration, extend attention span and improve one's ability to hold and manipulate information. Ultimately, capacity building is about learning, behavioural change and organisational effectiveness. Mindfulness is important for awareness of how things are. In order to get to where you are going, it is important to know where you are starting. Mindfulness helps people to work more consciously and less on auto-pilot.
Rick James recently wrote a blog about some of the challenges of capacity development which he related to people's inherent vices - pride, greed, envy, gluttony - http://www.intrac.org/blog.php/35/vices-and-virtues-in-capacity-development.
He argued that these could be countered by focusing on our virtues:
Humility: Modest behaviour, selflessness, giving respect – opposes pride
Compassion: Kindness, contentment, satisfaction - opposes envy
Patience: forbearance, peace, ability to forgive – opposes wrath
Determination: Diligence, passion, courage - opposes sloth
Generosity: Sacrifice – opposes greed
Self-control: Mindfulness of other, temperance – opposes gluttony
Honesty: Openness, purity – opposes lust
Building awareness (through being more mindful) of when our vices arise, and choosing not to be driven by them, is something that takes time but is possible.
Mindfulness and performance management
Self awareness is an important part of being able to effectively manage your own performance, identify and accept development areas, and maximise the use of strengthens. Strong communication skills are important in giving receiving and feedback. Communication is more effective if you can actively listen, read body language and understand non-verbal communication cues.
Performing effectively is often a balance between the level of challenge and the person's resources or abilities to meet those challenges. When the level of challenge is right, the person can enter a flow state (not too stressed, and not lacking in stimulation). Star performers in organisations often have high levels of emotional intelligence which can be cultivated through mindfulness.
Mindfulness can help us be aware of some of the thought patterns which can prevent us from seeing things clearly such as overgeneralising, judging, expecting perfection, eternalising (I'll never be able to do this), mind reading, assigning blame to self or others in an unbalanced way.
Mindfulness and leadership and management
The most effective leaders and managers have strong emotional intelligence skills. They not only know their field well and are effective visionaries and decision makers but they also have high interpersonal skills. They usually have more self-awareness, situational awareness and emotional regulation - all of which can be cultivated through mindfulness. Leaders build trust when they are authentic and their values and beliefs are aligned with their behaviours and decisions. Through seeing situations clearly - as they are - better decisions can be made. Mindfulness also helps to cultivate creativity.
Mindfulness is starting to be introduced to the workplace across many sectors - from health to large international corporations. But what is particular about exploring mindfulness within the NGO sector? What is the appeal? What are the potential benefits? What are the risks of this movement?
Mindfulness, Organisational Integrity and Values
International development organisations often if not always have values around openness and transparency, accountability to donors and beneficiaries, equality regardless of race, religion, gender, creed. Mindfulness helps individuals to cultivate non-judgement. It also helps people to have more of a sense of common humanity and their impact on others. Mindfulness helps cultivate an attitude of 'approach' rather than 'avoidance' of difficulties. In a sector where difficulties and challenges are constantly being faced, an 'approach' attitude is vital. Compassion, kindness and balance are also qualities which are cultivated during mindfulness practices.
Mindfulness and Stress and burn out
'Mindfulness for NGOs is keeping aid workers sane in some of the world's worst disaster areas.' Alessandra Pigni is delivering mindfulness courses specifically for humanitarian workers who face extremely difficult working and living conditions. http://www.mindful.org/news/mindfulness-brings-relief-to-humanitarian-workers
Being able to manage stress is important in any sector - but particularly one where funding for work is tight, and absence or ineffectiveness due to stress has a significant knock on effect to the quality and quantity of support given to beneficiaries. Stress can both be avoided and managed with the help of mindfulness.
Mindfulness and organisational development
Mindfulness encourages us to be aware of our 'intention'. What is it that is driving us? This is a key question for organisations when forming vision, missions and strategic planning processes. Arguably mindfulness is already implicit in various tools and frameworks used in organisational development. 'Theory U' for example (developed by Otto Scharmer and others) seems to be grounded in mindfulness principles such as: 'letting go' of expectations; non-attachment to 'the way things should be'; connecting with and exploring people's deeper motivations and attitudes.
Mindfulness and capacity building
Learning requires us to pay attention. Mindfulness has been shown to improve concentration, extend attention span and improve one's ability to hold and manipulate information. Ultimately, capacity building is about learning, behavioural change and organisational effectiveness. Mindfulness is important for awareness of how things are. In order to get to where you are going, it is important to know where you are starting. Mindfulness helps people to work more consciously and less on auto-pilot.
Rick James recently wrote a blog about some of the challenges of capacity development which he related to people's inherent vices - pride, greed, envy, gluttony - http://www.intrac.org/blog.php/35/vices-and-virtues-in-capacity-development.
He argued that these could be countered by focusing on our virtues:
Building awareness (through being more mindful) of when our vices arise, and choosing not to be driven by them, is something that takes time but is possible.
Mindfulness and performance management
Self awareness is an important part of being able to effectively manage your own performance, identify and accept development areas, and maximise the use of strengthens. Strong communication skills are important in giving receiving and feedback. Communication is more effective if you can actively listen, read body language and understand non-verbal communication cues.
Performing effectively is often a balance between the level of challenge and the person's resources or abilities to meet those challenges. When the level of challenge is right, the person can enter a flow state (not too stressed, and not lacking in stimulation). Star performers in organisations often have high levels of emotional intelligence which can be cultivated through mindfulness.
Mindfulness can help us be aware of some of the thought patterns which can prevent us from seeing things clearly such as overgeneralising, judging, expecting perfection, eternalising (I'll never be able to do this), mind reading, assigning blame to self or others in an unbalanced way.
Mindfulness and leadership and management
The most effective leaders and managers have strong emotional intelligence skills. They not only know their field well and are effective visionaries and decision makers but they also have high interpersonal skills. They usually have more self-awareness, situational awareness and emotional regulation - all of which can be cultivated through mindfulness. Leaders build trust when they are authentic and their values and beliefs are aligned with their behaviours and decisions. Through seeing situations clearly - as they are - better decisions can be made. Mindfulness also helps to cultivate creativity.
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