Wednesday, March 9, 2016

'Mindfulness Zones' at work

Have a look at the following Forbes article. 'Mindfulness Zones' at work must be a good try.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2016/03/07/how-monks-convinced-benioff-to-put-mindfulness-zones-in-salesforce/#25a8a3a8f79b
The followings are excerpts from the article.

The group (Thay's disciple monks) visited Salesforce’s offices and didn’t like what they found. Everyone was talking all the time and working all the time,

Benioff and the monks “negotiated.” The result: mindfulness areas on every floor of Salesforce’s new building.

For Benioff, the new spaces are part of a philosophy to innovation the Salesforce chief encourages other founders and CEOs adopt. “You need to create space and connect with people that are innovative,” Benioff said Monday. Seeking out a range of experiences outside of one’s comfort zone can help a business leader develop what Benioff calls a “beginner’s mind.” Benioff’s formula for thinking flexibly includes daily meditation and experiences from swim trips in Hawaii to a stay in a yoga ashram in India.

(My commentary)
Business is based on competition. And competition is self-destructive because it causes separation and discrimination. Meanwhile, meditation, or mindfulness is based on cooperation. And cooperation is healing and nourishing because it brings inclusiveness and non-discrimination. The former is for money, or material value. And the latter is for love and compassion, or spiritual value. Therefore, I feel that the Salesforce's 'Mindfulness Zones' is quite a challenge. The key will be how to keep good balance between two values. But the truth is that mindfulness is available wherever we are, even during working. The key is to do just one thing at a time. We can be mindful anytime, anywhere.

(Cf.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijnt-eXukwk

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