Hello and welcome.
This is Jen,
And I'm so glad you're here.
This meditation is for those of us who supervise or manage others at work,
And specifically,
For those of us who supervise or manage others at work in difficult times.
Work often involves some amount of stress,
But it feels like in today's world of work,
The stresses are more frequent and perhaps more impactful.
The fast pace of change of work,
Whether that's due to funding instability,
Possibly even pending layoffs.
The changing nature of work due to AI and other technological advancements.
Has led to a new level of uncertainty that can cause a lot of stress and strain for the people that we oversee.
As leaders,
We often want to provide more certainty,
More comfort,
More stability to our employees than is possible.
Given the number of factors that are outside of our control.
So how do we lead effectively in these times?
Well,
The good news is that the research on leadership consistently shows that one of the most important qualities of an effective leader is empathy,
Really just showing up for the people that we aim to support and being there for them.
Empathy really refers to just the ability to take the perspective of others,
To understand someone else's emotions or experiences from their perspective.
And one of the best ways that we can foster this and show it to others is just by being present in our interactions with them.
So there are three practices that we can do in our meditation that directly transfer to our ability to be there for the people that we manage and supervise.
Those are to pause.
And use our transition from one activity or conversation to another as a way to arrive with presence.
To listen.
And to acknowledge our own feelings in these moments and interactions.
So let's practice together.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable posture.
Sitting upright Back straight,
But not too rigid.
Sitting aware that we are sitting.
Noticing the sensation in the body.
The points of contact between our body and the chair or the surface beneath us.
Just grounding ourselves in this moment,
Noticing what it feels like to sit here.
Closing the eyes if that's comfortable.
Or maybe softening the gaze.
And just settling in here together.
Often with the busyness of our workdays,
Competing priorities,
Endless to-do lists,
It feels like we may not even have transition periods from one activity or conversation to the next.
And this can prevent us from being fully present with a person or people that we're interacting with.
One of the simplest ways that we can take a pause and arrive into a conversation with presence is simply to take a deep breath.
To give ourselves some space from one activity to another.
Let's practice this together.
Taking a deep inhale through the nose.
Deep exhale through the mouth.
And if it's helpful and supportive.
Maybe repeating the words to ourselves.
I am on the inhale.
Here now on the exhale.
We'll repeat this three more times together.
Breathing in,
I am.
Breathing out here now.
Breathing in,
I am.
Breathing out,
Here now.
One more time,
Breathing in,
I am.
Breathing out here now.
And now just letting our breath return to normal.
Not trying to breathe in any sort of special way.
Just breathing our natural breath.
And keeping in mind that taking even just one breath like this and repeating those words to ourselves before we enter a call or a meeting or conversation.
Can help us focus on the person and the interaction in front of us.
Rather than allowing our mind to be scattered.
And now moving into our next practice.
Again,
One of the most important elements of being able to foster empathy for others is really just to listen attentively.
This is,
Again,
Something we can practice in our meditation.
That we can apply to our interactions in everyday life.
So for the next few minutes.
We will just focus on the sounds around us in our environment.
Noticing what's in our immediate space.
Maybe in the room or the building that we're in.
Noticing what's further out in the distance.
Maybe on the street outside.
Not thinking too much about the sounds.
Just taking them in,
Taking in the quality of the sounds.
Are the sounds that you hear subtle?
Are they obvious?
Quiet or loud.
High pitched or low.
Sustained or fleeting.
Just noticing what are the sounds like.
And when the mind wanders off.
Which it is likely to do.
Not judging ourselves for that,
But just gently directing the attention back to the sounds in our environment.
Staying with this for a few more moments.
Practicing focusing our attention on hearing,
On listening.
Again,
Noticing what the mind tends to do.
Possibly jumping ahead to a later part of the day.
Trying to pick up something from earlier and just bringing it right back to the sounds in the environment in this moment.
And now transitioning to the third element of this practice.
When we are concerned about the stress levels and the experiences of our employees,
We are often experiencing stress or other feelings ourselves.
We're not robots.
We're humans too.
And the stressors that affect our staff.
Also affect us.
Sometimes when we don't take the time to acknowledge what we're feeling and experiencing,
Those feelings and stressors run in the background.
And can distract us from the task at hand.
By acknowledging them.
We're not making them go away.
We're not trying to get rid of them.
But it can help bring some clarity to our experience.
And it can help us be more present with others.
So taking a few moments to notice.
What kind of moods or emotions are present for us today?
Not grasping for an answer to this question,
But just seeing what arises.
What kind of mood or emotion?
Or multiple moods or emotions are present.
Maybe there's anxiety.
Frustration.
Concern.
Maybe with that.
Also a sense of hope.
Optimism.
Caring,
Whatever is there,
Knowing that that's okay.
Knowing that we can be professional.
And also have feelings at work.
Just accepting what's there.
Telling ourselves it's okay to feel this.
As we come toward the end of our practice today.
Keeping in mind.
That we can practice and cultivate the skills needed for this on any day.
By taking a deep breath.
By listening.
Noticing when our mind is distracted and gently bringing it back to the person or conversation.
And by acknowledging our own failings.
It may not be easy to navigate difficult circumstances at work.
It may be stressful for yourself and for others,
But just know that by being here,
By cultivating this practice,
You are doing one of the kindest,
Most compassionate things you can do.
By just showing up and being with people with the experiences that they are having.
In a moment,
I will ring the bell three times.
Signifying the end of this practice here today.
Thank you for caring about yourself and others,
And thank you for your practice here today.
You you
