The fact of the matter is, times have changed. Businesses and organizations can no longer afford to do things the old way with employees isolated in cubicles doing solitary tasks requiring linear, left-brained skills. Not if they want to keep up with the transformation that keeps happening at break-neck speed. Things are much more multifaceted, complex...and competitive than ever.
In A Whole New Mind (2005), Daniel H. Pink a leading thinker on issues of business and technology predicted a new era that would favor “conceptual” thinkers who can engage in holistic, intuitive and non-linear thinking. “Left-brain-style thinking used to be the driver, and right-brain-style the passenger,” writes Pink. “But now, right-brainers are suddenly grabbing the wheel, stepping on the gas and deciding where we’re going … Left-brain thinking is still necessary, but it’s no longer sufficient." How right he was.
In an age of affluence and abundance, it is no longer sufficient for a business to make a product that is merely functional and reasonably priced. With so many commodities to choose from, the “aesthetic imperative” (as author Virginia Postrell called it), starts to loom large. Today’s consumer is craving products that are not only well made and well priced, but also beautiful, environmentally friendly, and meaningful.
The culture of any organization comes from the top down. Successful leaders set a tone of play, risk and fun, to empower and inspire employees to be excited to come to work and to creatively feed off of each other towards true innovation such that the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. “Symphony,” writes Pink, “is the capacity to synthesize rather than to analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair....Perspective is more important than IQ. The ability to make big leaps of thought is a common denominator among the originators of breakthrough ideas, multidisciplinary minds, and a broad spectrum of experiences" (Pink).
Southwest Airlines, still a leader in the airline industry after a record 45th consecutive year of turning a profit, says the following in its mission statement: “People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.” There is a growing consensus in the medical community that laughter can improve a person’s immune system and overall health. And a handful of highly innovative organizations are starting to see the connection between employee health and overall profitability. One of Fortune’s "Best Companies to Work for Legends", the SAS Institute, discovered that the foundation of building a great place to work is valuing your employees. Or as Jim Goodnight—SAS Institute’s founder and CEO—says: “If you treat people as if they make a difference, they will make a difference.”
So how do today's business leaders make changes necessary to meet these new challenges in the global marketplace? Givens of course are, cutting edge technology, effective communication channels and providing opportunities for advancement. But also, developing strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills for employees is pivotal-- supporting staff empowerment with the ability to set priorities and keep team members engaged and moving forward. Attributes that have been found to contribute to the success of organizations like Google, at the top of Fortune’s annual list of the “Best Companies to Work For” since 2007, are work-life balance, growth opportunities, and a company culture of equality. Also key to productivity has been giving employees more control by allowing for flexibility in work schedules. “According to Prasad Setty, VP of People Operations at Google, one of the company's core tenants is, "if you give people freedom, they will amaze you.”
In addition to all of these important attributes of a dynamic work environment, The Bodymind Method utilizes a two-fold strategy to foster optimization of "human capitol" in any business organization. First, encouraging curious, passionate, authentic and accountable team players requires education and even incentives for individual employees to acquire or maintain a high level of health and wellness that will reflect in their ingenuity and productivity. Health-related work losses are estimated to cost US employers more than $260 billion each year, and may cost some companies more than direct medical expenditures (NCBI). Strategies for success in employee wellbeing are the designation/design of areas for creative collaboration and fitness, meditation/relaxation spaces at or near the work site, as well as providing professional development opportunities for employees to acquire bodymind tools like techniques for breathing, meditation and yoga, conditioning, nutrition and tangible ways to manage stress and achieve work/life balance.
The second strategy for creating dynamic, value (and revenue)-generating organizations are group professional development events that bring team members together to engage in activities that promote an embodied experience of trust, risk and creative problem-solving. These activities should represent a very different approach to fostering employee interaction than the usual brainstorming sessions. By creating a climate of mutual trust and non-judgmental community, participants should be given opportunities to experience each other in guided activities that intrinsically motivate cooperative discovery and creative problem-solving through play. Business Balance trainings build upon the human affinity for improvisation present in everyday conversations. Playing off of each other with ease and authenticity can illuminate the best versions of ourselves towards empowering collaboration among the people with whom we share common goals.
In today's ever-changing and opportunity-filled business environment, the people in any organization are the greatest asset. Attending to employee health and wellbeing by creating a dynamic and empowering environment that addresses individual and group optimization is the best investment a business can make in its future growth. Take a look at some Bodymind Method personal and group training options to create Business Balance in your organization at www.seasonedbodymind.com/services. And as you Mind Your Body in your life, don't forget to also Mind Your Business.
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