Forget all of the press about what mindfulness can do. Forget even what the world's greatest scientists tell us. None of that really matters, does it? They're just words, thoughts and intellectual discussion.
Just talking about fitness never made anyone fitter, and the same is true of mindfulness. You can read and talk about it until you're blue in the face but nothing changes unless you shift from conceptual discussion to direct experience. To make this shift you need a skilled teacher and an evidence-based, well designed course that fits your needs perfectly.
The only thing that matters is what impact my Resilience through Mindfulness course has on the people I work with.
So, in a world affected by an unprecedented global pandemic, and with mindfulness all abuzz online and in the press, if you’re thinking of making mindfulness part of your company’s wellbeing strategy the first question you need to answer is ... who else done it, and does it work?
To answer that question (and more) I sat down with
Jane Evans, Director of Business Operations at Celerity Limited.
Jane what made you choose to implement a mindfulness programme at Celerity?
"I think it was Richard Branson who said “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” That’s very much the ethos at Celerity, my job is to do everything possible to support, nurture and encourage our staff to be the best they can be. That includes both personal and professional development through offering them best-in-class courses. Our training has traditionally been vendor focused and specifically technical or sales based. I felt it was an important step for us as a business to support our employees through personal development that would help them both during the pandemic and afterwards. I had heard about the many benefits of mindfulness in the workplace and wanted to see if this would be a good fit for us."
Why did you engage Steve?
I was introduced to Steve through a mutual contact who told me about the Mindfulness Course and how Steve approached the content. Steve was highly recommended and I felt that was the best way to approach the training – through a trusted source.
Steve has an incredible reputation, comes highly recommended and is extremely skilled at what he does, but equally important he has almost three decades’ experience working at IBM where he spent many years designing, developing and implementing mindfulness programmes. we wanted somebody who didn’t just understand the challenges of a modern-day workplace but had also experienced them.
This real-world experience was crucial for us, we wanted somebody who didn’t just understand the challenges of a modern-day workplace but had also experienced them.
All of this, combined with the fact that he trained at the University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre, was very appealing to us.
How did it work for you?
There was no hard sell from Steve which was reassuring. Instead, he initially got together with myself and our COO, Craig Aston. This allowed us to meet him, hear about his experience, understand exactly what he was offering and decide whether or not to proceed. Craig and I instantly warmed to Steve and thought this would be a great fit for our business, so we took him up on his offer of a pro-bono taster session. At this stage, we didn’t think we had anything to lose, but also didn’t need any convincing as we had already decided this would be the right option for us. I immediately felt comfortable working with Steve and knew he would deliver a course that would benefit our employees not only in a professional way, but through personal development as well.
What does the taster session involve?
We loved this because it mitigated a lot of risk for us. Steve suggested we invite anyone in the company who had an interest in learning resilience through mindfulness to come along, and he helped us draft an email to explain exactly what to expect. There were no slides and no fixed agenda, it was clear from the start that Steve was there to connect with our colleagues rather than impress them. Throughout the hour there were a lot of questions, we covered many things, but if I had to pick the top five things discussed they would be:
1. What mindfulness actually was and why it was relevant in the workplace.
2. The science behind the efficacy of workplace mindfulness programmes.
3. How he introduced mindfulness to one of the biggest companies in the world - what he learned, what worked and what didn't, what the results were and how transformational they were.
4. The single biggest mistake companies make when it comes to mindfulness at work.
5. How the stress reduction / resilience / productivity tools learned during an 8-week programme of just 90 mins a week can really affect your work (and home) life whilst fitting into even the busiest of schedules.
What happened after the taster session?
My inbox exploded! It was very popular, so I worked with Steve to arrange to run two programmes concurrently. This was the best fit for us, it allowed us to train everyone who was interested without taking them all out of the office at the same time.
What about the actual 8-week programme, how was it delivered?
Steve taught everything over Zoom, as 8 weekly live-virtual classes. This was perfect for us for many reasons:
1. Our teams are located all across the UK. Live-virtual delivery meant we could offer this to everyone knowing there’d be no barriers in terms of travel time, overnight stays, costs, or commitments at home. It basically made it completely accessible to anyone who wanted it, and made the ROI extremely attractive.
2. There are many people who feel safes in their home environment and are thus more willing to share personal experiences on a course like this. It was important to us that anyone who attended felt as comfortable as possible, and familiar environments often contribute to this.
3. Regardless of lockdowns, COVID etc the course was still guaranteed to run.
Was it well received? Can you share any specific feedback?
I had high hopes but was still genuinely astonished at how successful it was. 100% of attendees said they would recommend the course to a colleague if they were interested, and the feedback we got was incredible. Here are a few quotes from our staff:
“I am incredibly grateful to my employer for providing me the opportunity to sign up and attend the Mindfulness course delivered by Steve earlier this year. Having briefly touched upon mindfulness in my studies many years ago I had heard about the positive benefits it can deliver but was always sceptical that something so seemingly simple could have any impact on my over active mind. I would need two hands to count the number of mindfulness related books I have picked up from Euston Train station over the years in the naive hope that this action alone would result in a more peaceful existence.
Of course this action alone isn't enough, however since completing the course delivered by Steve I now not only understand the concepts behind mindfulness but can happily say I have incorporated mindfulness into my personal and working life. The effects of which have been noticed by those closest to me and I find I am also better able to manage my intensive workload.
Steve has a wonderful way of explaining the fundamentals of mindfulness in a way you can relate to and understand, the delivery of the course was perfectly paced and it was something I looked forward to every week. Still lots to learn and more practice required however a number of key takeaways from the course have certainly made a positive impact on my daily work life as I find myself to be more productive and less reactive.
I would recommend Steve to any employer who is looking to promote the positive wellbeing of their employees particularly those who work in a fast paced environment. Thanks again to Celerity and Steve.”
Maggie Sutcliffe, Business Development Manager
“I was recently lucky to take part in the 8-week Mindfulness course 'Finding Peace in a Frantic World’ taught by Steve. I have been looking into topics related to mindfulness over the last 6 months or so and this course has turned out to be a pivotal point on this journey.
It was a really enjoyable course where I learned new invaluable skills for managing stress that can be incorporated into my busy day. Steve’s teaching style allows a lot of self-reflection and coaches you into implementing small but effective changes into everyday routines.
He brings his own life examples into each session which makes the course very realistic and practical (especially useful for those who start the course with a sceptical mindset). The 8 weeks of 90 minute sessions will have a long-lasting impact and benefit to me on a personal level as well as my work productivity”
Magda Bautenbach, Sales and Marketing Executive
“I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been offered this mindfulness course by my employer. It really did feel as though I'd been gifted 90 minutes of quality time each week - time to train my brain and thoughts, time to breathe and understand the importance of good mental health.
This course presents you with opportunity - opportunity to wake up to being on autopilot, really noticing and appreciating the world around you, opportunity to sleep better, listen better, to quieten the mind to all that incessant chattering and therefore, be able to focus your attention better and be present. The course offers you the tools of meditation to achieve peace in all aspects of your life - which, when routinely practised, could have a profoundly positive impact on the job you do, the relationships you have and your general feeling of happiness and contentment. To be better prepared for difficult situations and better equipped to accept them and work through them.
Attending this course doesn't just hand you peace on a plate, as with most things in life, if positive change is something you want, then you must make the effort to achieve it and as we all know, the more time and effort you put into something, the more you can get back from it. Mindfulness isn't just about how we treat others - it's also about how we treat ourselves. The compassion and kindness that we afford ourselves is then projected to others around us.
Steve presented this course in a relaxed and informal manner, it was enlightening and entertaining - so incredibly worthwhile. A huge thank you, Steve - I look forward to hearing more about your future planned courses.”
Karen Lightfoot, Compliance and Data Protection Officer
“If you are going to do personal development and training then you ought to engage Steve. Steve successfully ran the 8-week course and all participants were actively engaged throughout.
This is tricky stuff to teach and empower people to develop. Steve was inspirational and an excellent Evangelist for what is perhaps one of the most important course you may have the good fortune to do in your life.
Thank you Steve”
Paul Lyons, Business Development Manager
Are the impacts of the course still being felt?
Absolutely. Steve taught us skills which extend way beyond the duration of the course. A few of our staff have already started a weekly mindfulness call and practise together. I am sure this will continue to grow. I will also keep in touch with Steve and have invited him back to further develop what we will work on next year for both current and new employees.
Ready to chat about bringing mindfulness to your workplace?
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