The Power of Yoga in helping Business – Downward Dog Diminishes Dogmatism!

The Power of Yoga in helping Business – Downward Dog Diminishes Dogmatism!

 

Yoga and meditation has more benefits than just greater posture and flexibility

Recently I completed my 200 hours yoga teacher training. Over the last 15 years I have discovered the huge benefits of yoga in managing my career and business and raising a family with two very active sons. I have been running Mondo Search Executive business for the last 25 years and the last 2 years have been probably the toughest years that I have seen, as the war for talent increases and the business landscape is dramatically evolving. Yet my sense of peace, well being and calmness has increased. It might be with age that I have learnt not to catastrophy as I have seen the highs and lows of the economic cycles but I truly believe my daily routine of doing yoga has significantly helped me.

Recently at a global recruitment NPA conference with our executive global recruiting alliance partners I met one business owner from the Philippines who had been running her business for 20 years, Nerissa Reyes of Avante People. This lady seemed so energised and delighted in her business, like it was the first day of a start up. I asked her secret and ironically she said yoga! Nerissa said “I used to have severe back pain due to work pressure. The doctors had done surgery to ease the back pain; it was to no avail until I discovered  the POWER OF YOGA.

Yoga is the connection of mind to body and in our busy worlds where we so often run so fast with mobile phones, email and social media, we do have time to ” defrag” the brain. Prince Ea recently cited in his book called “can we autocorrect humanity” that the average  person spends 4 years of their life looking at their phone .  There are also recent studies showing that 15 minutes of meditation has more dopamine and ” happy emotions” released than an antidepressant tablet. So naturally it makes sense to consider yoga and meditation to support you in your everyday life.

5 Ways that I have found that yoga keeps me Sane in Business:

1. Yoga reduces Stress by triggering the Relaxation Response.

This is achieved through conscious breathing, practicing poses, learning relaxation techniques, and meditation. The antidote to the stress response is the relaxation response, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system. More importantly, yoga teaches us how to remain peaceful in the face of discomfort and challenge. We learn the art of surrender to hold a painful pose and breathe – learning how to sit in pain is critical to building resilience in the workplace as not all days are amazing!

2. Yoga helps us pay attention and sleep well

Many people notice that they are more physically, mentally and emotionally self-aware. Often, this self-awareness begins by paying attention to our breath and all its habits. Then, we move to our thought cycles, and finally, to where we hold tension in our bodies. I have learnt through yoga, how to switch off my mind at sleep time and my sleep has really improved. A rested employee is 85% more effectual!

3. Yoga heals our bodies and minds.

The poses, conscious breathing and visualization serve as therapy to reduce physical pain, as well as emotional anxiety. Yoga allows us to free our emotions in poses and has a massive impact on our well being. Feeling a sense of emotional freedom is a great place to be whilst working!

4.Yoga reminds us to take one moment at a time. Don’t judge, just observe.

We observe our thoughts when we do yoga and begin to take responsibility for our inner dialogue. It teaches us to simply observe and not judge – some days you will balance well and other days you will wobble wildly. Just observe and don’t judge yourself. A workplace full of judgement and gossip is toxic – learning to observe is a healthy business behaviour. Learning to pause is powerful.

5. Yoga allows us to be playful and curious /childlike. The childlike fun of yoga is like child’s play. Recently I observed my surf club yoga class, all ages 28 – 68 all helping each other with leg poses up the wall! As adults we spend too much time in our heads being serious and responsible. Yoga brings back child’s play. The more playful we are, the more people will gravitate to our energy.

Neoteny – is ageing yet retaining the childlike behaviour traits of spontaneity, creativity and a sense of wonder!

Certainly, the yogic benefits go beyond this list…in my experience, yoga can help us to experience the best life ever and bring this to our workplace and home lives.

Simone Allan        

Simone@mondosearch.com.au 1300 737917

We need Community outside work to keep us healthy & sane!

Three years ago I signed up my family to do our bronze medallions,  as my teenage sons were keen to use the gym?….The irony is they joined another gym, but so many other benefits have transpired.

 

1).Found a new Community We discovered that our local surf club was quite amazing – collegial,  supportive and nonpolitical, with so many great leaders who lead from the front! We live in a society with a predominance of  nuclear families,  without great old aunts and uncles close by. Having a community like the surf club has led to new connections & a sense of belonging. It takes a village to raise a child.

 

2) Fitness- we all got a hell of a lot fitter!  It was fantastic to do as a family challenge, especially with two energetic teenage sons.

 

3)No excuses to let Winter set you into slothful lifestyles… knowing that the run swim run will be requested again during the spring months. This has been a great motivation in winter to try to keep fit.

Good fitness tempers the mind  in business.

 

4)More life skills: Keeping up to date on first aid practices also assists in everyday life. Thsi year they brought in a mental health first aid module.

 

5)Finding the play! Certainly there is a serious side to surf patrol but the fun of learning new skills and learning to drive the buggy or bouncing in the IRB can bring a smile to your face, amidst a busy week.

 

There are so many other stories and points to share but as I finish this season of surf patrol I sit with a lot of gratitude and thanks to my local Surf Club and the opportunities that it has given my family & I. 

Look for the “Shreks” in your business!

It is well documented that a wrong hire can cost three times the salary of the poor hire, after you take into account the loss in productivity, workplace disruption and new hiring costs. If you reflect on every great hire that you have made or every great person that you have worked with, the most critical factor has been a positive/ “can do attitude” – a willingness to listen and help. This attribute will always outweigh great knowledge or skills. 

Sometimes people look wrong but are really really right- just like Shreks!

When interviewing both internally and externally, there are two considerations: their level of competency and their presentation style. Don’t get swamped by presentation style – look for the right attitude. People can look right and are wrong and you can miss opportunities of people who look wrong but are right. I like to call them the “Shreks” of your business, as suggested in this picture:

In conclusion, you do not want to miss the “Shreks” in your hiring decisions and with a year of change forecasted, you need to be able to recognise the “Shreks” currently in your business, that may be unnoticed and aim to provide new motivators and career opportunities to them, as they may not otherwise stay around!

Be aware that level of attractiveness does not indicate a  person’s level of competency. Make sure you do not have unconscious biases when judging a person’s capabilty. Reference thoroughly, do capabilty testing,  assessments, competency questionnaires and sight previous examples of achievements to back capabilties.

For more information contact Simone Allan, Director at Mondo Search on 1300 737 917 or email : simone@mondosearch.com.au.

 

Copyright:
The above is the intellectual property of Mondo Search Pty Ltd. None of the information provided may be copied or reproduced in part or in full without the prior written permission of a director of Mondo Search Pty Ltd

 

 

Be wise on Weekends and De frag!

Love what you do!

Weekends will arrive quickly when you love what you do.

When you love your work, life seems so much easier. So often you hear the old saying Happy Wife Happy Life! As our lives become so connected, we can quickly get immersed in work all our waking hours. With ever present email and testy texts we can be thinking about work 24/7 (even when we sleep, our subconscious might also be dreaming about it!). Furthermore, did you know that nearly 70% of employees are actively disengaged? (according to a Gallup research). 

What to do?

1) Set boundaries for your time

2) Allow hours before bedtime where you switch off

3) Maximise your recreational times to include – mental, physical, spiritual space

4) Create interests outside of work

5) Have a 3rd space – find an outlet outside of work and home that is nurturing to you.

 

Enjoy your time out of work, it will make you a better contributor when you are working.

How to get a job straight out of School

 

A word to help you in your job search after school is DRREAM! Yes that is dream big and start big! Dream with an extra R for Really Amazing! 

 

DRREAM is an acronym for the smart steps to find a job:

D – Date and Don’t give up – you have to think of getting a job is like getting a date – prepare both physically and mentally – Don’t limit yourself. Say YES a lot – do your preparation.

R -Resume: write a succinct and powerful resume – 2 pages and include everything that you have ever volunteered for. Include all part-time jobs, internships and awards. Have 1-3 referees, even a quote of who you are to them. Be meticulous with resume detail – headers with how to contact your email & mobile.

R – Research – research your passions and think of companies you are passionate about – we always thrive, if we do what we have an interest in, something (just like school & sport) also research your trusted network – who do you like – what do they do? Ask them if you can do an internship? Keep an open mind – don’t limit yourself to certain types of jobs.

E – Early Work Experiences help. Young resumes stand out if they are loaded with work experiences and demonstrate tenacity – ie. internships, work experiences, volunteering, Duke of Edinburgh, Surf Life Saving etc.

A – Appropriate Dress and be flexible Wear what matches your market. If it is a conservative industry like professional services and banking – wear a suit. You are not being conformist – you are allowing yourself not to suffer unconscious biases and judgement, so people can make a decision on what you think and what you say rather than what you wear (much like a date really). Be flexible and say yes to interviews – no matter where they are located or what time of the day they request to meet.

M – Make Extra Effort and find a Mentor- Like a date – stand out from the rest – get online and research companies, start a blog on something you are passionate about that may be related, write an article and go the extra mile. Follow people who the company would be interested in. Find a mentor within your friends and family who you rate, who has led a good career and ask them to mentor you. They will get as much out of it as you.

 

Simone Allan, Director & Founder Mondo Search. Australian Business, established 21 years ago. Pleased to have placed 2700 Leaders in Business across Australasia.

More info email kirsten@mondosearch.com.au

 

Performance Appraisals Are Like Flossing Your Teeth! – Done Regularly They Can Prevent Decay – Corporate Decay!

 

Not looked forward to but worth the effort and input with loads of hidden benefits!

When we floss our teeth we do not enjoy the process much, it requires getting into some detail, dealing with hidden spots and challenges, yet the outcome can be more than just top line removal of plaque. Performance appraisals can set a good plan and path moving forward and clear out unspoken challenges, misconceptions and grievances that may have been lurking and held back by employees. Good performance appraisals also allow a platform for smart review of past performance and strategic talent mapping.

 

Performance reviews should be a DATE – 

 

Defined and documented, have set expectations of what will be discussed, past and future performance, team environment, support required, what management needs to stop, start and continue doing.  Documented for clear review every six months.

Adventurous- prepared to face the truth, open, transparent and challenge the status quo.

Timely – the key to a great performance review is keep them timely (best every six months as 12 months is too long to have to turn around and steer direction).

Encouraging – we all know that human beings respond best to a carrot rather than a stick. As a mother, I have observed how kids close down to too much negative feedback but thrive on positive input and encouragement. You can not be false and gushy as everyone knows when feedback is authentic and recent studies show that the old “sandwich” feedback process is not so powerful anymore as people become sceptical of the good feedback – feeling it is tokenism. Empathise –make time to talk about them as a person. What are their personal aspirations that they want to share, this will build a deeper understanding for managing and getting the best out of them. Show an interest in their whole life goals and how they can achieve them.

 

However acknowledge the good and the bad in a pragmatic and respectful way – share empathy and insights around yourself and how you tackled challenges like this in the past. Give them insights into how you tackled such challenges, show them that you have walked that path as well. It is well known that great leaders show empathy to the journey of a subordinate. They deeply listen and stretch people beyond what they think they are capable of. 

 

For more information contact Simone Allan, Director at Mondo Search on 1300 737 917 or email simone@mondosearch.com.au.