After hosting 150+ mindfulness events, I’ve gotten lots of feedback and data on why people explore mindfulness and which tools and modalities are the most effective.

Why do people come to my events?

They want to know how to be happier in their job and how to find purpose and meaning in their work.

Coupled with my experience from working in consumer marketing for 10+ years prior to entering the wellness space, I’ll share why mindfulness should be incorporated into the workplace.

In this article, I’ll answer the following questions:

·     What is mindfulness?

·     What does a Chief Mindfulness Officer do?

·     What are some benefits of having someone in this role?

·     How do I know when my organization needs one?

Let’s first start with defining mindfulness so we’re all on the same page.

Mindfulness is not one specific practice, rather it’s a state of being and awareness. There are many modalities you can call upon to help you become more mindful. You may be familiar with meditation, yoga, and journaling as ways to be more mindful. It’s an increased awareness of yourself, how you fit in the world, and deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all human beings. It’s living with intention. Mindfulness first starts at the individual level.

What does this have to do with business?

Human capital is the #1 asset of any organization. Without the people, there is no service, product, strategy, etc. As a culture, we focus more on upskilling our employees in sales tactics, marketing strategies, technical expertise, and other areas that immediately make sense to a business unit. When it comes to mindfulness, it’s a bit nebulous and most people don’t have a personal mindfulness practice so it’s difficult to ascertain why and how to integrate into an organization. In popular culture, mindfulness can sometimes be associated with an extreme definition of someone who is always talking about their feelings, sitting in silence, and has their head in the clouds.

Mindset is everything and mindfulness helps you train your brain. Our brains naturally go to negative thought loops and worst-case scenarios. While this is helpful in initially identifying issues, all too often we become trapped in a cycle of worry and stress. Mindfulness helps you step out of the cycle and start conditioning your mind to work for you instead of against you.

If you’re feeling stressed, your thoughts, actions, interactions, creations are affected. This type of energy is constricting and prevents you from thinking creatively. You begin to think small and from fear.

When you feel curious about the stress and use it as a way to identify what needs your attention, you shift into empowerment which is expansive.

How you feel every day affects your relationships and the quality of your work.

Many people feel stressed about their jobs. Imagine if everyone was excited in their roles and creating, serving in the best way for themselves and others.

Everything would feel different. Be different.

What does a Chief Mindfulness Officer do?

A Chief Mindfulness Officer is someone who can strategically integrate mindfulness into an organization. This person has deep understanding of how specific mindfulness techniques and tools can help someone at the individual level and can have an impact within a group of people. They can speak the language of business and can operate across all areas of the organization. They implement mindfulness in a way that not only benefits employee wellbeing but company KPIs and strategic goals. A CMO is strategic but a strong operator, which is crucial in the successful adoption of a mindfulness program.

As people are the most important part of the organization, a CMO figures out the best way to shift the mindset, boost the mood of employees, and address business priorities and goals. This is definitely a long-term strategy and not a short-term fix for business challenges.

What are some benefits of having someone in this role?

 A CMO will be able to:

·  Address and prevent burnout

·     Improve team dynamics

·     Increase qualified sales leads

·     Create better products and services

·     Boost mood and develop a stronger company culture

·     Manage customer/client retention

·     Manage employee turnover rate

·     Jumpstart creativity

·     Improve work-life balance

·     Assist in mental health and wellbeing

How do I know when my organization needs one?

I believe within the next five years, you’ll see more CMOs and iterations like it across organizations. It’s the secret weapon to transforming your organization to be more _________. (You fill in the blank!) Mindset is the key to everything. If you believe you cannot fail, you’ll find a solution. If you think you’re going to fail from the start, it’s not a great place to start to ensure success.

Where your attention goes is what will grow. What are you constantly thinking about? And are the collective thoughts driving your organization in the right direction?  

A CMO is be best positioned for an organization that is:

·     Experiencing specific pain points like

o  Losing market share

o  Increased employee burnout

o  Aggressive employee turnover rate

o  Trouble identifying specific audiences and/or customers/clients

o  Marketing feels stale and not connecting with an audience and/or customer/client

o  Low customer/client loyalty

o  Can’t recruit the right talent

·     Rapidly growing but needs more focus and clarity  

·     Wants to strengthen company culture by investing in its employees in a strategic way

This role can transform a business by injecting new ideas and solutions. It’s really for any organization wanting to make big changes and invest in its most important asset: employees. It can be initially done in a “fractional capacity” meaning it doesn’t need to be full-time. So don’t be stressed about another c-suite headcount! A CMO is a strategic advisor to all other members of the executive team, creating innovative solutions to solve specific business unit pain points.

What did you learn from this article? What surprised you?

This is just the beginning of a series of articles about what a Chief Mindfulness Officer is and how you need someone like this in your organization. Up next, I’ll share what programs a CMO can implement to make big changes in an organization, what I’ve learned from hosting 150+ mindfulness events, and the power of meditation at work.

Book a reading with Alice Hu, Career Astrologer, to learn more and receive personalized insights.