Being mindful in the office is something that a few of us are working on, a couple of us are making good progress, and most of us dream about. But what is mindfulness any way?

Being mindful is being aware of what is going on right now. Being mindful connects you to the present. You become aware of things that happen right now. Like the sounds that surround you right now. The fresh smell of your co-worker’s coffee nearby. The Spring flowers that are popping up. Or what that person is saying right now.

The interesting thing is that being present connects you to what you sense right now. And all this non-judgmental.

But you might ask, “Is being mindful not something unrealistic for the office?” “Maybe it’s best practiced in a yoga class or a meditation class?”

My answer is “No”.

Especially in the office where so much is going on; so many decisions to be made, and so many opportunities to step it up as a leader, mindfulness is crucial.

Why is being mindful so important as a leader?

Here are 5 surprising reasons:

Reason 1: The only moment that we have

Being mindful brings you back to the present. And the present moment is the only moment that you have. If you want to do something about your future or the future of your organization, take care of the present moment. The present moment is the building step for your wanted future.

For example, you are worried about an upcoming conversation with one of your employees. This person has a tendency to become emotional and take things personally. Worrying beforehand about the upcoming conversation won’t help you have a better conversation. It just tenses you up. But taking care of the present moment could help: what can you do right now to make this conversation more successful?

The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day.

Gloria Steinem.

Reason 2: Better decision-making

Dr. Ulrich Kirk showed in a 2011 study that people who practices mindfulness use different parts of their brains to make decisions. This is especially true in unfair situations where emotions can fire up: people who practice mindfulness react less emotional but more rational.

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”

Peter F. Drucker

Reason 3: Less Stress

Stress.

Who doesn’t experience stress once in a while?

But life also offers sometimes enormously stressful circumstance like a sick child at home or moving. Being mindful reduces stress in those circumstances.

Even better is to work on being more mindful before those circumstances occur.

Research has shown – for example “Stress reduction correlates with structural changes in the amygdale” by Britta Holzel – that mindfulness creates structural changes in that part of your brain that has huge impact on your stress levels. In other words you can prepare yourself now for more stressful circumstances.

Reason 4: Improved Communication

By being mindful you’ll become a better communicator. How many times have you been talking with someone while your mind is doing other things than listening to the person? Like making a shopping list in your head; thinking about your next argument; or imagining that you’re somewhere else. Escape. Escape from what is here right now. The mind is a super powerful tool and it can take you anywhere. Why don’t you let it take you to the present moment? What else do you have?

Reason 5: Better Leader

Less stress, real connection, better decision making and better communication: all those elements make you a better leader. And there is another reason:

You’ll become more compassionate.

A study done by two universities – Northeastern University and Harvard University – showed that mindfulness makes you a more compassionate person. David DeSteno, one of the researchers, said:

“The truly surprising aspect of this finding is that meditation made people willing to act virtuous – to help another who was suffering – even in the face of a norm not to do so.”

Compassion is crucial if you want to be a great leader. To quote Ken Blanchard:

“People don’t mind being challenged to do better if they know the request is coming from a caring heart.”

So, enough reasons to be more mindful. Please start today.